Everybody knows how much Barcelona and Real Madrid hate each other in Spain. Being the biggest football rivalry in the world will foster that kind of emotion between players and fans alike.

As the game has modernised, a respect between the two sets of players has grown now that political tensions have eased off slightly, though you could probably never expect that players from either side would ever become good friends.

However, there has always been some co-mingling when players from both sides have arrived on international duty, and given that some of those players have won a World Cup and a European Championship together, there's no denying that they have a bond that will last a lifetime.

Over the course of the season, both Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique have traded barbs about each other's team and everything that surrounds the pressures of a La Liga title race.

Pique recently landed himself with a fine for his comments, while Ramos claimed that he would give his Barca counterpart a hug when he sees him, suggesting that there is some strained tension between the two.

But speaking with Cadena Ser ahead of their friendly with Israel this week, Chelsea striker Diego Costa revealed what the relationship between the two men is actually like.

And it seems they're actually pretty good friends.

"Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique love each other," Costa admitted as per the Daily Mirror.

To be honest, news of their friendship makes a lot of sense, given that they've actually played alongside each other for La Roja since 2009.

They were both in the heart of the defence as Spain triumphed at the 2010 World Cup and the 2012 European Championships, where they became faces of the country's best period for international football.

Spain will take on Israel on Friday night in their World Cup qualifier before playing France in a friendly next Tuesday.

Both players stand more of a chance of featuring against Israel as Spain will look to pull ahead of Italy in their qualifying group. Both sides lead the group on ten points each, with Spain ahead slightly on goal difference.