There is nothing else but victory. When you’ve been to El Clasico, you understand the passion, the intensity of the greatest footballing rivalry. It’s an experience you will never forget.
First Winner
The first ever Clasico was in 1902 when the two sides met in Madrid. The match in the Copa de la Coronacion semi-final saw Barcelona win 3 – 1.
The first meeting of the two sides in a competitive match came in the Copa Del Rey turned out to be four games. In 1916, they met in the semi-final with Barcelona and Real Madrid winning their home games 2 – 1 and 4 – 1 respectively. With no aggregate score calculated, both sides had won one game each so a replay was needed. Held at Atletico Madrid’s stadium, it finished 6 – 6!!! A second replay on the same ground two days later saw Real emerge victorious by 4 goals to 2.
Real Madrid won the first league meeting of the two sides on 17th February 1929 in the Camp Nou, 2 – 1. On 9th May 1929, the return match in the Bernabeu was won 1 – 0 by Barcelona. Honours even over the course of the season. The two sides first met in the Spanish Supercopa in 1988, Real winning 3 – 2 on aggregate whilst Real also won the first Champions Cup match between the two sides, 6 – 2 on aggregate in the semi-final of the 1959/60 season.
Most El Clasico Wins
Overall, FC Barcelona has won 109 to Real Madrid’s 97 with 58 draws.
Real Madrid edge the record in competitive matches with 93 wins to Barcelona’s 90 with 48 draws. As if any of the matches aren’t competitive! The biggest win came in the Copa Del Rey during 1943 when Real Madrid beat Barca11 – 1. Barcelona have the biggest win in La Liga, 8 – 2 in 1935. Lionel Messi holds the record for most goals in El Clásico with 21. Cristiano Ronaldo has 16 and separating the two is the legendary Alfredo di Stefano with 18 for Real Madrid. Messi shares the record for most hat-tricks (2) with the magnificent Ferenc Puskas.
Most Memorable Moments in El Clásico
With so many great players, there have been many memorable moments. From Johan Cruyff inspiring Barcelona to a 5 – 0 demolition in the Bernabeu, Gary Lineker’s hat-trick in the Camp Nou. Both sides trading 5 – 0 wins inside twelve months in the mid-90s. There has been a Guard of Honour but in recent years the greatest moments have belonged to Barcelona, none more so than when in 2009, they effectively won La Liga with a 6 – 2 win in the Bernabeu, after being a goal down.
El Clasico Dates
These are announced when the La Liga fixtures are published in June. Cup matches are played at any time during the season so keep your eyes peeled!
