Real Madrid vs Barcelona ranks among football’s greatest rivalries / FAYEZ NURELDINE/GettyImages
It’s rarely a dull occasion when Spain’s two premier forces meet on the football pitch, and we’re going to be treated to two more iterations of El Clásico in 2022/23 thanks to the Copa del Rey semi-final draw.
Barcelona and Real Madrid will meet over two legs with a place in the Copa del Rey final on the line.
It’s a rivalry that needs little introduction but, ahead of Thursday’s first leg in the Spanish capital, why not familiarise yourself with the history of the derby and the significance of the fixture?
Origins of El Clásico
As so many of football’s fiercest derbies are, the rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona is entrenched in politics. It traces back to the time of the Spanish Civil War, with the rivalry intensifying following the conclusion of World War II in 1945.
Barcelona is located in Catalonia, a republican heartland during the civil war, while Real are, of course, the pride and joy of the Spanish capital. They grew to embody General Francisco Franco’s dictatorship; a regime Catalonians resented deeply.
Franco, like Miguel Primo de Rivera before him, sought to homogenise the Spanish state and thus attempted to restrict all regional languages and identities in Spain during his lengthy leadership, including Catalonian – hence the resentment.
So, while Real grew to encapsulate Spain’s ruling elite, Barcelona, who developed their motto ‘Més que un club’ (More than a club), aligned strongly with Catalan nationalism. Politically, the two clubs were once poles apart with Barcelona and Real Madrid seen to represent each side of the civil war divide still today.
The success of both teams on the pitch only added to the rivalry, and the contest has developed into an unmissable fixture in the 21st century.
The world’s best players want to compete in El Clásico, and there was a period during José Mourinho’s stint in Madrid where the entire planet would stand still while Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona and José’s Real went at it.
Which players have won the most El Clásicos?
This record is shared by two players on each side of the divide from different generations. Real Madrid’s Paco Gento and Barcelona’s Sergio Busquets have each claimed 21 Clásico victories.
Gento spent 18 years at Real between 1953 and 1971, making 427 appearances for the club and winning a boatload of honours. The Spaniard lifted 12 La Liga titles and won six European Cups. His significance to one of the greatest club sides of all-time means Gento is regarded as one of the greatest Spanish footballers of all-time.
Busquets’ genius is better known to a modern audience. The current Barcelona captain will be remembered as a generation-defining holding midfielder who operated as the metronomic fulcrum in Pep Guardiola’s mesmeric Barcelona sides of 2008/09 and 2010/11.
El Clásico leading goalscorers
El Clásico most hat-tricks
Only 21 hat-tricks have been scored in El Clásico history. The first was scored by Santiago Bernabeu, whom Real’s stadium is now named after, in 1916 and Luis Suarez scored the most recent in 2018.
Four players have scored multiple hat-tricks in this fixture, including the aforementioned Bernabeu. His second came in a quite remarkable 6-6 draw which saw two other players (Luis Belaunde and Paulino Alcantara) score three times.
Real’s Jaime Lazcano and Ferenc Puskas each bagged two Clásico hat-tricks, while Lionel Messi registered two for Barcelona seven years apart.
El Clásico records
Team
- Biggest winning margin: Real Madrid 11-1 Barcelona – Copa del Rey (19 June 1943)
- Most consecutive wins: Real Madrid – 7 (22 April 1962 – 28 February 1965)
- Longest undefeated run: Real Madrid – 8 (3 March 2001 – 6 December 2003)
Player
- Most appearances: Sergio Busquets, Sergio Ramos & Lionel Messi – 45
- Most assists: Lionel Messi – 14
- Most assists in one match: Xavi – 4 (2 May 2009, La Liga)
- Most yellow cards: Sergio Ramos – 22
- Most red cards: Sergio Ramos – 5
- Most clean sheets: Victor Valdes – 7
Source: 90min.com
