While waiting for tonight's match between eternal rivals Barcelona and Madrid Real at "Camp Nou" in the Spanish championship, Goal.com portal offers to remember the ten most impressive past "El Clasico" meetings.
"Barcelona" 1 - 5 "Real" (January 27, 1963). The "Royal" club dominated Europe at that time and once again proved its strength by crushing the principal competitor in their stronghold. Ferenc Puskas, then 35 years old, scored a hat-trick, while Alfredo Di Stefano and Gento added one goal each. "Real" triumphed in the league that season.
"Real" 0 - 5 "Barcelona" (February 17, 1974). In the summer of 1973, Johan Cruyff resisted the temptations of "los blancos" to move to Barcelona. When the Dutchman finally arrived in the Spanish capital, he was the main architect of an impressive away victory. In 1974, "Barça" triumphed in the country's championship after a 14-year hiatus.
"Barcelona" 5 - 0 "Real" (January 8, 1994). Twenty years later, Johan Cruyff led the Catalans to victory with a score of 5-0, no longer as a player. Led by Romario and Michael Laudrup, Barcelona's "dream team" left no hope for their opponents. It is worth mentioning that the current "Barça" coach, Luis Enrique, played for "Real" at the time.
"Real" 5 - 0 "Barcelona" (January 6, 1995). The dominance in "El Clasico" by one team did not end for almost a full year. In this match, the "royal" club's lineup was led to victory by Michael Laudrup, who had been mistreated in the previous match and moved to the opposite side due to disagreements with Cruyff.
"Barcelona" 0 - 2 "Real" (April 23, 2002). In 2002, the Spanish giants met in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals, and the first match at "Camp Nou" was called the "match of the century." The visitors triumphed thanks to goals from Zinedine Zidane and Steve McManaman, and in the final forced Bayer Leverkusen to surrender.
"Barcelona" 3 - 3 "Real" (March 10, 2007). What if Lionel Messi could score three goals in his debut "El Clasico"? In a match that was crucial in the title race, the Argentine shone at just nineteen. These were Messi's first steps towards the title of the world's best footballer.
"Real" 4 - 1 "Barcelona" (May 7, 2008). Barça players suffered humiliation by having to form a guard of honor for the new "La Liga" champions, who later showed their power on the pitch by crushing the Catalans.
"Real" 2 - 6 "Barcelona" (May 2, 2009). With Pep Guardiola taking over the club, the "El Clasico" at the "Santiago Bernabeu" stadium was a completely different story. The hosts were completely crushed, and at the end of the season, the trophy was lifted by the players of "blaugrana."
"Barcelona" 5 - 0 "Real" (November 29, 2010). The dominance of "Barcelona" could not be interrupted even with the arrival of Jose Mourinho in Madrid. In his first "El Clasico," the Portuguese experienced the power of Pep Guardiola's well-oiled machine, and in the spring had to settle for second place.
"Real" 0 - 2 "Barcelona" (April 27, 2011). The result of this match was not exceptional, but at the "Santiago Bernabeu" stadium, an excellent show was seen. In the Spanish capital, not only two of the strongest European teams clashed, but also the two best footballers on the planet - Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. It was also in this match that Pepe was shown a controversial red card for a questionable foul on Dani Alves, after which Jose Mourinho was also sent off to the stands.
