This Saturday the world will witness one of the biggest El Clasico of the season, if not the century. For the past 10 decades, there’s been exceptional play and moments that will stay in everyone’s memories forever.
Here are 10 landmarks in the history of El Clasico, from the 1920s to the 2010s:
1920s: The first ever LaLiga El Clásico
The first LaLiga Clasico took place in February 1929. Just two weeks into the first-ever LaLiga season. Barcelona’s Les Corts stadium was packed with confident fans that day, but they left disappointed as Real Madrid scored either side of half time and hang on for a 2-1 inaugural win. Barça won the reverse fixture 1-0 – and the first-ever LaLiga title – but the first ElClasico win went to the capital.
1930s: Real Madrid run up the biggest victory in LaLiga El Clásico history
The 1934-35 El Clásico fixtures were remarkable. Barça won 5-0 at Les Corts before Real Madrid turned it around with an incredible 8-2 win at Chamartin. The home side went 5-1 up after just half an hour, prompting Barça’s Hungarian coach Ferenc Plattko to ask the ball to be changed at the break as he feared foul play!
It made no difference as the Real Madrid side racked up the biggest ever LaLiga ElClasico win.
1940s: The birth of El Clásico as we know it today?
It could be said that the birth of the intense El Clásico rivalry we know today was born in the 1940s. There were hot-headed encounters between the two sides. Among them was the highest scoring draw ever registered between these two sides: a 5-5 draw at Les Corts in 1943.
1950s: El Clásico becomes Spain’s first televised football match
On February 15th, 1959 as El Clásico became the first football match ever televised on Spanish television. There was a pre-game scramble for the latest technology. TV sets quickly sold out across both cities. Real Madrid, featuring the great Alfredo Di Stefano and Ferenc Puskas, won 1-0 that day at the Bernabeu. But were unable to prevent Barcelona to win their first LaLiga title in seven years.
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1960s: Di Stefano continues to haunt Barcelona
The Argentine legend remains Real Madrid’s all-time leading El Clásico goalscorer in LaLiga matches. He tormented Barcelona after they thought – mistakenly – they’d beaten Real Madrid to his signing back in 1953. Di Stefano’s 14 goals in 20 matches included a double in a memorable 5-3 win at the recently opened Camp Nou in December 1960. It also marked a period of generational dominance for Los Blancos.
1970s: Johan Cruyff tilts the balance Barça’s way
Johan Cruyff’s arrival as a Barça player in 1974 helped tilt the El Clásico balance back towards the Catalan capital. His performance in a 5-0 LaLiga El Clásico win at the Bernabeu that year is still often talked about today. El Salvador inspired Barça to that season’s LaLiga title. He instilled a footballing philosophy which forms part of the club’s identity to this day.
1980s: Real Madrid’s Quinta del Buitre generation wins five in a row
Los Blancos had not won a LaLiga title for six years when they faced Barcelona at the Bernabeu in March 1986. An impressive 3-1 win all but handed the title to Real Madrid. It also opened up a period of unrivalled dominance of the rivalry for the rest of the decade.
Madrid’s Quinta del Buitre generation went on to win every LaLiga title between 1986 and 1990.
1990s: ‘Manitas’ all round
Cruyff’s return to Barça as coach heralded the birth of the ‘Dream Team’ which won four consecutive LaLiga titles between 1991 and 1994. Yet the story of ElClasico in the 1990s will be remembered for two iconic results: a 5-0 win for Barça at the Camp Nou with Romario and current coach Ronald Koeman among the goal scorers in 1994; and Real Madrid getting revenge with the exact same score line almost exactly 12 months later thanks to goals from, among others, future Barça coach Luis Enrique!
2000s: Ronaldinho brings the Bernabeu to its feet
The November 2005 El Clásico at the Santiago Bernabeu marked the fixture for a generation. Barça took an early lead, but Ronaldinho’s show was just beginning. Early in the second half, the Brazilian dashed from inside his own half, easily hurdled Sergio Ramos’ attempted tackle, shimmied past Ivan Helguera, avoided Roberto Carlos, and shot past Iker Casillas. 15 minutes later, he again scorched past Ramos and easily beat Casillas for 3-0. The Bernabeu crowd reacted in almost unprecedented fashion: by rising to their feet and applauding a genuinely amazing, historic performance.
2010s: Messi makes his mark at the Bernabeu
Lionel Messi is El Clásico’s all-time top scorer in LaLiga and his influence on the fixture has been profound. While it’s hard to single out a single performance, it’s hard to find a more iconic or dramatic moment in recent El Clásico history than his injury-time winner in Barça 3-2 win at the Bernabeu in 2017. The image of Messi holding up his shirt to the Bernabeu fans in celebration will live long in the memory.
Watch ElClasico live this Saturday at 21:00 CAT on SuperSport LaLiga, DStv Channel 204.
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