One of the greatest matchups in European football history is happening this weekend. The mighty Real Madrid is hosting archrival Barcelona in the world-famous El Clasico. While it does not feature Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo anymore, the sheer history between these two clubs and their fans is enough to draw millions of people to watch the game around the world. With both squads in good form as of late, it should be an exciting match. As it is one of the biggest games in soccer, we decided to rank the three best Barcelona vs. Real Madrid matchups in El Clasico history.
Ranking the best El Clasico matches
3. Real Madrid vs. Barcelona 2-1, Copa Del Rey final 2014
In 2014, Spain was slowly starting its domination over world football. The meeting in the final of the 2014 Champions League was Atletico versus Real Madrid, while Sevilla won their first Europa League since the competition was renamed that from UEFA Cup. Still, the most exciting match of that year and one that is still in the minds of many fans of Real Madrid is the Copa Del Rey final. The meeting in the final was the El Clasico and the whole world's eyes were on this match. Cristiano Ronaldo was injured, but the new €100 million man in Gareth Bale was ready to lead Madrid to glory against their bitter rival.
It was a tough match, as neither side could really dominate. Barcelona had great spells and Real Madrid did too. After around 80 minutes of play, both teams had one goal. Angel Di Maria got Real Madrid ahead in the 11th minute, but Marc Bartra equalized in the 68th minute with a rare Barcelona header. It looked like we were going to overtime, but in the 85th minute of the game, Gareth Bale burst with pace, completely outrunning the overmatched Bartra, and slotted the ball underneath goalkeeper Jose Pinto. It was his first Real Madrid moment, and it was soon followed by a goal in overtime versus another rival, Atletico Madrid, in the Champions League final. All in all, one of the best El Clasico's ever and a wonderful moment for the Welshman.
2. Barcelona vs. Real Madrid 3-3, La Liga 2007
We are going way back with this one when Barcelona legend Lionel Messi was just a teenager. However, his age did not matter, as he completely stole the show. In 2007, the title fight between these teams was historically good. Real Madrid played stringent, defensive football under coach Fabio Capello, while Barcelona played some of the best attacking football on the continent, with Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi running the show. The first meeting between the two clubs came up as a 2-0 win for the Madrid club, but due to some poor results, they could not get ahead of Barcelona. Thus, this game had massive implications for the upcoming title bout.
It started great for Real Madrid, as Ruud Van Nistelrooy put them ahead in the fifth minute. It was deja vu for Barca fans, as in the first meeting, it was also an early goal by Real Madrid that set the tone.
Thankfully for them, Lionel Messi decided he was not having any of that, so he equalized in the 11th minute. Two minutes later, however, Oleguer had a poor tackle on Guti, giving Van Nistelrooy a chance to put Madrid up again. He did, but Messi neutralized them again with a 28th-minute goal. Oleguer then got a red card in the second half, which Madrid capitalized on. Sergio Ramos scored in the 73rd to seemingly get Madrid the three points.
But that Argentinian teenager did not want to lose, so he produced a 90th-minute equalizer, representing himself and his talent to the world in majestic fashion. Madrid won the title due to their 2-0 win at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, but everyone will remember the Messi hat trick from this year.
1. Real Madrid vs. Barcelona 0-3, La Liga 2005
With a game as iconic as El Clasico, there are a ton of contenders, but there is no denying that Ronaldinho getting a standing ovation by the entire Bernabeu crowd as a Barcelona player needs to be first on this list, or any list for that matter. We have to understand that a Real Madrid player is rarely going to get a standing ovation, especially at the stadium that whistles and boos their players more than any other in the world, so for a Barcelona player to get it, it is an iconic moment.
The 2005-06 Barcelona squad might be their best ever, even though Lionel Messi did not have that much of an influence there. Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto'o were running the show, and when they came to Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in 2005, they were ready to show the world who was the better team at that moment. Eto'o opened the scoring in the 15th minute, but it was really the second half that amazed the world. Ronaldinho scored two goals, one in the 59th and the other in the 77th minute, but the manner in which he scored the first one, waltzing past the newest Real Madrid signing, Sergio Ramos, and veteran Ivan Helguera was simply majestic. This is by far the best El Clasico moment of all time, and it was a part of the best El Clasico ever.
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