The world’s best players have regularly featured in it, while there have been some memorable games and goals, as well as huge controversies, down the years.
The teams will clash again in the first Clasico of the 2018/19 La Liga season on Sunday at the Camp Nou – the 178th time in La Liga they have faced off and their 239th competitive meeting in all competitions overall.
Here we look back at 10 of our favourite encounters between Spain’s top two.
November 19 2005: La Liga – Real Madrid 0-3 Barcelona
Ronaldinho ripped Real Madrid apart in 2005.
The rarest of rare occasions – the Bernabeu faithful brought to their feet in admiration of an opposition player.
Brazilian magician Ronaldinho scored a brace – his second prompting the home fans to stand and applaud his brilliance. It was a rare show of admiration towards a player representing their bitterest rivals.
Barca v Real has always been a tense and bitter rivalry, so you have to watch footage of this game to appreciate it and see that all hostility goes out the window for a few moments as the Real fans acknowledge that they were witnessing a special talent.
His arrival proved the creative spark that inspired Frank Riijkard’s side to achieve domestic dominance and the 2006 Champions League crown.
March 10 2007: La Liga – Barcelona 3-3 Real Madrid
Lionel Messi introduced himself to the world in the 2007 El Clasico.
The day Lionel Messi truly announced himself to the world – scoring an El Clasico hat-trick, aged just 19.
It would be the Argentine’s first of 42 trebles scored so far for the club, and it rescued a late point for Barca who had been playing with 10 men for more than half of the match.
Real went ahead on three occasions, with two goals from Ruud van Nistelrooy and one from Sergio Ramos, but one player refused to buckle.
Messi scored two in the first half and then, after Ramos’ 72nd minute strike made it 3-2, the youngster danced past Ramos and Ivan Helguera before blasting his third past the hapless Iker Casillas.
May 7 2008: La Liga – Real Madrid 4-1 Barcelona
Humiliated: Xavi.
A night that will live long in the memory of Los Blancos fans as Real celebrated the La Liga title in the sweetest way possible – humiliating their fiercest rivals in front of an adoring crowd.
In a classy gesture, Barca gave the Real players a guard of honour to welcome the newly crowned champions onto the pitch – Barca icons Xavi and Carles Puyol have since said the “pasillo” was the most humiliating experience of their lives.
Raul, Arjen Robben, Gonzalo Higuain and Van Nistelrooy all got on the scoresheet as Bernd Schuster’s men celebrated the title in style and Rijkaard’s future at the Camp Nou was dealt a hammer blow.
May 2 2009: La Liga – Real Madrid 2-6 Barcelona
If the previous match heralded the end of Rijkaard’s reign then this resounding win for Barcelona was proof that the balance of power in Spanish football had swayed from Castile to Catalonia.
Real came into the game like a team possessed, having won 17 of their previous 18 matches, but Pep Guardiola’s men absolutely tore them apart despite going a goal behind courtesy of a Higuain’s header.
Ramos made it 3-2 just before the break but a brace each from Thierry Henry and Messi were added to by goals from Puyol and Gerard Pique in a year that Barca went on to win an unprecedented sextuple.
August 17 2011: Spanish Super Cup final – Real Madrid 2-3 Barcelona
In the traditional curtain raiser in Spain, tempers frayed as Jose Mourinho’s Madrid employed all types of tactics to disrupt their Catalan rivals.
But it was Mourinho’s unacceptable eye gouge of then Barca assistant manager, Tito Vilanova, that took matters too far.
Marcelo had just been sent off for a wild lunge on the returning Cesc Fabregras when the Barca bench got up and angrily remonstrated with the helpless fourth official.
A violent brawl broke out as players from both sides threw punches and squared-up to one another. Mesut Ozil, David Villa and Barca reserve goalkeeper Jose Pinto were all red-carded despite Pinto not even being involved in the match.
But Mourinho, who has never hidden his distaste for Barcelona, gouging the eye of Guardiola’s assistant Vilanova is what has come to epitomise the ugly resentment the sides have for each other.
Former Real defender Rafael Alkorta called it the “worst gesture” that had ever occurred in the history of this rivalry.
March 23 2014: La Liga – Real Madrid 3-4 Barcelona
Another Messi hat-trick as the world’s greatest player almost single-handedly won this Clasico.
It was Messi’s second hat-trick in a row as he became the second highest scorer in La Liga history, moving ahead of former Real striker Hugo Sanchez onto 236 goals.
The Argentine also became the all-time top scorer in Clasicos with 21 goals, surpassing Real legend Alfredo Di Stefano.
This was probably the best match of the 2013/14 season but the contribution of the sublime Andres Iniesta shouldn’t be overlooked.
He fired Barca ahead before Karim Benzema’s brace put Real in front. Messi restored parity but Cristiano Ronaldo put Real into the lead again from the penalty spot. After Ramos was sent off, Messi won the game with two penalties.
April 16 2014: Copa del Rey final – Real Madrid 2-1 Barcelona
Welsh winger Gareth Bale finally proved his worth and silenced some noisy critics after making the historic move to Real in 2013 by single-handedly winning the Copa del Rey final for Los Blancos at Valencia’s Mestalla stadium.
Angel Di Maria opened the scoring but Marc Bartra equalised with extra-time looming large. No-one told Bale though as he picked up the ball with five minutes left and tore down the left flank, leaving Bartra for dead as he bore down on goal and finished with aplomb, poking through Barca keeper Pinto’s legs at the near post.
A tremendous goal which helped spear Los Blancos to their 10th Champions League trophy a month later.
November 23 2002: La Liga – Barcelona 0-0 Real Madrid
Although not considered anywhere near one of the most exciting matches between the two teams, it is undoubtedly one of the most remembered.
The ‘Derby of Shame’ as it has come to be known is remembered for all the wrong reasons though, with Blaugrana fans incensed by the defection of their darling Luis Figo who decided to join the Galacticos being formed at the Bernabeu.
The Portuguese forward had left the Camp Nou that summer and was playing his first Clasico in the white shirt. Flares, bottles, lighters, blades – even a pig’s head – were hurled onto the pitch in an attempt to unnerve Figo for joining Barca’s eternal rivals.
The ugly scenes in the stands were matched on the pitch, the football was not a spectacle to remember as the game saw little chances, many fouls and ended goalless. It is games like this that remind you that El Clascio is more than just a football game.
January 8 1994: La Liga – Barcelona 5-0 Real Madrid
This emphatic victory has since become affectionately known as “La Manita,” or little hand, by Catalan fans. It is a win that is celebrated every January 8 by Barca fans.
The Blaugrana’s 1994 squad will forever be known as the ‘Dream Team’. The anchor to that elite squad was Brazilian superstar Romario, a pre-season acquisition made by legendary Dutch manager, Johan Cruyff, who scored a hat-trick in this thrashing.
Ronald Koeman, hero of the 1992 European Cup-winning side two years earlier, added the second with Ivan Iglesias putting the cherry on top.
Barca, European Cup winners for the first time two seasons earlier, would again make the final, but the Dream Team’s hopes of a second title were dashed as they were hammered 4-0 by AC Milan.
March 4 2001: La Liga – Real Madrid 2-2 Barcelona
One of the most controversial clashes between the sides. Los Blancos legend Raul opened the scoring early in the tie, only for the on-fire Rivaldo to cancel out his strike. Raul retaliated with another goal one minute later, but Rivaldo yet again found an equaliser with 20 minutes left on the clock to level the game.
The Brazilian then scored a third goal, which took a wicked deflection off Helguera, but the referee ruled out the strike for offside in what was clearly a legitimate goal.
The game spun out of control and tempers flew. A young Guardiola raced onto the field and screamed at the referee, until he was dragged back to the dugout by his team-mates.
