El Clasico is a true footballing celebration, always offering up clashes between the world’s best players.
The previous 11 Ballon d’Or winners have all come from these two clubs; the star power on show is spectacular. This tradition goes way back, of course.
Here are five of the stars who have gone down in the history of this great game.
Lionel Messi
There are no doubts around Messi going down in the history of this great rivalry. The Argentine is El Clasico’s all-time top scorer, with 26 goals in 40 appearances. The majority, 15 of the 16, were scored away from home at Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu stadium, which makes his achievements even more impressive.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Talk about Messi, talk about Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese forward spent the prime years of his career at Real Madrid and was the star of many memorable Clasicos between 2009 and 2018. Who could forget his extra time headers to win the 2011 Copa del Rey final, or his winner at the Camp Nou in 2011/12 which effectively sealed the LaLiga title for Jose Mourinho’s men? In total, he netted 18 goals from his 30 El Clasico outings.
Alfredo di Stefano
Before Messi and Ronaldo came along to break almost every record in their path, the top scorer in this fixture was Real Madrid legend Alfredo Di Stefano. After controversially choosing to move to Real Madrid instead of Barcelona in 1953, Di Stefano kicked off his ElClasico story with a brace in a 5-0 win over Barça later that year and ended it on a high by scoring in a 4-0 victory in 1963.
📊 Top goal-scorers in the history of El Clásico #ElClásico [md] pic.twitter.com/Fo2xOXP76Q
— FC Barcelona Fl (@FCBarcelonaFl) February 29, 2020
Luis Figo
Very few players represent both of these clubs over their careers, but Luis Figo did just that by switching from Barcelona to Real Madrid amid huge controversy in 2000. After playing 13 El Clasicos and scoring three goals for Barcelona between 1995 and 2000, the Portuguese winger moved to the capital and faced his former side ten times, this time in the white of Real Madrid. He remains to this day a hugely iconic figure in this rivalry, with many Barca fans yet to forgive him for making the switch.
Sergio Ramos
The current Real Madrid captain holds the record the most El Clasico appearances in history (43), ahead of the likes of Manuel Sanchis, Paco Gento, Xavi Hernandez and Lionel Messi. While his focus is usually on defending, Ramos isn’t one to shy away from attacking responsibilities and has scored four goals along the way. He’s also been sent off five times in El Clasico fixtures, ensuring that the fixture is never short of drama.
