El Clasico: 5 best Cristiano Ronaldo performances

Real Madrid is set to play their arch-rivals Barcelona this Saturday and they will fancy closing the gap at the top of the table. It's a must-win game for the Los Blancos and they will be looking to their star player, Cristiano Ronaldo, to come up with the goods.

Ronaldo has scored 17 goals in 31 matches of this grand fixture. He is third on the list of top goalscorers of El Clásico, only behind Lionel Messi (24) and Alfredo Di Stéfano (18).

Although the five-time Ballon d'Or winner has just four goals in La Liga this season, it will be interesting to see if he can get past his goal-scoring struggles to take his team to a vital victory.

For now, let us take a look at five of the best performances of Ronaldo against the Catalans.

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#5 Real Madrid vs Barcelona, Copa del Rey Final (2010-11)

Ronaldo scored the winner in a tense clash at Mestalla

Real Madrid played Barcelona in the final of 2010-11 Copa del Rey at Valencia's Mestalla stadium. Ronaldo had 6 goals in the competition and was carrying Madrid's hopes of winning the domestic cup for the first time since 1993.

Jose Mourinho's team did very well in the first half and didn't let Barcelona have a shot on target. Real Madrid were looking to counter-attack Guardiola's side with Cristiano being their primary target. Ronaldo forced a great save from Barcelona goalkeeper, José Pinto, just before the halftime break.

Barcelona started dominating in the second half and forced Iker Casillas to make a couple of great saves against Iniesta and Pedro. Ronaldo kept Barcelona defenders on their toes on the other end of the pitch but wasn't able to find the back of the net.

The game went on to extra time and Ronaldo came close to scoring from Xabi Alonso's through ball, after beating Adriano with his brisk pace. Shortly afterwards, the Portuguese forward leapt to strike home a 103rd-minute header from Angel Di María's cross.

The solitary goal from Ronaldo proved to be good enough for Real Madrid and the Portuguese won his first trophy in Madrid colours.

#4 Barcelona vs Real Madrid, La Liga (2011-12)

Ronaldo silenced the Camp Nou with his match-winning goal in 2

Real Madrid visited the Camp Nou in April 2012 with an advantage of four points over Barcelona in the Spanish league. With four more games to go, the one at Barcelona was seen as the title decider.

Cristiano had the first shot of the game as his header was tipped over by Victor Valdes. Madrid scored first through Sami Khedira, in the 17th minute of the match. The game was wide open after that with both sides having plenty of chances to score.

Barcelona drew level through substitute Alexis Sanchez in the 70th minute of the match and the stadium erupted. However, the joy of the Barcelona fans only lasted for 139 seconds as Ronaldo stepped around Víctor Valdés to restore Madrid's lead, after receiving the ball from Mesut Ozil.

Ronaldo's 42nd goal in the league proved to be the winner for his side. Real Madrid cemented their position at the top and then went to win the domestic title, after a gap of four years.

#3 Real Madrid vs Barcelona, Supercopa de España (2012-13)

A splendid goal from Cristiano saw Madrid lifting the Spanish super cup

Barcelona visited Santiago Bernabeu for the second leg of Spanish Super Cup, at the start of the 2012-13 season. The visitors had won by 3-2 in the first leg of the fixture, played at the Camp Nou.

The home side started the game on a high note with a series of shots from Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuain. Madrid took advantage of the early pressure with the Argentinian striker, Higuain, scoring the first goal of the match.

Moments later, a long ball over the top saw Cristiano Ronaldo being pitted against Gerard Pique. The ball got to Ronaldo after a slight deflection, and he tipped the ball way into the air with a backheel and ran past the Spanish defender. Victor Valdes was unable to stop the blistering shot from the Portuguese and Madrid was leading 2-0 at the Bernabeu.

Barcelona's chances of making a comeback saw a huge dip after Adriano was sent off for a foul on Ronaldo, in the 28th minute. Lionel Messi scored with a sublime free-kick at the stroke of half-time but the Catalans failed to find another goal.

Los Blancos won the title on the basis of away goals and the goal from the Portuguese proved to be a match winner for them again.

#2 Barcelona vs Real Madrid, La Liga (2012-13)

Cristiano scored his first brace versus Barcelona

Los Blancos travelled to Nou Camp to face Barcelona at the start of October 2012. The visitors were trailing by eight points in La Liga and couldn't afford another slip up in order to keep their La Liga hopes alive.

Ronaldo opened the scoring with a brilliant left-footed finish in the 22nd minute of the game. The Portuguese became the first player to score in six consecutive Clasicos. Barcelona was quick to respond as Messi got his name on the scoresheet, eight minutes after the opening goal.

Barcelona started to command the game and soon got the reward after a stunning free-kick from over 25 yards by Lionel Messi. It looked like Barcelona were set to extend their lead at the top, just before Cristiano scored his second of the night from a delightful pass of Mesut Ozil.

It was Ronaldo's first brace against Barcelona and it proved to be good enough for the Whites to ensure a point from the fixture.

#1 Barcelona vs Real Madrid, Copa del Rey (2012-13)

Cristiano Ronaldo was at his best in the semi-final of the 2012-13 Copa del Rey

Real Madrid visited the Camp Nou in February 2013 to face Barcelona, for the second leg of Copa del Rey semifinal. The tie at the Bernabeu desisted in a 1-1 draw and it was all to play for at the Camp Nou.

Barcelona were straightaway on the attack with a couple of shots from Messi. A through ball from Higuain saw Ronaldo sprinting down the right-hand side of the pitch and was one-on-one with Barcelona defender, Gerard Pique. A couple of step-overs later, the defender was drawn into a foul, inside the penalty area. Ronaldo coolly turned in the penalty, making this the sixth consecutive journey to the Camp Nou in which he had scored.

Barcelona kept on trying at the other end but was unable to go past Diego Lopez. Just after the halftime break, Khedira launched a long ball which was chased down by Di Maria. The Argentinian left veteran Puyol bamboozled with his footwork but his shot was saved by Jose Pinto. To the joy of Madrid fans, Cristiano was there to slot home from the saved effort.

Real Madrid added the third goal through Varane in the 68th minute of the match. Barcelona got a goal in the 89th minute, scored by Jordi Alba, but it was too little, too late for the Catalans. An inspiring performance from Mourinho's side saw his side advance to the final of the domestic cup.