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1920s: The first ever La Liga El Clasico
The first El Clasico in the league took place in February 1929, just two weeks into the first ever La Liga season. Barcelona’s Les Corts stadium was packed with confident cules that day, but they were left disappointed as Real Madrid scored either side of half-time to secure a 2-1 win. Barelona won the reverse fixture 1-0 – and the first ever La Liga title – but the first El Clasico win went to the capital.
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1930s: Real Madrid secure the biggest El Clasico victory in La Liga history
The El Clasico fixtures in 1934-35 were remarkable, with Barelona winning 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 Barcelona's Hungarian coach Ferenc Plattko to ask the ball to be changed at the break! It made no difference as the home side racked up the biggest ever El Clasico win in La Liga history
1940s: The birth of El Clasico as we know it today?
It could be said that the birth of the intense El Clasico rivalry we know today was in the 1940s, thanks to a number of 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 Clasico becomes Spain’s first televised football match
History was made on February 15th 1959 as El Clasico became the first football match ever televised on Spanish television. There was a pre-game scramble for the latest technology, with TV sets quickly selling 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 winning their first La Liga title in seven years.
1960s: Di Stefano continues to haunt Barcelona
The Argentine legend remains Real Madrid’s all-time leading El Clasico goalscorer in La Liga matches and he tormented Barcelona time and time again 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 and marked a period of generational dominance for Los Blancos.
1970s: Johan Cruyff tilts the balance towards Barcelona
Johan Cruyff’s arrival as a Barcelona player in 1974 helped tilt the El Clasico balance back towards the Catalan capital, and the Dutchman’s performance in a 5-0 La Liga El Clasico win at the Bernabeu that year is still often talked about today. El Salvador inspired Barcelona to the La Liga title that season, but more importantly 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 La Liga title for six years when they faced Barcelona at the Bernabeu in March 1986. A 3-1 win, with club icons Jorge Valdano and Emilio Butragueño among the goal scorers, all but handed the La Liga title to Real Madrid and opened up a period of unrivaled dominance for the rest of the decade.
The so-called ‘Quinta del Buitre’ generation featuring homegrown talents such as Butragueño, Michel and Manuel Sanchis went on to win every La Liga title between 1986 and 1990 – a dominance only Johan Cruyff would be able to break.
1990s: ‘Manitas’ all round
Cruyff’s return to Barça as coach heralded the birth of the ‘Dream Team’ which won four consecutive La Liga titles between 1991 and 1994. Yet the story of El Clasico in the 1990s will be remembered for two iconic results: a 5-0 win for Barça at the Camp Nou with Romario and former coach Ronald Koeman among the goal scorers in 1994; and Real Madrid getting revenge with the exact same scoreline almost exactly 12 months later thanks to goals from, among others, future Barça player and coach Luis Enrique!
2000s: Ronaldinho brings the Bernabeu to its feet
The El Clasico in November 2005 at the Santiago Bernabeu marked the fixture for a generation. Barcelona 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 and historic performance.
2010s: Messi makes his mark at the Bernabeu
Lionel Messi is El Clasico’s all-time top scorer in La Liga and his influence on the fixture over the years has been profound. While it is hard to single out one performance, you would be hard-pushed to find a more iconic or dramatic moment in recent El Clasico history than his injury-time winner in Barcelona's 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 La Liga Santander - Real Madrid vs Barcelona on 21st March live at 1:30 am, exclusively on MTV India and also on Voot and Jio select Platforms
