1920s: The first ever LALIGA ELCLASICO
The first LALIGA ELCLASICO took place in February 1929, just two weeks into the first ever LALIGA season. FC Barcelona’s Les Corts stadium was packed with confident Culés that day, but they left disappointed as Real Madrid scored either side of half time for a 2-1 inaugural win. Barça won the reverse fixture 1-0 – and the first ever LALIGA title – but the first ELCLASICO win went to the capital.
1930s: Real Madrid run up the biggest victory in LALIGA ELCLASICO history
The 1934/35 ELCLASICO fixtures were remarkable, with Barça winning 5-0 at Les Corts before Real Madrid turned it around with an incredible 8-2 win at Chamartín. The home side went 5-1 up after just half an hour, prompting Barça’s Hungarian coach Ferenc Plattkó to ask for the ball to be changed at the break! It made no difference as the home side racked up the biggest ever LALIGA ELCLASICO win.
1940s: The birth of ELCLASICO as we know it today?
It could be said that the birth of the intense ELCLASICO rivalry we know today was born 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: ELCLASICO becomes Spain’s first televised football match
History was made on February 15th 1959 as ELCLASICO 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 Stéfano and Ferenc Puskás, won 1-0 that day at the Bernabéu but were unable to prevent FC Barcelona from winning their first LALIGA title in seven years.
1960s: Di Stéfano continues to haunt FC Barcelona
The Argentinian legend remains Real Madrid’s all-time leading ELCLASICO goalscorer in LALIGA matches and he tormented FC Barcelona time and time again after they thought – mistakenly – that they’d beaten Real Madrid to his signing back in 1953. Di Stéfano’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 Barça’s way
Johan Cruyff’s arrival as a Barça player in 1974 helped tilt the ELCLASICO balance back towards the Catalan capital, and the Dutchman’s performance in a 5-0 LALIGA ELCLASICO win at the Bernabéu that year is still often talked about today. He inspired Barça to that season’s LALIGA title, 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 LALIGA title for six years when they faced FC Barcelona at the Bernabéu in March 1986. A 3-1 win, with club icons Jorge Valdano and Emilio Butragueño among the goalscorers, all but handed the LALIGA title to Real Madrid and opened up a period of unrivalled dominance of the rivalry for the rest of the decade. The so-called Quinta del Buitre generation featuring homegrown talents such as Butragueño, Míchel and Manuel Sanchís went on to win every LALIGA 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 LALIGA titles between 1991 and 1994. Yet the story of ELCLASICO in the 1990s will be remembered for two iconic results: a 5-0 win for Barça at the Camp Nou with Romário and former coach Ronald Koeman among the goalscorers 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 Bernabéu to its feet
The November 2005 ELCLASICO at the Santiago Bernabéu marked the fixture for a generation. Barça 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 Iván 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 Bernabéu crowd reacted in almost unprecedented fashion by rising to their feet and applauding a genuinely amazing, historic performance.
2010s: Messi makes his mark at the Bernabéu
Lionel Messi is ELCLASICO’s all-time top scorer in LALIGA and his influence on the fixture over the years has been profound. While it is hard to pick out a single performance, you would be hard-pushed to find a more iconic or dramatic moment in recent ELCLASICO history than his injury-time winner in Barça’s 3-2 win at the Bernabéu in 2017. The image of Messi holding up his shirt to the Bernabéu fans in celebration will live long in the memory.
2020s: Real Madrid hold the edge in the current decade
In the current decade, there have already been seven ELCLASICO duels in LALIGA EA SPORTS, with no draws as Real Madrid have won five and FC Barcelona two. There have been some particularly memorable matches, such as Barça’s 4-0 away win in March of 2022, or the last-minute winners from Jude Bellingham as Real Madrid won both of the ELCLASICO meetings in the 2023/24 LALIGA EA SPORTS campaign.
