El Clásico is the meeting of Real Madrid and Barcelona. This selection revisits five memorable league matches from 1995 to 2015, chosen for their dramatic scorelines and standout individual performances. It preserves the scope of our original 2016 list rather than claiming to rank every Clásico played since.
Real Madrid 0-4 Barcelona (21 November 2015)
Lionel Messi hadn’t yet recovered from a leg injury and he, therefore, couldn’t make the starting line-up. Sergi Roberto was played out of position on the right wing, but the young Catalan proved up to the task with his sublime assist for Luis Suarez’s opening goal. Neymar doubled the lead in the 35th minute before Andres Iniesta made it 3-0 in the 56th minute.
Messi finally made his return around the hour mark and contributed to the move that resulted in Suarez’s second goal of the game. And had Munir El Haddadi left the ball for Gerard Pique instead of taking a shot at the end, the scoreline would have been a manita.
Real Madrid 3-4 Barcelona (2014)
The game saw one of the most expensively assembled and exquisitely talented forward lineups matching against each other. While Barcelona had the mercurial Messi and Neymar to lead their forward line, Real Madrid would rely on goal machine Cristiano Ronaldo and the then world record transfer signing Gareth Bale.
And true to expectations, the match proved to be a goal fest with a total of seven goals. Andres Iniesta started the fireworks with a brilliant strike but two quickfire goals from Karim Benzema had put Real Madrid forward. Messi levelled the scores before Ronaldo restored Madrid’s lead from the penalty spot. But the Argentine had the last laugh as his hat-trick won the match 4-3 for the Catalans.
Barcelona 5-0 Real Madrid (2010)
It was a first Clasico for Jose Mourinho as Real Madrid boss and it turned out to be one that he would love never to be reminded of. Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona ran rings around Mourinho’s charges and the final scoreline at the Camp Nou read 5-0 in favour of the home side.
Xavi Hernandez opened the scoring in the ninth minute and Pedro doubled the lead around 17th minute of the clash. Messi didn’t get on the scoresheet but he supplied two sublime assists in quick succession to help David Villa to a brace early in the second half. Substitute Jeffren Suarez struck a late goal to complete Madrid’s misery as they were handed a manita.
Real Madrid 2-6 Barcelona (2009)
When Gonzalo Higuain put the home team in front in the 14th minute of the match no one at the Santiago Bernabeu that day would have expected the final result that would follow. There were to be a brace each for Thierry Henry and Messi and a goal each for the Catalan centre-backs Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique in a 6-2 thrashing.
Sergio Ramos scored the other goal for the home team. But the tennis scoreline was embarrassing for Real Madrid.
Real Madrid 5-0 Barcelona (1995)
Ivan Zamorano struck in the fifth minute of the match and proceeded to complete his hat-trick in just 34 minutes. Future Barcelona manager Luis Enrique and Jose Emilio Amavisca scored in the second half to inflict a crushing 5-0 defeat on their fierce rivals.
In the process, Michael Laudrup became the only player to win 5-0 on both sides of the Clasico divide.
Match records and further reading
