El Clasico history: Five all-time stars for the ages

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April 28 2024, 07:30 PM

ATK Mohun Bagan

Odisha

Sergio Ramos holds the joint record for the most El Clasico appearances.

Bengaluru, March 19: The El Clasico --- the most-sought after fixture in the top tier of Spanish football featuring archrivals Real Madrid and Barcelona -- is a true footballing celebration, always offering up clashes between the world's best players.

Before 2021, the previous 11 Ballon d'Or winners had all come from these two clubs; the star power on show is spectacular. This tradition goes way back, of course.

The latest in the Real Madrid vs Barcelona rivalry will be enacted on Sunday (March 20) at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium at 8pm local time in the second El Clasico of the 2021-22 La Liga season.

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Ahead of the Sunday blockbuster at Santiago Bernabeu, (due to the five-and-a-half hours time difference, the match kicks off at 1.30am IST, Monday, March 21) here is a quick look at five of the stars who have gone down in the history of this great game.

Lionel Messi

There are no doubts around Messi's iconic status in the history of this great rivalry. The Argentinian is El Clasico's all-time top scorer, with 26 goals in 45 appearances in all competitions.

The majority, 15 of the 26, were scored away from home at Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu stadium, which makes his achievements over the years 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 La Liga title for Jose Mourinho's men? In total, he netted 18 goals from his 30 El Clasico outings.

Sergio Ramos

The former Real Madrid captain holds the joint record for the most El Clasico appearances in history (45) alongside Messi, ahead of the likes of Manuel Sanchis, Paco Gento, Xavi Hernandez, Sergio Busquets, and Andres Iniesta.

Ramos was never one to shy away from attacking responsibilities and scored five goals along the way. He was also sent off five times in El Clasico fixtures, ensuring that the fixture is never short of drama.

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 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.

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 El Clasico story with a brace in a 5-0 win over Barca later that year and ended it on a high by scoring in a 4-0 victory in 1963.