Messi to Ronaldo: The Five All-Time El Clasico Stars For The Ages Ahead Of Barcelona Vs Real Madrid

Lionel Messi

There are no doubts around Messi's iconic status in the history of this great rivalry. The Argentine 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 Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, 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 battles between 2009 and 2018.

Who could forget his extra time header 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.

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 FC 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.

Luis Figo

Very few players represent both of these clubs over their careers, but Luis Figo did just that by switching from FC Barcelona to Real Madrid amid huge controversy in 2000.

After playing in El Clasico 13 times and scoring three goals for FC Barcelona between 1995 and 2000, the Portuguese winger moved to the capital and faced his former side 10 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.

Sergio Ramos

The former Real Madrid captain played in El Clasico 45 times, the second-most appearances behind only Sergio Busquets.

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.