
OneFootball
Onefootball·23 December 2017
đ„ Five of the best ever El ClĂĄsico moments

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Onefootball·23 December 2017
Weâve looked back at five of the most memorable matches between Real Madrid and Barcelona ahead of Saturdayâs ClĂĄsico clash.
Barcelona can take a âhuge stepâ towards the LaLiga title in this weekendâs ClĂĄsico clash with Real Madrid, according to captain AndrĂ©s Iniesta.
With Barça holding an 11-point lead over Madrid â who have a game in hand â the champions cannot afford any more slip-ups if they are to retain hope of defending their title.
Ernesto Valverdeâs Barcelona head to the capital in fine form, having demolished Deportivo La Coruña last time out, while Madrid may be affected from their exertions at the Club World Cup.
Whatever happens in Saturdayâs meeting it promises to be another memorable match â letâs look back at five of the best ClĂĄsico meetings it has to live up toâŠ
Losing a ClĂĄsico is bad enough, but losing one at home and in such humiliating fashion is something else.
In May 2009, Real Madrid were on a run of 17 wins in 18 matches and got off to a positive start, with Gonzalo HiguaĂn scoring in the 14th minute, before Barcelona took over and blitzed their hosts.
Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi each scored a brace each, while defenders Carles Puyol and Gerard Piqué netted one apiece.
That win proved to be the final nail in the coffin of Madridâs title challenge, as Barça went on to claim LaLiga, Champions League and Copa del Rey success in Pep Guardiolaâs first season at the helm.
The last time Barça visited the Bernabeu in LaLiga, Messi stole the show as he inspired a 3-2 win for Luis Enriqueâs men.
The Argentinian cancelled out Casmiroâs opener, before Ivan RakitiÄ put Barça ahead with 17 minutes to go.
Sergio Ramosâ red card for scything Messi down should have ended their hopes, only for James RodrĂguez to seemingly salvage Madrid a point five minutes from time.
But Messi brilliantly struck right at the end with his 500th Barcelona goal, before taking off his shirt and holding it out with his name facing the Madrid support in a now iconic celebration.
Real Madrid fans have seen some truly wonderful players grace the pitch at the Santiago Bernabeu, but how many Barça players have had such an impact they have been applauded by the home supporters? Not many, that is for certain.
However, Ronaldinho had that honour in November 2005. The Brazilian superstar produced a remarkable display as Barça tore Madrid apart in an emphatic 3-0 win.
Ronaldinho scored twice, but it was his second that really left that in attendance marvelling, as he jinked past Ramos and IvĂĄn Helguera before producing a rasping finish at the end of a 50-yard run. It will be long remembered as a vintage ClĂĄsico goal.
With Real Madrid already wrapping up the title before Barçaâs visit in May 2008, tradition dictated that the Catalan club gave their hosts a guard of honour.
And so, there they stood either side of the Madrid team as they walked on to the pitch, something Carles Puyol later voiced his understandable displeasure at.
Things were to get even more humiliating, as the home side went on to claim a crushing 4-1 win thanks to goals from RaĂșl, Arjen Robben, HiguaĂn and Ruud van Nistelrooy.
âThe final stab in the supportersâ backâ, read the headline in Catalan newspaper Sport. Barça have ruled out a repeat this weekend despite Madridâs Club World Cup triumph.
On January 8 1994, Michael Laudrup was a key part of a Barcelona team which trounced Real Madrid 5-0 on their way to a fourth successive LaLiga title.
Fast-forward almost exactly 12 months to January 7 1995 and Laudrup was on the other team after committing the cardinal sin of leaving Barça for Madrid, a move which came about because of a falling out with Johan Cruyff.
The score was exactly the same and once again Laudrup was at the heart of things, but this time it was an Ivan Zamorano-inspired Madrid dismantling their opponents, smashing them 5-0 in what proved to be the perfect revenge for Los Blancos and their great Dane. Madrid would go on to win the title.
Reporting by Goal.com