One of football’s oldest rivalries will be in the spotlight this weekend, as Barcelona host Real Madrid in Sunday’s blockbuster showdown.
Famously dubbed El Clasico – Spanish for “The Classic” – fixtures between the La Liga giants have historically drawn millions of viewers worldwide, with many of the world’s best players featuring.
From duels between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, two of football’s finest players, to Neymar Jr, Luis Suarez, David Beckham and Zinedine Zidane, fans have been spoiled for choice.
In recent years, the limelight has shifted to Lamine Yamal and Raphinha of Barcelona and Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr in the Real camp.
With a rivalry dating back to 1902, Barcelona and Real are familiar foes and victory on the pitch often brings bragging rights that extend far beyond football.
The clubs have 106 wins each, setting the perfect stage for the upcoming El Clasico, where three points will give one of them the edge in their storied rivalry.
Ahead of the latest Barcelona vs Real, Al Jazeera looks back at their top five clashes:
Our list begins with an all-time classic.
This match ranks among Barcelona fans’ fondest victories, with a stoppage-time Messi strike giving them an El Clasico win over Real.
Real took the lead at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium when Casemiro scored in the first half, but Messi equalised within five minutes.
Ivan Rakitic then scored after the break as Barca came from behind to take the lead and things went from bad to worse for the hosts after captain Sergio Ramos was sent off for a two-footed lunge on Messi.
Real fans breathed a sigh of relief when James Rodriguez netted in the 85th minute, but Messi silenced the crowd, scoring the winner with the last kick of the game to bring up his 500th Barca goal.
The thriller went down as one of the best Clasicos in history, with end-to-end action from the off.
While victory momentarily put Barca on top of the table, Real went on to be crowned champions of Spain that season, finishing three points above their Catalan rivals.
This Camp Nou fixture offered fans the first glimpse of Messi’s wizardry on the field.
A 19-year-old Messi, still far from a finished product, scored his first career hat-trick against Real that day, salvaging a draw for the hosts, who ended the game with 10 men.
Real’s Ruud van Nistelrooy scored twice in the first half and Ramos added another in the second, but Messi ensured that Barca earned a draw, scoring the equaliser in the first minute of stoppage time.
The Argentinian’s coming-of-age performance foreshadowed the dominance that would follow.
Interestingly, Real and Barca ended the season on equal points (76), but Real won the title thanks to a superior head-to-head record against Barca.
The next game on our list saw Real win in style.
Los Blancos sealed an emphatic victory at home with their Galacticos, the mega-expensive world-class talent bought by President Florentino Perez, adding glamour to the fixture.
French great Zinedine Zidane scored early and Brazil’s Ronaldo Nazario doubled the advantage, before Raul netted another. Michael Owen then sealed the deal with his 65th-minute winner.
Several of Real’s superstars, such as Beckham, Roberto Carlos, Luis Figo and Iker Casillas, also graced the field that day.
While Samuel Eto’o and Ronaldinho were on the scoresheet for Barca, it wasn’t enough as Real stormed to victory. However, it was Barcelona who went on to win the league title that season, finishing three points clear at the top.
The dynamic duo of Thierry Henry and Messi ran riot for Barca in this game, breaking the hearts of the Real faithful at the Bernabeu.
When Gonzalo Higuain put Real in the lead in the 14th minute, Real fans were optimistic about a good result. But it didn’t take too long to turn into pessimism as Henry equalised within four minutes.
What came next was nothing short of a goal-fest as Henry completed his brace, Messi followed suit, while Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique also joined the party with a goal apiece.
Ramos’ second-half goal carried very little meaning in the game, as Real were crushed by their rivals on their own turf.
Barca would go on to comfortably win the league that season, finishing nine points ahead of Real.
Our list wraps up with a Ronaldo special and one that clinched a trophy for Real.
The 2011 Copa del Rey final featured a sensational El Clasico that ended in dramatic fashion.
With the game still goalless after 90 minutes, the match went to extra time and many thought a penalty shootout would decide the final’s fate.
But then came Ronaldo’s moment of magic. The Portugal international headed home superbly from an Angel Di Maria pass, securing Real’s first trophy under then-manager Jose Mourinho.
Even though Di Maria was soon sent off after picking up his second yellow card, it did little harm as Ronaldo’s header brought home Real’s first domestic cup since 1993.
