REAL MADRID MEET Barcelona for the 227th time on Sunday in a potentially decisive clash in the La Liga title race as Real hold a four-point advantage over Barca with just 10 games remaining.
Here, AFP Sports looks at five famous matches from the historic rivalry between Spain’s two biggest clubs.
Real Madrid 5 Barcelona 0 (La Liga, January 7, 1995)
Just a year after guiding Barca to a 5-0 win over Real, Danish midfielder Michael Laudrup sealed his controversial switch to Los Blancos by sealing revenge for his new side by the same scoreline thanks to an Ivan Zamorano hat-trick and further goals from future Barca favourite Luis Enrique and Jose Emilio Amavisca.
Barcelona 3 Real Madrid 3 (La Liga, March 10, 2007)
Lionel Messi announced his arrival on the Clasico stage by scoring a hat-trick as 10-man Barca came from behind three times to snatch a dramatic draw.
The Argentine’s brilliance couldn’t spark a revival in the title race, however, as Madrid went onto win the league, finishing 18 points ahead of third-placed Barca.
Real Madrid 2 Barcelona 6 (La Liga, May 2, 2009)
Pep Guardiola’s first game in charge of Barcelona at the Bernabeu was also billed as a title decider as Madrid came into the game just four points behind Barca’s eventual treble winners and on a run of 17 wins and a draw in 18 league games.
They even scored first through Gonzalo Higuain, but Barca responded emphatically as goals from Catalan born centre-backs Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique added to doubles from Thierry Henry and Messi.
Barcelona 5 Real Madrid 0 (La Liga, November 29, 2010)
Barca’s best performance of the Guardiola era destroyed Jose Mourinho’s Madrid to move top of the table and they never ceded that advantage on their way to a third consecutive title.
Messi was once again the driving force, although he didn’t get on the scoresheet, as he provided two glorious assists for David Villa after Xavi and Pedro Rodriguez had put Barca in control before Jeffran Suarez rounded off a famous night for the Blaugrana.
Barcelona 1 Real Madrid 2 (La Liga, April 21, 2012)
Mourinho was to finally have his revenge on Guardiola 17 months later as Real all but sealed their 32nd title by inflicting Barca’s first defeat at the Camp Nou in 55 games.
Fittingly, it was Cristiano Ronaldo who colly slotted home the winner after Alexis Sanchez had cancelled out Sami Khedira’s opener.
