The fixture between Real Madrid and Barcelona, known as El Clásico, represents the highest level of club rivalry in football. The period from 2010 to the present has generated high-stakes matches that frequently dictated the winner of the La Liga title. This era was characterized by the intense competition between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, followed by generational transitions at both clubs. The rivalry consistently produced results that carried significant psychological and league table consequences. FootballBias looks at 10 of the most memorable La Liga El Clasicos in this period.
1. The “Calma” Goal: Barcelona 1–2 Real Madrid (April 21, 2012)
This match was played in the final stages of the 2011-2012 La Liga season at the Camp Nou. Real Madrid entered the game holding a four-point lead over Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona, making this fixture crucial to the title race. Sami Khedira put Madrid ahead in the 17th minute. Although Alexis Sánchez equalized for Barcelona in the 70th minute, the game was settled quickly thereafter.
Just three minutes later, Cristiano Ronaldo received a decisive through-pass from Mesut Özil. Ronaldo rounded the goalkeeper and scored the winning goal. His subsequent celebration, gesturing for “Calma” (calm) to the Camp Nou crowd, became an iconic image of the rivalry. The 2-1 result extended Madrid’s lead to seven points with four games remaining, effectively clinching the title and securing Madrid’s record-breaking 100-point La Liga season.
2. Ending the Unbeaten Run: Barcelona 1–2 Real Madrid (April 02, 2016)
This victory at the Camp Nou marked Zinedine Zidane’s first Clásico as manager and ended Barcelona’s historic 39-match unbeaten streak across all competitions. Barcelona took the lead in the 56th minute through a Gerard Piqué header. Karim Benzema quickly equalized for Madrid in the 62nd minute with an acrobatic scissor kick.
The match escalated in the final minutes. In the 83rd minute, Gareth Bale had a goal controversially disallowed. Moments later, Sergio Ramos was sent off for a second bookable offense, leaving Madrid with ten men. Despite the disadvantage, Real Madrid launched a counter-attack. Bale delivered a cross that Cristiano Ronaldo controlled on his chest before scoring the winner in the 85th minute. The win, coming in the face of adversity and ending the opponent’s prolonged run of success, provided a significant psychological boost for Madrid.
3. The Rain-Soaked Thriller: Real Madrid 2–1 Barcelona (April 10, 2021)
This fixture was held at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stéfano and took place late in the 2020-2021 La Liga season. Both teams were locked in a tight race with Atlético Madrid for the league title. The match was played in torrential rain, making conditions difficult for fluid passing football.
Real Madrid capitalized on their counter-attacking strategy in the first half. Karim Benzema scored the opening goal in the 13th minute with an audacious near-post flick. Toni Kroos doubled the lead in the 28th minute via a free-kick that deflected twice before entering the net. Barcelona pulled a goal back through Oscar Mingueza in the 60th minute. The end of the game was highly dramatic; Madrid lost Casemiro to a red card in the final minute of normal time, and Barcelona’s Ilaix Moriba hit the crossbar with a powerful strike deep into stoppage time. Madrid held on for a 2-1 win, temporarily moving to the top of the table.
4. The Debut Hero: Barcelona 1–2 Real Madrid (October 28, 2023)
This was the first Clásico of the 2023-2024 season and marked the La Liga debut of Jude Bellingham. The match was played at Barcelona’s temporary home, the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. Barcelona started strongly, taking an early lead through İlkay Gündoğan in the 6th minute.
Bellingham intervened in the second half. In the 68th minute, he equalized with a powerful, long-range strike that flew past the goalkeeper. The match appeared headed for a draw until stoppage time. In the 92nd minute, Dani Carvajal crossed the ball into the box, and Bellingham arrived at the back post to volley home the winning goal, securing a dramatic 2-1 victory. This result confirmed Bellingham’s immediate impact and established Real Madrid’s early dominance in the league campaign.
5. The ‘Manita’: Barcelona 5–0 Real Madrid (November 29, 2010)
This was the first El Clásico appearance for manager José Mourinho. The match is regarded as the purest expression of Pep Guardiola’s tiki-taka philosophy. Barcelona’s possession and pressing resulted in a complete tactical and psychological collapse for Real Madrid. Goals from Xavi, Pedro, and a brace from David Villa put the match beyond doubt before substitute Jeffrén added the fifth. The final image of Gerard Piqué holding up five fingers (“La Manita”) remains the definitive symbol of this overwhelming victory.
6. The Seven-Goal Thriller: Real Madrid 3–4 Barcelona (March 23, 2014)
This match at the Bernabéu was a chaotic, high-scoring spectacle pivotal to the 2013-2014 title race. The lead changed hands multiple times. After an equalizer by Lionel Messi, Real Madrid briefly took a 3-2 lead via a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty. However, a red card for Sergio Ramos led to a second Messi penalty, leveling the score. Messi secured his hat-trick and the winning goal from the penalty spot in the 84th minute, proving his decisive individual impact in the rivalry’s most intense league contest.
7. Messi’s Shirt Celebration: Real Madrid 2–3 Barcelona (April 23, 2017)
Played late in the 2016-2017 season, this result was essential to keep Barcelona in contention for the league trophy. The match was defined by drama and a late goal. After equalizing earlier, Lionel Messi scored his 500th club goal with a spectacular strike in the 92nd minute. He celebrated by removing his shirt and holding the name and number up to the silenced Bernabéu stands.
8. Suárez’s Hat-Trick: Barcelona 5–1 Real Madrid (October 28, 2018)
This result was a powerful statement of Barcelona’s strength, achieved without the injured Lionel Messi. Luis Suárez delivered a commanding performance, scoring a decisive hat-trick that drove the team to an overwhelming victory. The comprehensive nature of the defeat led directly to the dismissal of Real Madrid manager Julen Lopetegui the following day, illustrating the high stakes of losing a Clásico.
9. The Brace Battle: Barcelona 2–2 Real Madrid (October 07, 2012)
This result, though a draw, is one of the most memorable single spectacles of the Messi-Ronaldo era. Cristiano Ronaldo scored the opening goal, followed swiftly by a Lionel Messi equalizer. Messi then scored a spectacular free-kick to put Barcelona ahead, only for Ronaldo to immediately respond with his second goal of the night. Both superstars scored a brace, trading goals to leave the score level, perfectly encapsulating the fierce, symmetrical peak of their individual rivalry.
10. Ramos’ Last-Minute Rescue: Barcelona 1–1 Real Madrid (December 03, 2016)
This match was tightly contested at the Camp Nou. Barcelona took the lead early in the second half through a Luis Suárez header. With Barcelona holding a crucial one-goal lead, Sergio Ramos, the master of stoppage-time goals, scored a powerful header in the 90th minute to rescue a point for Real Madrid, preventing Barcelona from gaining ground in the league table.
These ten La Liga matches encapsulate the rivalry’s evolution since 2010, characterized by tight tactical battles, moments of individual brilliance from Ronaldo, Messi, and Bellingham, and definitive shifts in momentum. The results were never simply about three points; they were statements of power. That tradition of high-stakes confrontation will resume tomorrow when Real Madrid hosts Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabéu.
