Players who have scored the highest number of goals in El Clasico history

The El Clasico has long been a footballing spectacle. There are few other meetings that match the thrill and anticipation of this clash between Real Madrid and Barcelona that comes around twice every season at the very least. If we’re lucky, a few more meetings in European competitions or the domestic cup competitions also feature, but the promise of the fixture never fades.Players on both sides have acknowledged the magnitude of the tie over the years and they appear to show it on the pitch as well, often giving more every time they face each other. The rivalry stemmed from political and class battles off the pitch but the outlet that the fixture provided for fans is an aspect that the game has not lost to date.Some players crumble under the massive pressure to perform on the fated day, but many are entirely the opposite. They don’t need an added incentive to pump themselves up for the El Clasico, because bragging rights are enough of a motivator.In the many years that the clubs have faced each other 229 times in the La Liga or competitions such as the Champions League, Copa Del Rey or the Spanish Super Cup, the first time coming in 1902.In all of these meetings, Real Madrid have netted 388 goals and their rivals are only 16 goals behind them in the total tally. These are the names that have been the most consistent on the scoreboard, cumulatively grabbing more than 10 goals against their bitter rivals.

#11 Josep Samitier (Barcelona/Real Madrid) - 10 goals

Josep Samitier is the only player on this list to have played for both Real Madrid and Barcelona. He later coached Barcelona as well as Real’s city rivals Atletico Madrid. He spent most of his playing career with Barcelona and only 2 of his final few playing years came for Real Madrid, though he did win the league title with both sides.

The La Liga title he won with Barcelona was their first ever in 1928-29. Samitier moved to Barca’s bitter rivals only after he had a falling out with the management at the Catalan club.

He is also the only one on the list who’s scored the most of his 10 Clasico goals outside of the La Liga.

Player	Nationality	Team	La Liga	Spanish Cup	Super Cup	League Cup	Europe	Total
Josep Samitier	Spain	Barcelona/Real Madrid	4	6	Nil	Nil	Nil	10

#10 Juanito (Real Madrid) - 10 goals

Juan Gomez Gonzalez, who was also called Juanito was a notorious character both on and off the pitch. But his immense skill meant that he could get the better of his opponents in the blink of an eye.

He spent 13 seasons at Real Madrid and garnered 350 appearances for the club, finding his mark 99 times in that span. 10 of those goals came against Barcelona in La Liga and Europe.

Player	Nationality	Team	La Liga	Spanish Cup	Super Cup	League Cup	Europe	Total
Juanito	Spain	Real Madrid	8	Nil	Nil	2	Nil	10

#9 Hugo Sanchez (Real Madrid) - 10 goals

Unlike Josep Samitier, Hugo Sanchez did not play for both Real Madrid and Barcelona, but he did play for Real’s crosstown rivals Atletico Madrid before making the switch to join Los Blancos. He joined the Spanish giants in 1985 and won 5 consecutive Spanish league titles with the club, picking up 4 Pichichi awards along the way.

He has an incredible record that he set in the 1989-90 season when he scored 38 goals for Real and reportedly all of those goals came from a single touch every time.

Player	Nationality	Team	La Liga	Spanish Cup	Super Cup	League Cup	Europe	Total
Hugo Sanchez	Mexico	Real Madrid	8	Nil	2	Nil	Nil	10

#8 Santillana (Real Madrid) - 12 goals

Carlos Alonso Gonzalez, also known popularly as Santillana was striker who played most of his career at Real Madrid. It was a journey that lasted over 17 seasons. He accumulated a smashing 9 league titles in that time.

Of the 12 goals in Clasicos, 9 came in the league and the rest from domestic cup competition meetings against Barcelona. The peculiar thing about his career was that despite scoring 352 times for the club, he never won the Pichichi.

Player	Nationality	Team	La Liga	Spanish Cup	Super Cup	League Cup	Europe	Total
Santillana	Spain	Real Madrid	9	2	Nil	1	Nil	12

#7 Ferenc Puskas (Real Madrid) - 14

The Hungarian national would go on to stake a claim, not only as one of Real Madrid’s best players but among the cream of the world’s best players. Ferenc Puskas was poetry in motion when it came down to goalscoring. His tally at the Spanish club was a mind-boggling 374 goals in358 games. In relation, his 14 goals in Clasicos seem almost insignificant.

He won 3 European Cups with Real Madrid, two of them were in the 5 they won consecutively and the third in 1966.

Player	Nationality	Team	La Liga	Spanish Cup	Super Cup	League Cup	Europe	Total
Ferenc Puskas	Hungary/Spain	Real Madrid	9	2	Nil	Nil	3	14

#6 Francisco Gento (Real Madrid) - 14

Gento with Santiago Bernabeu

Real Madrid legend Francisco ‘Paco’ Gento holds the record for most appearances in Clasicos, having walked onto the pitch 44 times for his club against Barcelona. Now, 14 goals in that many appearances may not be as impressive as the others on this list, but it should be taken into account that Gento was a left sided winger, of the days when conventional crossing was all the rage.

In light of that information, Gento’s tally becomes quite a bit more appreciable. The player did more than just score goals for his club and in doing so carved his name in their hsitory books.

Player	Nationality	Team	La Liga	Spanish Cup	Super Cup	League Cup	Europe	Total
Francisco Gento	Spain	Real Madrid	10	2	Nil	Nil	2	14

#5 Cesar Rodriguez (Barcelona) - 14 goals

Another one of three who have 14 Clasico goals to their name, Cesar Rodriguez was an immensely prolific forward for the Catalan club. Having started his senior career with Barcelona, he went on to manage 351 official appearances for them playing across three decades.

He won 5 La Liga trophies with the club and in his stay contributed with 232 goals. He returned to manage Barcelona after the end of his playing career too.

Player	Nationality	Team	La Liga	Spanish Cup	Super Cup	League Cup	Europe	Total
Cesar Rodriguez	Spain	Barcelona	12	2	Nil	Nil	Nil	14

#4 Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) - 15 goals

The goal machine Cristiano Ronaldo was bound to make this list. He has managed to score 15 goals against Real Madrid’s bitter rivals Barcelona. The former Manchester United star has shown time and again that he con make it count on a big occasion and this is one of the stages he thrives on.

As most players have done so in the past, Ronaldo too accumulated most of his strikes in La Liga Clasicos and completed his tally by scoring in other competitions.

Player	Nationality	Team	La Liga	Spanish Cup	Super Cup	League Cup	Europe	Total
Cristiano Ronaldo	Portugal	Real Madrid	7	5	3	Nil	Nil	15

#3 Raul Gonzalez (Real Madrid) - 15 goals

A striker like none other that graced the white of Real Madrid, Raul Gonzalez was for the longest time a spearhead in Los Blancos’ attack. He failed to score only on few occasions and El Clasico was one of his favourite occasions to grab a goal, as is evident from the statistics.

Till recently, he was the club’s top goalscorer, but he was beaten to that spot by none other than Cristiano Ronaldo, but the Spaniard will always have his legacy at Real Madrid. His 15 goals in El Clasicos over the many years he donned the Galacticos’ jersey still keeps him in this list.

Player	Nationality	Team	La Liga	Spanish Cup	Super Cup	League Cup	Europe	Total
Raul Gonzalez	Spain	Real Madrid	11	Nil	3	Nil	1	15

#2 Alfredo Di Stefano (Real Madrid) - 18 goals

A name that is etched in Real Madrid folklore, Alfredo Di Stefano was immensely influential in his side’s absolute domination in Europe when they won 5 consecutive European Cup titles between 1956 and 1960.

He made 396 appearances for the club in the 11 years he spent at the Bernabeu enthralling spectators with the 307 goals he scored for Real during that period. 18 of those strikes came against Barcelona.

When he passed away in 2014, his coffin was placed at the Bernabeu, it was a testament to the reverence he reserves from the Real Madrid faithful even decades after he left the club.

Player	Nationality	Team	La Liga	Spanish Cup	Super Cup	League Cup	Europe	Total
Alfredo Di Stefano	Argentina/Spain	Real Madrid	14	2	2	Nil	Nil	21

#1 Lionel Messi (Barcelona) - 21 goals

Arguably one of the best footballers our world has witnessed, Lionel Messi has cumulatively scored the most goals in an El Clasico. The best in the world are often lauded for rising to the occasion on the greatest stages and the talismanic Barcelona forward has time and again proven his worth for his side.

A tally of 21 goals against Real Madrid for an individual in 29 Clasicos is a hugely impressive feat. The Argentine scored them in different competitions, with the lion's share coming in La Liga (14), 5 in the Spanish Super Cup and the remaining 2 in Europe.

Player	Nationality	Team	La Liga	Spanish Cup	Super Cup	League Cup	Europe	Total
Lionel Messi	Argentina	Barcelona	14	Nil	5	Nil	2	21