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El Clasico - the game that has the power to grab the eyeballs of the entire globe. The game that has always pitted the best players in the world against one another. This game is like no other, this rivalry is like no other!
Since the 20th century, social and political reasons have made FC Barcelona and Real Madrid hate each other with a massive intensity. With time, both these clubs became the epitome of success and gradually became the superpowers of the sport.
Naturally, both these sides have always attracted the cream of the crop, the best of the best players in the world to their ranks. From Diego Maradona to Neymar, every top footballer in the world has featured for one or both of these clubs.
On the eve of another El Clasico today at the Camp Nou, we will rank the 10 greatest players to have played in this high profile derby.
Keep in mind, these superstars have been ranked because of their influence in the derby and not due to their overall performances at the club:
Honourable mentions
Ronaldo: Played for both sides and was loved equally by Real and Barcelona. The most fearsome striker of them all scored 4 Classico goals.
Sergio Ramos: The man who has the most bookings in this fixture, the one who has made this derby feistier than ever before - deserves a special mention.
Michael Laudrup: The graceful player represented both the sides in his heyday. He was a part of the Johan Cruyff dream team and later won La Liga with Real Madrid.
Romario: The legendary Brazilian striker scored a stunning hat-trick in a 5-0 win over Real Madrid in 1994. It was one of the most authoritative performances in the rivalry's history.
#10 Luis Figo (FC Barcelona and Real Madrid)
The Portuguese forward makes the list not for his goalscoring antics but for heating up the rivalry like never before. Figo, a Barcelona talisman in the late 90s made a stunning move to Real Madrid for £37 million to become the most hated man of Catalonia.
A pig head was thrown at Figo when he returned to Camp Nou with his new side, flaming the rivalry in the years to come. Though he scored three Clasico goals for Barcelona and one for Real Madrid, it is his transfer which is still talked about with great interest/despair in both cities.
#9 Andres Iniesta (FC Barcelona)
In line to play the last Clasico of his illustrious career tonight, Andres Iniesta has been a regular and one of the most influential Barcelona players in the Clasico for the past decade.
He is one of the very few players that has commanded respect at the Bernabeu despite donning the Barcelona colours.
With 37 appearances in this fixture, Iniesta is one of the veterans when it comes to the rivalry and has scored vital goals at vital junctures against Madrid over the years.
#8 Carles Puyol (FC Barcelona)
Puyol made his name as a no-nonsense defender who combined his astute game sense with an aggressive style of play.
Naturally, the centre-back was a leader for Barcelona and his leadership skills were best seen against their bitter rivals.
Making over 30 appearances in El Clasico, Puyol always made a telling contribution. He rallied his troops whenever needed and was the player that maintained the calmness that was required in this hotly contested affair.
In many occasions, it was seen that Puyol was at the forefront of diffusing potential ugly scenes on the field.
#7 Manuel Sanchis (Real Madrid)
A one-club man, Sanchis spent 18 years at Real Madrid and is considered as one of the greatest defenders in the history of the club.
Sanchis made 43 appearances in El Clasico, more than any other player to date.
He was the most crucial part of "Quinta del buitre" - the five homegrown Real Madrid players that dominated Spain in the 1980s.
Sanchis won every possible honour during his time with the club and made sure of Real Madrid's brutal dominance over their rivals in the 80s.
It is said that Sanchis and the rest of the "Quinta del buitre" understood the importance of winning over Barcelona more than anyone else.
#6 Ronaldinho (FC Barcelona)
The Brazilian smiling assassin was only the second Barcelona player after Diego Maradona to receive a standing ovation at the Bernabeu.
The Madrid faithful stood up in 2005 to applaud the genius of Ronaldinho as he single-handedly destroyed Real Madrid in a 3-0 win (Sergio Ramos must still be having nightmares about that one).
Ronaldinho scored in four consecutive games against Real Madrid between 2004 and 2006 as he wrote his name in the fixture's history as one of it's most influential attackers.
#5 Xavi Hernandez (FC Barcelona)
Barcelona's midfield genius was at the forefront of the club's domination over Los Blancos in the past decade and always left his imprint in the big games.
Xavi made 42 Clasico appearances, the second most number of caps in the fixture.
He scored five against Real Madrid in those 42 attempts but it was his ability to dictate the pace of the game and influence the proceedings from the centre of the field that made him stand apart.
Xavi always reserved his best for the matches against Real Madrid and hence occupies a place this high in this elusive list.
#4 Raul Gonzalez (Real Madrid)
One of the greatest Real Madrid and Spanish strikers of all time, Raul rightly made his name in the biggest game of them all.
In his 15-year stint in Spain, Raul scored 15 goals against FC Barcelona and is Real Madrid's third highest ever scorer in the fixture.
Raul was a big game player and most often scored at crucial moments of the game, be it the winner or the equaliser.
Being the captain of the side, Raul often led from the front which invariably made him an important feature for Real against the Catalans.
#3 Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)
The great man has rewritten numerous records since his move to Spain and has asserted his place in the highest pantheons of the game.
Due to the insane standards set by him and a certain Lionel Messi, this fixture in the past nine years has taken an altogether different meaning.
Ronaldo has time and again proved himself against the odds and has often done that against one of the toughest opponents - FC Barcelona.
Scoring 17 goals against them, the Portuguese hitman has always been a headache for Barcelona.
At the start of this season, Ronaldo scored a stunning goal in the Spanish Super Cup and continued his stunning run against Barcelona.
He also holds the record of scoring in six consecutive Clasicos between 2011 and 2013.
#2 Alfredo Di Stefano (Real Madrid)
One of the most controversial transfers of all time, Alfredo Di Stefano became a legend at Real Madrid where he won eight league titles and five European Cups in a decade at the club.
Missing out on Di Stefano was a big blow to the Catalan side and if that was not enough, the forward plundered goals for fun against them.
Di Stefano scored 18 goals against Barcelona and was the record goalscorer until Lionel Messi beat his record in 2014.
Nonetheless, arguably the greatest Real Madrid player of all time was also one of the most influential when it came to the matches against the toughest of opponents and at the biggest of stages.
#1 Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona)
The genius that is Leo Messi does not warrant any other place in this list than the numero uno position.
Be it his injury-time winner in a 3-2 winner at the Bernabeu last season or his stunning brace in the 2011/12 Champions League semifinal, Messi has dominated this fixture, unlike any other player.
Scoring a massive 25 goals in 37 Clasicos, Lionel Messi is undoubtedly the greatest player that has ever taken part in this feisty affair.
The man has single-handedly taken Barcelona to victory against Real Madrid at times and has also created chances on a plate for his teammates.
Messi is expected to reach the unheralded figure of 30 Clasico goals before he hangs his boots up - a feat which will be one of his biggest and most credible achievement.
