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Barcelona and Real Madrid have been arch-rivals ever since Los Blancos were conceptualized in 1902. The two Spanish giants have shared center stage, both domestically as well as at the continental stage.
Notably, the Blaugrana have a bigger trophy cabinet in Spanish competitions, winning 75 pieces of silverware to Real Madrid's 66. However, the men in white possess the bragging rights in Europe, boasting 29 trophies, including a record 13 UCL titles, to Barcelona's 22. Overall, the Catalans lead Real Madrid by two accolades at the time of writing.
Real Madrid vs Barcelona: head to head record
Their legendary rivalry has spanned centuries, dominating every other matchup in club football. El Clasico is perhaps the most celebrated fixture in the sport, in terms of legacy as well as statistics. Real Madrid have faced Barcelona a total of 246 times with 52 of those encounters ending in stalemate. As of now, Los Merengues narrowly edge the Blaugrana in the all-time Clasico chart, flaunting 98 wins to Barcelona's 96.
With respect to the participating players, Lionel Messi dominates most of the records. The Argentine is not only the leading goal-getter from Barcelona's side but also tops the scoring charts in their entirety with 26 strikes.
Legendary forward Alfredo Di Stefano acts as Real Madrid's representative with his 18 goals, ranking him second on the said list. The appearance record is held jointly by PSG's latest recruits Sergio Ramos and Lionel Messi. Both former La Liga stalwarts have appeared 45 times in the coveted fixture.
Without further delay, let's take a look at five of the most humiliating defeats suffered by Real Madrid at the hands of Barcelona:
#5 Barcelona 5-1 Real Madrid (La Liga, 2018)
With Lionel Messi ruled out of the fixture due to injury, Real Madrid fancied their chances of stealing a cheeky victory in the first Clasico of the 2018-19 season. However, in the absence of the Argentine talisman, Luis Suarez decided to take matters into his own hands. The Uruguayan veteran thoroughly demolished a weakened Real Madrid side, thwarting their attempted coup.
Suarez combined with Sergi Roberto to put three goals past Thibaut Courtois, completing an emphatic hat-trick. Philippe Coutinho opened the scoring in the 11th minute itself, grabbing his first Clasico goal. Even though Marcelo got one back for Real Madrid, moments after the commencement of the second half, it wasn't enough to save the men in white from an embarrassing defeat.
Arturo Vidal's 87th minute header ensured a 5-1 destruction of Real Madrid in what proved to be Julen Lopetegui's final game in charge. Barcelona went on to secure their 26th La Liga title, later that season.
#4 Barcelona 5-0 Real Madrid (La Liga, 1994)
With Johan Cruyff's "Dream Team" era in its dying embers, Barcelona's 5-0 routing of Los Blancos served as a perfect footnote to the Dutch tactician's legacy at Camp Nou. Romario ran riot in the Blaugrana's backyard, scoring a stupendous hat-trick to lead his side to victory.
The Brazilian was aided by current Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman, who pitched in with a sublime free-kick, doubling the home side's lead. Romario furthered his extensive impact on the game by providing the final assist as Ivan Iglesias completed a 5-0 battering of Real Madrid.
Barcelona went on to win the La Liga title in 1994 with Romario bagging the Pichichi trophy for his 30 goals that season.
Also read: Top 5 Lionel Messi vs Sergio Ramos clashes from the past
#3 Real Madrid 2-6 Barcelona (La Liga, 2009)
With no away Clasico victory since 2005, Barcelona traveled to face Real Madrid at the Bernabeu on 2nd May, 2009 in the hopes of breaking that drought. Not only did Blaugrana secure a win on that memorable night, but did so by absolutely humiliating Real Madrid.
Gonzalo Higuain opened the scoring for the home side in the 14th minute, putting Barcelona on the backfoot. However, the Catalan giants responded in ardent fashion, scoring three goals in the first half. Sergio Ramos' second-half strike turned out to be nothing more than a consolation for Real Madrid as Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry and Gerard Pique combined to take the score to 6-2.
The said match turned out to be a game-changer for Barcelona as they followed it up with a landmark win against Chelsea, sending them to the UCL final. The Blaugrana ended the season with six trophies, earning legendary status on the pages of footballing history.
#2 Real Madrid 0-3 Barcelona (La Liga, 2005)
The first encounter between Real Madrid and Barcelona in the 2005-06 season marked the debut of a certain Sergio Ramos in El Clasicos. Unfortunately for the Spaniard, this fateful game is widely remembered for a whole different reason. Ronaldinho ran riot in Los Blancos' backyard, shredding their defense to pieces.
Keeping his eye-pleasing goals aside, this match produced one of the most iconic moments in Clasico history. Bowing to his undeniable class, the Bernabeu crowd were forced to applaud Ronaldinho's brilliance, giving him a standing ovation as he dispatched their side without any mercy. The magisterial dribbler scored two on the night, mortifying Real Madrid defenders along the way.
Barcelona concluded that majestic season with a La Liga and Champions League double. However, this game also marked the beginning of a four-year winless streak for Barcelona at the Bernabeu. The Blaugrana broke this fateful run in style with the aforementioned 6-2 win in 2009.
#1 Barcelona 5-0 Real Madrid (La Liga, 2010)
At top-spot, without any surprises, is the first El Clasico of the 2010-11 season. This game had generated a lot of hype due to Real Madrid's acquisition of two-time Champions League winning manager, Jose Mourinho. Nevertheless, Guardiola's ruthless Barcelona picked the Portuguese coach and his Madrid side apart with relative ease.
David Villa scored two on the night, coupled with Xavi's 10th minute opener and Pedro's 18th minute strike. With seconds to spare in the match, academy graduate Jefferen scored from Bojan's cross, completing a 5-0 humiliation of Real Madrid.
Understandably frustrated with the result, Sergio Ramos stirred up controversy by shoving Carles Puyol to the ground in the 92nd minute. His antics earned the Spaniard a deserved red card, moments before the final whistle. A 5-0 defeat in Jose Mourinho's first ever Clasico is now remembered as one of the worst defeats, handed to Real Madrid by Barcelona.
Also read: 5 reasons why Barcelona can win La Liga (2021-22)
