5 legendary matches between Atletico Madrid and Barcelona

2008: Atletico Madrid 4-2 Barcelona

Nothing you can do Carles...

Before the days of Diego Simeone, Atletico Madrid were a very different team. Swashbuckling and expansive, they had no real balance in defence but when it came to attacking they were ferocious. A sweeping, rabid beast that went for the jugular, you could say.

This was the first of a series of encounters between the sides that became synonymous with absolute madness. This game was particularly special as it was seen as the night Sergio Aguero announced himself on the world football stage and became a household name after upstaging his very good friend Lionel Messi.

Barcelona were a different beast in the dwindling final days of Frank Rijkaard’s reign. They lacked the splendour of the early days but could still produce the odd destructive attacking performance - especially with their individual talent. Ronaldinho was a prime example of that and on this very evening, he was in stunning form, producing an incredible overhead kick to hand Barca the lead.

Aguero would come to the fore, however, scoring two marvellous goals and laying on an assist for Maxi Rodriguez. One of the strikes was a particular delight, with the little Argentinean dazzling his way past Barca defenders on the way to an incredible solo effort. The current Manchester City star also provoked a penalty from which his strike partner Diego Forlan made no mistake.