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The biggest and most watched club football match is upon us, as the fierce rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona once more takes centre stage as Barca hosts the team from the capita at Camp Nou on Sunday.
The match would be the 237th competitive (271 overall) clash between both teams, and Real Madrid has the edge in head-to-head record with 95 competitive wins (99 overall), while Barcelona has 92 wins (112 overall).
Sunday's fixture has an exciting sub-plot, it signals the 'end of an era', as neither Messi nor Ronaldo would partake in the match for the first time since 2007, having dominated all the conversations in the match for much of the last decade.
Both club's marquee stature means that some of the most illustrious players in history such as Zidane, Luis Figo, Ferenc Puskas, Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto'o and Ronaldo de Lima have been witnessed in the match. Here we list the five highest goalscorers of all time in this epic fixture.
#5. Cesar Rodriguez (Bar), Francesco Gento, Ferenc Puskas (RMA) - 14 Goals
The list is kicked off by three men sharing the fifth spot with 14 goals each. All three men are icons of the game and represented the clubs with distinction in the distant past.
First off Cesar Rodriguez who is undoubtedly one of the greatest players in Barcelona's history, and was the club's record goalscorer for many years until he was surpassed by you-know-who.
The late César represented Barca 433 times in all competitions between 1939 and 1955 scoring 301 goals, and winning 12 major trophies, making a name for himself with his unique ability to score directly from corners.
He sadly passed on in 1995 aged 74, but his memory is forever etched in Barcelona's history, especially in this fixture where he scored 14 goals.
Francisco Gento is regarded as one of the greatest players in Real Madrid's history, and put on the famous colours of Real Madrid 601 times in almost two decades, scoring 182 goals, and was an integral part of the club's successes throughout the golden period of the 1950s and 1960s.
He holds the record for most European Cup / UCL finals (8), and till date remains the player who has won the most titles in Europe's premier club competition, being present as Los Blancos won the first five editions between 1956 and 1960 and captained the side to the 1966 victory.
As a testament to his contributions to the club, Gento was named Real Madrid's honorary president following the passing on of Alfredo di Stefano in 2014.
Puskas is also another player who needs no introduction to any football fan, as the Hungarian was the standout striker in the world during the 1940s and 1950s.
A legendary goalscorer, Puskas was the main player of the 'Mighty Magyars' Hungarian national team in the 1940s and 50s which also contained players such as Sandor Koscis and Nandor Hidegkuti which is widely regarded as the best side not to win a World Cup when they made it to the final of the 1954 World Cup.
After establishing himself as a legendary goalscorer in his native Hungary with Budapest Honved, Puskas arrived in Real Madrid in 1958 and helped the club win the European Cup in 1960 and 1966. He appeared 262 times for Los Blancos and scored 242 times in his career.
In recognition of his contribution to the game of football, FIFA announced the creation of the Puskas award in his honour in 2009 which rewards the played adjudged to have scored the best goal in the calendar year, in addition to numerous memorabilia and landmarks which bear his name in his native Hungary.
#4 Raul Gonzalez (RMA)- 15 Goals
An absolute icon, Raul was the symbol of Real Madrid for over a decade during the Galactico era and was a goalscorer of the highest proportions holding the record of most goals for the Spain national team, Real Madrid as well as the Champions League, all of which have been broken now.
Considered by many to be the greatest player in Real Madrid's history, Raul spent over 20 years associated with Real Madrid, joining the youth team and progressing through the ranks and captaining the side for seven years from 2003 till his departure in 2010.
He played 741 matches for the club in all competitions from 1994 till 2010, winning 16 trophies and scored 323 goals which was a club record until it was surpassed by Ronaldo in 2015.
He was also Spain's all-time record goalscorer with 44 goals from 102 appearances since surpassed by David Villa, as well as the Champions League record goalscorer with 71 goals from 142 appearances which was broken by first Messi and then Ronaldo.
His status as a Real Madrid legend is undebatable, and with 15 goals scored, he stamped his authority on the El Clasico with his defining moment coming in October 1999 when as a 22-year-old he silenced 90,000 fans at the Nou Camp by placing his fingers to his lips in celebration after scoring endearing himself to Madridistas forever.
#2 Cristiano Ronaldo (RMA)- 18 Goals
Cristiano Ronaldo arrived Real Madrid in 2009, and since then went on to establish himself as the greatest goalscorer in the club's history.
His goals helped propel Real Madrid to its most successful period in recent history and helped win a plethora of titles including the Champions League in each of the last three seasons consecutively.
The 33-year-old is the club's record goalscorer in the Champions League, LaLiga as well as of all-time, and he departed Bernabeu in the summer having reached heights which might never be attained again.
His arrival in 2009 put him in direct contest with his eternal rival Lionel Messi, and this helped skyrocket the popularity of El Clasico, as fans tuned in to see him battle it out with Messi, and he duly delivered for the next nine years, scoring 18 goals in 30 matches.
Real fans would forever remember him as the man who inspired the club to victory with his 85th-minute strike at Camp Nou to end Barca's unbeaten run of 39 despite being a man down.
#2 Alfredo di Stefano (RMA) - 18 Goals
The man to whom Real Madrid owes much of its success, Alfredo Di Stefano is the second most important figure in Real Madrid's history after Santiago Bernabeu but was very close to representing their fierce rivals.
Di Stefano was the subject of a bidding war between Barcelona and Real Madrid in 1953 after establishing himself in South America, and despite reportedly signing for Barcelona, before Real Madrid snatched him from right under Barcelona's noses.
The case was taken for arbitration and the curious decision was arrived at for both clubs to share the player alternately for one season, which is a decision Barcelona vehemently opposed, as even back then tensions between both clubs were pretty high due to the mistreatment of Catalans by General Franco, and the Stefano case undoubtedly increased hostilities.
The 'Blond Arrow' would go on to establish himself as one of the legends of the game, helping Real Madrid to 15 titles in his 19 years at the club, including the first five European Cups where he scored in each of the finals with his highlight performance being in 1960 final where he scored four goals in a 7-3 defeat of Eintracht Frankfurt at Hampden Park.
He was the highest goalscorer for many decades for Real Madrid (308), European Cup (49) as well as the El Clasico (18), records which have all been surpassed since then.
In recognition to his achievements for Real Madrid, he was named the club's honorary president in 2000 until his death in 2014, while the club's training ground is named Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano.
#1 Lionel Messi
No prizes for guessing this one right. The 31-year-old magician is the record goalscorer in El Clasico history, as well as for Barcelona and the Argentine national team.
He broke into the Barcelona first team in 2004 having joined La Masia as a 12-year-old and has progressed to become the greatest player in the club's history and arguably the greatest of all time.
His time at the club has been immensely fruitful, as he has helped the Blaugrana win 33 major honours while he has been at the club, and his goals played a crucial role in achieving the victories.
He has also cemented his legacy in this fixture, by announcing himself in the best way possible, by getting a hat-trick at the Santiago Bernabeu in a 3-3 draw as a 20-year-old in 2007.
Since then, has gone on to score a further 23 times against Barcelona's most bitter rivals. Of his 26 El Clasico goals, 18 have come in LaLiga, 6 in the Spanish Super Cup while he scored two against Real in the 2011 UCL semi-final clash.
Real Madrid fans would be glad to see the back of him, as he has made a habit of tormenting the club, with his most daunting image being when he got the 93rd-minute winner at the Bernabeu in 2017.
While celebrating, he went running to the fans and took off his shirt to show them his name and number as though they needed a reminder of the name that has caused Real Madrid nightmares for the last 11 years.
