The Clasico is upon us and that means the rest of the world can wait while we rejoice at the spectacle that has given millions of people a reason to smile. When Barcelona lock horns with Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu it will be more than just 11 men vs 11 men. It will be even more than millions of fans against each other as it is a rivalry that is embedded in the Spanish and Catalan history.
Tempers will flair and sparks will fly and amidst all the chaos that has often gripped these games. However, rising above it all, there have been several individuals who have taken the game by the scruff of the neck and helped their side dominate proceedings.
It is perhaps time for us to look back at five players who seemed to have had the most impact on El Clasico matches.
#1 Cesar Rodriguez Alvarez
Cesar Rodriguez Alvarez, who was otherwise known as just Cesar is a Barcelona legend in his own right. The striker, who featured in 351 league games for the Catalan giants played a stellar role in helping his side become a force to reckon with during his playing days.
He won five La Liga titles during his time at the Camp Nou and is to this day, regarded as one of the most potent strikers when it comes to opportunities from a set piece. His returns of 232 goals in 351 official games made him a record goal scorer at the club for several decades.
However, it was perhaps his ability to find the back of the net against arch-rivals Real Madrid that truly installed him as one of the most revered figures in the history of the club.
Cesar found the back of the net 15 times against Real Madrid in nine games and it seemed like the games against Los Blancos always brought out the best in him as he not only found the back of the net with consistency but also scored some important winners to help his side assert their dominance over Real. In the nine games he scored against Barca’s rivals, he was on the winning side on eight occasions.
#2 Ferenc Puskas
While the likes of Raul and Francisco Gento scored a higher number of goals against Barcelona during their time with Madrid, it was the ability of Ferenc Puskas to score vital and more importantly winning goals that made him a legend at the club.
The Hungarian superstar, who arrived at Real Madrid rather late in his career at 31 years of age, still managed to show to the footballing world why he was reckoned to be one of the finest players the game has ever seen. In the eight years he spent at Real, Puskas appeared for the Blancos 180 times and found the back of the net on an incredible 156 occasions – a staggering return for any striker, let alone someone who was believed to be past his prime.
Like other teams, Barcelona were a unit that was constantly troubled by the presence of Puskas in the Real Madrid line-up. He scored 14 goals against the Catalan giants and was phenomenal alongside Alfredo Di Stefano as they constantly tore teams apart.
As mentioned before, Puskas had a knack of scoring important goals and the Catalans were a team that faced the wrath of his ruthlessness as he scored an incredible eight winners against Real’s arch-rivals, furthers establishing himself as a revered figure in the hearts of the club’s fans.
#3 Santillana
Carlos Alonso Gonzalez, who was otherwise known as Santillana arrived at Real Madrid after having impressed people with his abilities as a striker at Racing Santander. While still being a teenager, Santillana scored an incredible 16 goals in 35 appearances for his childhood club Santander and that was enough to force Real Madrid into signing him in the summer of 1971.
The striker enjoyed a stellar time at the Santiago Bernabeu as he quickly became a vital part of the Real Madrid core and helped them assert their dominance in Spain as well as Europe. The diminutive striker, who was surprisingly very highly regarded for his aerial abilities in and around the box helped Real win nine La Liga titles, four Copa Del Reys, one Copa de La Liga to go with two UEFA cup titles and is regarded as a Madrid legend.
Like many other Madrid legends, one of the pre-requisites to being branded one is that you need to have a stellar record against their arch-rivals Barcelona and when it came to games against Barca, Santillana was always as good as he ever got.
The striker found the back of the net 12 times against Barcelona and that instantly endeared him to the masses. However, the ability to find crucial and winning goals is what has forced us into including him in our list. The striker scored in nine Real wins and it was only in 1982-83 season, i.e. 11 years after having joined the Madrid club that the striker experienced losing against the Catalans despite scoring a goal.
#4 Alfredo Di Stefano
No list of Real Madrid legends would be complete without the presence of one particular man who helped them gain absolute dominance in Spain and Europe, Alfredo Di Stefano. The Buenos Aires striker arrived at Real Madrid at the age of 27 amidst controversial circumstances as Barcelona were believed to be in the pole position to sign him.
However, what was marked as a gamble by many soon turned out to be one of the best examples of recruitment done right as Di Stefano soon showcased to the footballing fraternity why he was amongst the best of all time.
Di Stefano, who has been hailed as one of the most complete players to have graced the game made 282 appearances for the Blancos and found the back of the net on a mind-boggling 216 occasions. While he did score some very important goals for the club that included goals in five consecutive goals in European cup finals, it was also his ability to find the back of the net against Barcelona that made him a fan favourite.
His 18 goals against the Catalan giants still stands as a Real Madrid record to this day. What is more important to note is that he scored in 11 Real Madrid victories against their arch-rivals and was on the losing side just twice during his time at Real Madrid, making him one of the greatest el Clasico players of all times.
#5 Lionel Messi
If you are a Cristiano Ronaldo fan, it is perhaps time to look away since the mention of Lionel Messi means he does not make the list of attackers who have had the most impact on El Clasicos.
Messi, on the other hand, has proven himself to be quite a handful to handle for the Real defence ever since he broke into the Barcelona squad. It was in the month of March in 2007 that Messi scored his first El Clasico hat-trick and truly broke into the limelight and to say that he has gone from strength to strength at Barcelona would be an understatement.
The diminutive Argentine has found the back of the net on 21 occasions against his side’s arch-rivals across all competitions and is currently the leading scorer in El Clasico games.
Messi has scored in seven Barcelona wins and has found the winning goal himself on five of those occasions. Apart from finding the back of the net himself, it is also Messi’s incredible creativity that often comes to the forefront against the Blancos as he also leads the all-time assists chart in El Clasico history having created 13 goals.
The 29-year-old might have endured a tough season as his Barcelona side trail Real by three points having played a game more but that will not be unfazed as he will be keen to add to his goal tally in the El Clasicos.
