There is no denying the fact that El Clasico is one of the greatest sporting events on the planet. For over a hundred years it has been one of the biggest club rivalries of the world, but there was a time when the rivalry of the two clubs was reduced to just two players on the field: Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Argentine player was introduced to the world at the tender age of 17 but it took him 2 years to mark his appearance and he did it in style by becoming the youngest player at the age of 19 to score an El Clasico hat-trick in 2007. The Portuguese winger on the other hand was already on his way to being called a GOAT when he arrived at Madrid in 2009. The then 22 -year-old already had a Ballon d’Or and a hefty price tag to his name.
Hence began a new era of rivalry in Spanish football with two of the best players on both the team sheets unlocking their potentials while competing against each other. It was surely one of the greatest rivalries to witness as it created so many great moments. In this article we look back at 5 great goals from Messi and Ronaldo, to cherish their goal-scoring skills which made this fixture all the more exciting.
LIONEL MESSI
Barcelona 2-2 Real Madrid| May 2018
Messi has been known for his nimble dribbling and then accurate finish. Well the second goal of this game, which put Barcelona in front, came in the same manner. The situation was tricky, with the Blaugrana being a man down and tied at 1-1 in the first half, it was just about time when Madrid would have flicked a switch to score the winner. But before they could do that Messi decided to take charge of the situation. He received the ball outside the box and dribbled his way through the two defenders to place a great shot past Courtois. This goal also gave him the title of highest goal scorer at Camp Nou.
Barcelona 3 – 2 Real Madrid| August 2011
It is believed that a great footballer is not someone who scores at regular intervals. Rather it is the player who contributes most to the goals. A sublime display of the same came in the Spanish Super Cup encounter between Barcelona and Madrid, in which Messi contributed to every goal that was scored across the two ties. However, the most important and remarkable one remains the 3rd goal of the second leg, which Messi scored for his team to win them the match.
Barcelona 2-2 Real Madrid| October 2012
Taking freekicks is an art and Lionel Messi is a master of it. And he put up a great exhibition of his art in the match against their arch-rivals. The match was once again tied 1-1, after the first half. Real Madrid’s ace Ronaldo had opened the scoring in the 22nd minute, while Messi had got one back soon enough. Now he was standing over the ball all ready to take a 30-yard-freekick and he converted it to perfection as the ball curled away from the Keeper’s reach to finish in the far corner.
Barcelona 3 – 3 Real Madrid| March 2007
This list can never be complete without mentioning that one goal that made Lionel Messi an overnight sensation as he scored his debut hat trick that too against one of the most fearsome teams of that time. The Galactico team consisting of stars like Nistelrooy and Beckham stood witness to the sight of a 19-year-old boy who ran circles around their defence to net 3 goals. The best one was the third one, in which he scored what can only be described as a wonderful solo effort with a picture-perfect finish in the end.
Real Madrid 2 – 2 Barcelona | April 2017
Everyone loves watching the late drama unfold in a football match, with one team running away with it at the end. The enjoyment turns into torture when you are a Real Madrid fan, and standing in front of you is a little Barcelona player, holding his T-shirt in front of him to taunt after scoring a late late winner. Yes, that is what Messi did, when he cruised his team home in a tight contest by netting the winner of the game in the dying moments of it. He’s holding his T-shirt is considered to be one of the coldest celebrations in an El Clasico.
CRISTIANO RONALDO
Barcelona 2-2 Real Madrid| October 2012
A match which most people would remember for the beautiful freekick by Messi also had 2 amazing goals by the Portuguese winger, Cristiano Ronaldo. Rather it was he who opened the scoring by running circles around the Barcelona defence who seem to have been caught in a trans. However, the best part of the goal was the finish. The right-footed player bashed the ball with his left foot to beat Victor Valdes on his near post.
Barcelona 1 – 2 Real Madrid| April 2016
People often celebrate Ronaldo as a player who has pace and power. It’s his abilities with the ball that are seldom talked about. However, Ronaldo is not someone who would let such a thing pass, therefore in the second El Clasico of the 15/16 season, he decided to show the world what he’s got. It was in the 85th minute of the match, when both the teams were tied in at 1-1, that Ronaldo shows his brilliance when receiving an amazing cross from Bale. The Portuguese man chested the ball to great control while surrounded by three defenders at least, and then also managed to get a shot away on the half volley to put his side ahead and win the game as well.
Barcelona 3 – 2 Real Madrid| August 2012
No defender in the world can beat Ronaldo in the air. He just has worked so hard throughout on his aerial skills and built such strong neck muscles that when he connects, seldom does a keeper gets the chance to stop. And this is what happened in the first leg of the Spanish Super cup, when following up on a cross Ronaldo jumped past Busquets one of the tallest Barcelona players to score a beautifully headed goal.
Barcelona 1 – 2 Real Madrid| April 2012
Apart from his goal-scoring skills, if anything sets Ronaldo apart then that is his celebrations that thoroughly entertain the home supporters and silent the away supports. Ronaldo indeed performed one of the most iconic celebrations in the history of football, named “Calma Calma” in front of the Camp Nou crowd after putting in the match-winning goal for his team, telling the home supporters to not celebrate until he’s on the ground.
Barcelona 1 – 3 Real Madrid| August 2017
One of the epic moments in El Clasico’s history came on the night of the first leg of Spanish Super Cup 2017 when Ronaldo did a Lionel Messi to the Catalonian Crowd. It was the 85th minute of the match and the scores were tied 1-1 when Isco released Ronaldo who then scored a fantastic shot in the top right corner to put his team ahead in the match. Later just like Messi, he removed his T-shirt to show his well-chiselled body and held it up to the Catalonian crowd too.
