The history of ELCLÁSICO

ELCLÁSICO is not just a soccer match. Every season of LALIGA EA SPORTS, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid star in one of the most globally significant sporting events.

No matter where you are on the planet, you can enjoy the classic Spanish soccer match. When the ball starts rolling in ELCLÁSICO, the world stops for 90 minutes to watch the stars of Real Madrid and FC Barcelona play.

ELCLÁSICO is the most eagerly awaited match for soccer fans around the world and is broadcast in more than 190 countries.

HISTORY

The first time FC Barcelona and Real Madrid faced each other in ELCLÁSICO in LALIGA EA SPORTS was on February 17, 1929. The match was played at Les Corts, on the second day of the league tournament, and the Merengues won 1-2 with a brace from Morera. Parera narrowed the gap for the Culé team. In the second leg, FC Barcelona won 0-1 at Chamartín (goal by Sastre) on their way to the title.

Prior to this first LALIGA clash, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona had faced each other in seven Copa del Rey matches. The first of these came on May 13, 1902, in the semifinals of the Copa de la Coronación, a tournament not recognized by the RFEF. Barça won 3-1. The second match came on March 26, 1916, in the Copa del Rey semifinals. Barça won (2-1) and Real Madrid won the return leg (4-1), meaning that a tiebreaker (6-6 after extra time) and a fourth match were necessary to decide the winner of the tie, which was Real Madrid (4-2, also in extra time).

ELCLÁSICO LEADERS Several names of historic players stand out in the ELCLÁSICO statistics. Barça's Sergio Busquets (2008-2023), with 48 appearances, is the player with the most appearances, 29 of which were in LALIGA EA SPORTS. He is followed by Sergio Ramos (2005-2021) of Real Madrid and Leo Messi (2004-2021) with 45 appearances each.

If we limit the data to LALIGA, three Real Madrid players lead the table: Sergio Ramos himself, Paco Gento (1953-1971) and Raúl González (1994-2010), all with 31 ELCLÁSICO appearances. Barça's Busquets, Xavi Hernández (1998-2015) and Leo Messi are two league games behind, as is Real Madrid's Manolo Sanchís (1983-2001).

As for the all-time top scorers, Leo Messi is the all-time leading scorer in El Clásico in LaLiga EA SPORTS with 18 goals in 29 games. He is followed by fellow Argentine and Real Madrid legend Alfredo Di Stéfano (1953-1964) with 14 goals, Barça's César Rodríguez (12 between 1942 and 1955) and Raúl González (11). Among active players, Real Madrid's Vinícius stands out with 8 goals scored in direct matches, followed by Barça's Raphinha with 7 and Mbappé (Real Madrid) and Lewandowski (FC Barcelona) with 6.

Looking at the overall statistics, Leo Messi is also in the lead. The Argentine scored 26 goals in his 45 matches. Behind him, with 18 goals overall, are Real Madrid's Alfredo Di Stéfano and Cristiano Ronaldo (2009-2018).

WINS, TIES AND LOSSES Since that first meeting in 1902, and including the Coronation Cup match, a total of 264 games have been played between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, 192 of them in LaLiga. The balance is 106 wins for the Whites, 106 for the Azulgranas and 52 draws, with 438 goals for the Catalans and 447 for the Madrid side.

In LALIGA EA SPORTS alone, there have been 192 editions of ELCLÁSICO, with 80 wins for Real Madrid and 77 for FC Barcelona, as well as 35 draws. In terms of goals, Barça have a slight advantage: 309 to 312.