What El Clásico is
El Clásico is the match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. It is played at least twice a season in LaLiga and often again in the Copa del Rey, the Spanish Super Cup and occasionally the Champions League. It is the biggest rivalry in Spanish football, mixing sport, history, identity and global prestige.
The first Clásico (1902)
The first official meeting took place on 13 May 1902 at the Coronation Cup in Madrid. Barça beat the then Madrid FC 3-1. Since then the two clubs have met hundreds of times in official matches.
Why it is Spain’s biggest rivalry
Barça and Madrid dominate the league honours list and have fought for titles for decades. Beyond sport, several episodes shaped generations of fans: the 1953 dispute over Alfredo Di Stéfano, who ended up at Madrid; the controversial 11-1 Cup tie at Chamartín in 1943, in post-war Spain; and Luís Figo’s move from Barça to Madrid in 2000.
Clásicos to remember
- 1974 · Real Madrid 0-5 Barça. With Cruyff on the pitch, Barça record their biggest ever away win in the fixture.
- 1994 · Barça 5-0 Real Madrid. A Romário hat-trick for Cruyff’s Dream Team.
- 2009 · Real Madrid 2-6 Barça. Guardiola’s side rout Madrid on the way to the first treble.
- 2010 · Barça 5-0 Real Madrid. The 29 November “manita”, in the first Clásico between Guardiola and Mourinho.
- 2015 · Real Madrid 0-4 Barça. A masterclass from Luis Enrique’s team at the Bernabéu.
- 2017 · Real Madrid 2-3 Barça. Messi scores in the last minute and holds up his shirt to the crowd.
- 2022 · Real Madrid 0-4 Barça. Xavi’s Barça win big at the Bernabéu.
- 2024-25 · four out of four. Flick’s Barça win every Clásico of the season: 0-4 at the Bernabéu, 5-2 in the Super Cup final, 3-2 after extra time in the Copa del Rey final and 4-3 at Montjuïc in the game that set up the league title.
- 2025-26 · Super Cup and league. Madrid win 2-1 at the Bernabéu in October, but Barça take the Super Cup final in Jeddah (3-2, with two goals from Raphinha) and the 2-0 at Spotify Camp Nou on 10 May 2026 that mathematically clinches the league.
Clásico records
Lionel Messi is El Clásico’s all-time top scorer with 26 goals in official matches. Barça’s biggest away win is the 0-5 of 1974, and their most celebrated home wins include the 5-0 victories of 1994 and 2010.
Every result since 2001
See the full Barcelona vs Real Madrid head-to-head: every official Clásico since 2001-02 with its score, the win-draw-defeat record and the date of the next one.
How we cover the rivalry
Culerpedia tells the story from a Barça point of view, with rigour and respect. We only publish scorelines and figures checked against public sources; overall head-to-head totals vary depending on which competitions and friendlies are counted, so we never give a single figure without explaining the criteria.