Check out our list of the 14 best El Clasico goals in recent encounters. We picked 7 wonderful goals from each side.
(Image credit: Daily Mail)
Real Madrid Best El Clasico Goals
Karim Benzema (La Liga – 10/12/2011)
This is one of the fastest goals scored in El Clasico history, as the French striker found the back of the net after only 23 seconds. Then Barcelona keeper Victor Valdes made a crucial mistake by kicking out the ball to the opposing player. He intended to pass it to defender Abidal, but misjudged his aim terribly and it instead went to Di Maria, who took advantage of the situation and the ball quickly found its way to Benzema, whose struck the ball in the net beautifully.
Cristiano Ronaldo (Copa del Rey final – 20/04/11)
Back in April and May of 2011, Barcelona and Real Madrid played each other a whopping four times in a span of merely 18 days, and every game was more important the last one. The first El Clasico was held in the league (April 16) which ended 1-1, with both of the goals coming from the spot kick, converted by Messi and Ronaldo. The next El Clasico was the Copa del Rey final (April 20), which went into overtime after a 0-0 draw, only to end in the 103rd minute with a sublime header by Ronaldo – one of the best El Clasico goals. This was truly a magnificent header, as he caught the ball way up in the air and hit it with great force which saw it propel straight into the goal. But Barcelona exacted their revenge in the Champions League semi-finals (April 27 and May 3), as they beat their rivals 3-1 on aggregate, and went on to win the European Cup that year.
Cristiano Ronaldo (Copa del Rey quarter-finals – 25/01/12)
In the 2011-12 season, Barcelona once again met with Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey, only this time it was in the quarter-finals. As always, Ronaldo was pumped and ready to inflict damage to the opposition, and he did that with such panache as he scored a beautiful goal from a very tight angle that most players would cringe at. Although that game ended 2-2 at the Nou Camp, the first match finished with a 2-1 win for the Catalans the week before at the Bernabeu. Barcelona proceeded to the semis and eventually on to the final, where they defeated Athletic Bilbao with a 3-0 win.
Cristiano Ronaldo (La Liga – 21/04/12)
Just like the goal he scored in the return-leg of 2011-12 Copa del Rey quarter-finals, he scored an almost identical goal to that in the league that same season, when Real Madrid visited the Nou Camp. Barcelona lost possession of the ball in Madrid’s half, and Jose Mourinho’s men took advantage of this immediately by fielding an attack of their own before the Catalans knew what they were up to. Ozil made an incisive cross to Ronaldo, whose blistering pace easily left defender Mascherano in the background. The Portuguese then made one small step to the right to give himself more room and then simply shot the ball into the net, making it look like an almost effortless move. This was also one of the first times that Ronaldo performed the, now famous, “Calma” celebration.
Cristiano Ronaldo (Supercopa de Espana – 29/08/12)
This one has got to be one of the best El Clasico goals in the history of the derby. The champions of the league (Real Madrid) and the champions of the cup (Barcelona) met for the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup. The first leg ended with a 3-2 win for the Catalans at the Nou Camp, however things didn’t turn out to be so easy in the Spanish capital. Higuain scored a goal in the 11th minute, while the Ronaldo added another 8 minutes later, except that it wasn’t any ordinary goal. This was something that resembled a scene from a movie. As Barcelona lost the ball, he quickly sprinted forward and received it by chipping it with his heel high up and forward so it gave him time to use his pace to run further up the field. Once he received it again, he kept his composure and simply took a shot on goal, which saw the ball bounce off the goalkeeper and in to the net.
Karim Benzema (La Liga – 23/03/14)
Real Madrid hosted Barcelona in the league in March 2014, as they were looking to make progress the table. However, the game ended in Barca’s favour, as they beat their arch rivals 4-3 at the Bernabeu. The goals scored in that match were pretty spectacular, however Benzema’s strike stood out from the rest. The Frenchman was in the box as he received a sublime cross from Di Maria on the wing; he chested the ball, turned his body and quickly shot the ball into the back of the net, without the ball ever touching the ground. Truly amazing.
Gareth Bale (Copa del Rey final – 16//04/14)
The two Spanish giants met in the final of the Copa del Rey for the second time in four years, and just as that one ended with a Madrid win, this one did as well. This was also the match that showcased one of the best El Clasico goals. Di Maria and Bartra found themselves on the score-sheet for each of their sides, but it was Gareth Bale’s strike that remains the most memorable goal from that match. This was the kind of performance that Madrid fans were hoping for as their club paid nearly €100 million for the Welsh winger. After receiving a pass from Modric on the counter-attack, Bale pushed the ball further as Marc Bartra was attempting to block his path. Bartra was in his way, so Bale went out of the pitch and into the technical area, but he was still faster than the Barcelona defender. After getting the ball back under his feet he rushed into the box and shot the ball into the goal for a superb finish.
Barcelona Best El Clasico Goals
David Villa (Supercopa de Espana – 14/08/11)
Before he suffered a massive injury in December of 2011, David Villa was Barcelona’s main threat on the wing. During the first leg of the Supercopa de Espana, Villa equalized for Barcelona with an amazing strike, which is one of the very best El Clasico goals. He received a pass from Messi before making a few more steps closer to the Real Madrid box, where he took a chance at a long range effort. Casillas was helpless as the ball went over him and into the top-right corner of the goal.
Daniel Alves (Copa del Rey quarter-finals – 25/01/12)
In the return leg of the 2012 Copa del Rey quarter-finals, Pedro opened the scoring in the 43rd minute, while Alves added another a few moments later in the extra time of the first-half. But this wasn’t any ordinary goal, but rather one that’s worthy of being remembered as one of the best El Clasico goals. Barcelona took a free kick, but the ball bounced off the Real Madrid wall and found its way towards the Brazilian right-back’s running trajectory. He chased the ball with full speed and hit it so wonderfully that there was no stopping it. It was a pure screamer! Many of us cherished this sort of an opportunity when we were kids, as we were waiting for the ball to come our way so we could kick it with full force.
Lionel Messi (Champions League semi-finals – 27/04/11)
I’m short for words to describe this goal that took place at the Bernabeu in the 2011 Champions League semis. Finding himself in the Madrid half, close to the half-line, he passed the ball to Busquets, who merely kept the ball so that the Argentine could pick it up again once his marker was off him. There were no other Barcelona players immediately up in front of him, so he decided to take matters into his own hands. Messi kept the ball glued to his feet, as he slalomed through the Real Madrid defence effortlessly, before finding himself in the box where he slid a soft goal past Casillas. This isn’t just one of the very best El Clasico goals, but one of the finest efforts ever made on goal. The Catalans won this game 2-0, while the return leg finished 1-1, which saw them go to the finals and defeat Manchester United in the final.
Lionel Messi (Supercopa de Espana – 17/08/11)
After the first game ended 2-2 in Madrid, Barcelona were looking to take advantage of playing at home for the second leg. Iniesta opened the scoring for the hosts in the 15th minute, but then Ronaldo levelled the score five minutes later. Messi found the back of the net right before half-time, in the 44th minute, but then Benzema once again equalled the score with his strike in the 81st minute. If it had stayed like this (4-4 aggregate), the game would have went into overtime, however the supernatural Argentine smashed the ball into the net in the 87th minute after receiving a great cross. This strike clinched them the Supercopa de Espana title that year.
Neymar (La Liga – 25/10/14)
Following a disappointing debut season in Barcelona, Neymar showed his great potential in his second year (2014-15) with the Catalans. The talented Brazilian was warming up all the way up to El Clasico, where he showcased his superb skills in front of an audience that exceeds 400 million around the world. Suarez crossed the ball from the wing and Neymar slowly controlled it outside the penalty area before making his way into the box, where he slotted a perfect textbook-like goal past Casillas. They teach these sorts of things in elementary football academies, which basically put the Real Madrid defence to shame.
Luis Suarez (La Liga – 21/11/15)
Before the match took place, online sportsbooks remained divided on the outcome of the game. At the time, Messi was out through injury, and Real Madrid were set to play at home, which should have given them the upper hand. However, as things turned out, that wasn’t the case, as Barcelona dominated throughout the game. Suarez quickly opened the scoring with his 10th minute strike, which definitely has to go down as one of the best El Clasico goals we have ever seen. Sergi Roberto set up Barcelona’s no. 9, who found the back of the net with a sublime strike.
Andres Iniesta (La Liga – 21/11/15)
After Suarez slotted his goal in El Clasico in November of 2015, Iniesta found himself on the scoreboard as well and also added his name to the best El Clasico goals. He played a beautiful pass and move combination with Neymar which completely confused the Madrid defence. Iniesta passed to the Brazilian, who in turn slightly tipped it with his back heel into an open space which Iniesta rushed to before striking a screamer into the top right corner of the goal. The game ended 4-0 for the Catalans.
