With Barcelona and Real Madrid set to square off again in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey, here are 10 of the best Clasico moments since 2000.
There are few matchups like El Clasico. Perennial La Liga superpowers Real Madrid and Barcelona truly despise each other, and always produce some of the best and most heated matchups in Europe.
It helps, of course, that the two sides always have some of the best players in the world. We've been spoiled by Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo, there's been Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo Nazario, Xavi, Iniesta and all the rest.
Clasico matches yielded one of Messi's finest moment in club football, Jose Mourinho's most resounding defeat and some baffling fan antics have added to the intrigue.
The two teams will meet again in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-finals on Wednesday, and though Messi and Ronaldo won't light up this fixture again, there will still be some of the most exciting young players in world football on show. It remains a game not to be missed.
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So as anticipation builds once again, GOAL takes a look at 10 of the most iconic Clasico moments of the 21st century.
Figo and the pig's head (2002)
Throwing missiles at players while taking corners is not a new concept. All too often, players are pelted with coins, water bottles, or worse.
But in 2002, a particularly odd object was hurtled from the stands above Luis Figo. As the Madrid player prepared to take a corner in front of a wall of Barca fans, one zealous supporter threw a pig's head at his feet.
It was Figo's second appearance at Camp Nou since switching from Barca to Real Madrid in 2000, so it's understandable that tensions were high. But the specific choice of throwing object was an odd one. Shortly after the incident, tensions flared in the stands and the referee suspended the match for 15 minutes. The remainder of the game was forgettable, but the incident will be remembered forever.
AdvertisementA standing ovation for Ronaldinho (2005)
In 1983, Diego Maradona earned a standing ovation at the Bernabeu following a typically captivating display, the stadium rising to their feet to acknowledge one of the best ever.
Twenty-two years later, another Barcelona player received a similar acknowledgment. Ronaldinho was enjoying his best years in a Barca shirt at the time, the attacker at his brilliant, skillful best. And on that November night, matched up against a 20-year-old Sergio Ramos, he delivered a performance for the ages.
He was actually kept relatively quiet for the first half, with Samuel Eto'o opening the scoring after receiving a pass from a young Messi before slotting home. And then, in the second half, Ronaldinho exploded. There was, of course, the iconic goal. The Brazilian started on the halfway line, slipped through a helpless Real defence and then beat Casillas at his near post.
He added a second later on and, as he careened off in celebration, the packed Bernabeu rose to their feet in applause, a slightly begrudging acknowledgment of one of the all-time great Clasico performances.
Guardiola's Barca at their best (2010)
Rarely are derbies as lopsided as this. And what a joy to watch this one was. Barcelona were at their scintillating best, dominating possession and simply tearing Madrid apart.
The build-up to the game was dominated by the talk of Madrid's form. New manager Mourinho had subverted talk of his defensive style, setting up his side in a devastating attacking manner. The game before, they had thrashed Racing Santander 6-1, putting everything in place for a high-scoring affair.
And it certainly was. But only for one team. Barca scored twice inside the opening 18 minutes, and then added three more shortly after half-time in an iconic 5-0 win. Strangely, Messi didn't score any of the five, although he set up David Villa, twice, pulling the strings from his false nine role.
After the match, a crestfallen Mourinho admitted that his team were outclassed.
"We played very, very badly and they were fantastic. We gifted them two goals that were bordering on ridiculous. It is our own fault," he said.
Ronaldo wins the Copa del Rey (2011)
Ronaldo probably should have scored a hat-trick in this one. He had three chances in the first half, missing one and seeing two kept out by back-up Barca goalkeeper Jose Manuel Pinto.
But in extra-time, with the game level at 0-0, Ronaldo didn't miss. It was one of those headers from the Portuguese where he appears to levitate, springing high over any centre-back who dares jump with him. His contact was perfect, the ball fired past a helpless Pinto.
That goal won Madrid the Copa del Rey, and represented something of a turning point in Mourinho's tenure. The Portuguese had taken over the summer before, and had often been criticised for his big-game tactics, highlighted by a 5-0 embarrassment in his first Clasico as the Madrid boss. But here, Ronaldo silenced any critics of his manager to help deliver a trophy.