Barcelona are set to dominate La Liga this year and could seal the title in Sunday’s Clasico, but what is the history of the Real Madrid rivalry?
Barcelona and Real Madrid will play the 264th El Clasico on Sunday when the Spanish giants face off in La Liga.
Rarely has there been such an uplifting atmosphere as Real arrived in the Catalan capital on this day, deeply depressed faced with the prospect of seeing their greatest rivals crowned champions.
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Like Los Blancos, they were eliminated from the UEFA Champions League in the quarter-finals, but Barça are well on their way to defending their La Liga crown and are at a canter.
Al Jazeera Sports looks at the talking points leading up to the match and the history of the 124-year rivalry.
Will Kylian Mbappé play for Real Madrid against Barcelona?
The top news surrounding Sunday’s match is Kylian Mbappé’s availability, but the French striker is doubtful he will feature in the Clasico due to a hamstring injury.
The 27-year-old striker is the top scorer in the Spanish league this season with 24 goals. Mallorca’s Vedat Muriqui is surprisingly second on the list with 21 goals, while Barça’s Lamine Yamal, who is out for the rest of the season, is third on the list with 16 goals.
Despite Mbappe’s goal-scoring record, a ‘Mbappe Exit’ petition has gathered more than 33 million signatures, calling for the club to sell the striker, who joined from Paris Saint-Germain two seasons ago.
What happened to Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde?
Federico Valverde is certain to miss El Clasico after being taken to hospital following an assault at the training ground on Thursday.
The 27-year-old Uruguayan player is believed to have suffered a head injury in an accident with teammate Aurelien Choameni.
Real announced that they are conducting an internal investigation and have already decided to begin disciplinary proceedings against both players.
As a result, it is not yet clear whether French player Choameni will be able to play in Sunday’s match.
How can Barcelona win La Liga in El Clasico on Sunday?
Álvaro Arbeloa’s Real are 11 points behind Hansi Flick’s reigning champions with four games left, meaning they are now without a major trophy for the second season in a row.
Unless Real wins on Sunday, Barça will lift the trophy at their own stadium against the only team with the most wins in La Liga.
What does El Clasico mean?
The term El Clasico first appeared in Spanish newspapers in the 1960s, referring to a match between Spain’s two biggest club teams.
Simply translated, it is “classic”.
By that time, the match had long been considered one of the fiercest derbies in sports.
How did El Clasico become Spain’s biggest rival?
The term “Viejo Clasico” (old classic) originally referred to the Madrid derby between Real and Athletic Bilbao.
The match between the two was historically the most played match in Spanish football, until Barcelona’s promotion to one of the country’s most prominent teams.
The term El Clasico was invented in Spain in the 1960s, but it became a more widespread and globally relevant name when the rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona reached its peak in the 1990s.
Johan Cruyff’s Barcelona were a team to be feared on the world stage, while Quinta del Buitre’s Real were being put to the test. In the late 1990s, Real’s superstar line-up was known as the Galacticos, following heavy investment in overseas stars such as Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo and David Beckham.
By the turn of the century, this rivalry was recognized as one of the greatest matchups in world sport, heralded in an era when it was more trivial: Pep Guardiola vs. Jose Mourinho in the dugout, and Lionel Messi vs. Cristiano Ronaldo on the field.
When was the first El Clasico between Barcelona and Real Madrid?
The first match between the two clubs took place on May 13, 1902 in the Copa de la Coronacion (predecessor to the Copa del Rey).
Barcelona won the match against Madrid FC (later Real Madrid) 3-1 in the Spanish capital.
Who has won more El Clasicos, Real Madrid or Barcelona?
Of the 261 matches between the two clubs over the past 124 years, Real have won 106 and Barcelona 105.
How many times have Real Madrid and Barcelona won La Liga?
Real have won the La Liga trophy 36 times, while Barça are aiming for their 28th title.
Who has scored the most goals in El Clasico?
Lionel Messi (Argentina) – 26 goals for Barcelona Alfredo Di Stefano (Portugal) – 18 goals for Real Madrid Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) – 18 goals for Real Madrid Karim Benzema (France) – 16 goals for Real Madrid Raúl (Spain) – 15 goals for Real Madrid
What are the results of the last 5 matches between Barcelona and Real Madrid?
11 January 2026 – Spanish Super Cup Final: Barcelona 3-2 Real Madrid 26 October 2025 – La Liga: Real Madrid 2-1 Barcelona 11 May 2025 – La Liga: Barcelona 4-3 Real Madrid 26 April 2025 – Copa del Rey Final: Barcelona 3-2 Real Madrid (after extra time) January 12, 2025 – Spanish Super Cup Final: Real Madrid 2-5 Barcelona
How can I follow Sunday’s El Clasico between Barcelona and Real Madrid?
We bring you a comprehensive text commentary stream for Sunday’s game. It starts with our usual extensive content, with all the news, analysis and opinion on the match.
