SUMMARY
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Lionel Messi was just 18 years old when he tasted El Clasico for the first time.
Shortly into his El Clasico debut in 2005, Messi sent an assist to Samuel Eto’o for Barca’s first goal, which was followed by Ronaldinho’s brace to record the memorable 3-0 away win.
Not only has Messi lived up to that early promise, but he has also managed to set his own benchmarks in this famous La Liga fixture. (READ: Catch 2020 La Liga El Clasico in the Philippines)
Nobody can dispute his dominance, as the forward has broken many records that had stood for more than half a century.
El Clasico’s leading scorer
Messi holds the record of 26 goals, setting a towering benchmark in the fixture.
Eighteen of those have come in La Liga, again making him the all-time top scorer in league meetings between the two sides.
Cristiano Ronaldo was only able to convert 18 goals in his stint with Real Madrid, and Alfredo Di Stéfano only had 16 goals.
As a Barca lifer, Messi is second to Sergio Ramos in the number of El Clasico appearances.
The Argentine also has 14 assists in addition to his attacking record, which paved way for 19 victories, 11 draws, and 13 defeats against Real Madrid.
His record-setting form against Barca’s eternal rivals has caused Real Madrid to lose its grip on its head-to-head El Clasico record as Messi continues to remain in the Catalan squad.
Before Messi burst into the scene, Real Madrid had 6 more victories over Barcelona in the fixture, but now the head-to-head record is tied at 96 wins.
Real Madrid, though, still has a slight lead of 73-72 when looking solely at La Liga matches.
Messi’s El Clasico legacy is clearly unrivaled, but he still looks to match and surpass more records.
Messi, who currently has 19 El Clasico victories, is closing in on Real Madrid honorary president Paco Gento’s 21 El Clasico wins during his playing career.
Changing Barcelona
Messi’s excellent record definitely propelled Barcelona to its numerous titles despite the tight match-up with Real Madrid.
Throughout his whole football career, Messi holds the record of most trophies in the history of Barcelona with 34 titles, including 10 La Liga titles and 4 Champions League victories.
The honors claimed by the current captain during his 15 years in the Barca first team represent a third of all those won by the Catalan club since its founding 121 years ago.
Barcelona has copped 91 titles, just one behind Real Madrid’s 92.
Messi’s greatest El Clasico moments
The Argentine teenager was first featured in Barcelona’s team against Los Blancos at the Santiago Bernabéu on a cold November night in 2005.
He started donning No. 30 on his back as a youngster. Now, 15 years later, Barcelona’s No. 10 is a thorn in Real Madrid’s side.
From the very beginning, Messi enjoyed great success against Real Madrid.
In 2007, the 19-year-old star scored his first El Clasico hat-trick in an epic 3-3 draw, becoming the youngest player in history to score all 3 goals in the fixture.
In the 2008/09 season, he was decisive in both league meetings, scoring in a 2-0 win at Camp Nou and netting twice in FC Barcelona’s historic 6-2 win at Bernabeu.
Throughout El Clasico history, Messi has shown that he can perform skills like Ronaldinho or Zinedine Zidane, score more goals than Di Stéfano, and match record scorelines in club football history.
The stats, the memories, and the honors confirm that Messi has been the centerpiece of football’s great rivalry over the course of the last 15 La Liga seasons.
Watch El Clasico live this Saturday, October 24, at 10 pm on BeIN Sports. – Rappler.com
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