Though this game takes place at least twice every season, this evening’s showdown between the Catalans and their Madrid rivals could be the greatest game of all time in terms of the personnel on show and the relative form and level of the two sides. So who will win the 209th Clasico?
El Clasico is the term used to describe the gargantuan clashes in La Liga between the world’s two biggest clubs – Barcelona and Real Madrid. If this is the game between the world’s two biggest and best clubs, then this particular clash is the ultimate of all Clasicos. It is a point Sid Lowe has touched upon in some detail, and the stats and figures he uses to cite his argument are well worth reiterating and a closer look.
For a start there are the remarkable statistics from last year, where Barcelona took 99 points and Real Madrid 96, both club records. This year, Los Merengues go into the game one point clear of their Catalan rivals, and if previous seasons are anything to go by, games between the two clubs will decide the destination of the La Liga trophy in May.
Secondly, Barcelona and Real Madrid contain the last three World Players of the Year in their ranks (Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo & Kaka), whilst this year’s winner is likely to be Xavi or Andrés Iniesta, who will take to the field for Los Cules tomorrow night. In all there will be thirteen World Cup winners on display at the Nou Camp, a statistic that doesn’t include the mercurial talents of Messi, Ronaldo, Mesut Ozil, Angel di Maria and Gonzalo Higuain.
Thirdly, there is the perpetually controversial figure of José Mourinho making his debut as a coach in the world’s premier derby. Anything could happen, if past encounters with Barcelona are anything to go by for the Portuguese, who has tormented his former employers whilst at Chelsea and Inter Milan with stifling but effective defensive tactics.
And we haven’t even discussed Messi or Ronaldo. Messi has scored 14 goals in 12 games this season, and 62 in his last 62 games for Barcelona. But Ronaldo is arguably equally impressive, having netted 41 in 42 since his arrival at the Bernabeu last summer. In the same period, Messi has an identical 41 in 42 record. Have two better players ever lined up against each other in world football, ever? At this point of their careers, it is contestable, but given the remarkable consistency of two players who are still extraordinarily young for their respective achievements, by the end of their careers these two individuals could well be up there with Pélé and Diego Maradona as the four finest men to have ever played the beautiful game. But Pélé and Maradona never met on the football field. The world may have never, and may never again, see two players of such talent play against each other on the same field in such blistering and superlative inducing form.
Mind blowing statistics aside, there is a game of football being played tomorrow night, and there will be another 20 men on the field too (plus a referee). Being ardently anti sitting on the fence, I will venture some predictions for the ultimo clasico. Mourinho is likely to field a side to play on the counter attack, breaking at pace using the skills of the direct Di Maria and Ronaldo. Barcelona will probably dominate for long periods and control possession. They will probe and look for gaps in the Madrid defence. It will likely take a piece of genius from Ronaldo or Messi to break the deadlock. The goalscoring potential on both sides could make it a classic.
But then again, football is the funniest of games, so I’m going to go for a drab 0-0.
