Lionel Messi won 34 trophies for Barcelona and scored an unbelievable 672 goals in 778 appearances for the Catalan club.
Many of Messi’s most memorable performances came in El Clásico against Real Madrid.
The Argentine scored 26 goals in El Clásico, which is at least eight more than anybody else, with Madrid legends Alfredo Di Stéfano and Cristiano Ronaldo each on 18 strikes in the famous fixture.
Here, a look at when and how Messi netted his goals for Barça against Real Madrid over the years….
Barcelona 3-3 Real Madrid 3 (La Liga, March 2007)
Following two appearances in El Clásico at the Santiago Bernabéu, Lionel Messi made a massive impression on his first meeting with Real Madrid at Camp Nou, scoring all three of Barcelona’s goals in a thrilling 3-3 draw in La Liga.
Three times Real Madrid led, but on each occasion Messi got his side back in it, producing two clinical left-footed finishes in the first half and levelling for 10-man Barça in added time with a wonderful low effort into the corner to win what had looked like an improbable point for Frank Rijkaard’s side. The legend had begun.
Barcelona 2-0 Real Madrid (La Liga, December 2008)
Lionel Messi scored late in the game as Barcelona beat Real Madrid 2-0 at Camp Nou in La Liga in December 2008.
Samuel Eto’o put Barça in front after 83 minutes of Pep Guardiola’s first meeting with Real Madrid as coach and with Los Blancos searching for a late leveller, Messi wrapped up the win on the break as he chipped Iker Casillas and Fabio Cannavaro’s attempt at a goal-line clearance only helped the ball into the net.
Real Madrid 2-6 Barcelona (La Liga, May 2009)
Leading Real Madrid by just four points ahead of a trip to the Santiago Bernabéu in May 2009, Barcelona produced a masterclass in attacking football to seal a historic 6-2 win against their fierce rivals.
Playing as a false nine, Lionel Messi caused all sorts of problems for Los Blancos and the Argentine scored Barça’s third and fifth goals, racing through after a defensive lapse to beat Iker Casillas for his first and then beating the Madrid goalkeeper at his near post after a one-two with Xavi and a clever dummy before slotting into the corner.
Real Madrid 0-2 Barcelona (La Liga, April 2010)
Despite a huge summer of investment at Real Madrid and the return of Florentino Pérez as president, Barcelona came out on top again in La Liga in 2009/10 and Pep Guardiola’s side sealed victory once more at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Lionel Messi scored Barcelona’s opening goal in a 2-0 win in April 2010, chesting down a clever chipped pass from Xavi and slotting past Iker Casillas with a right-footed shot. Pedro scored Barça’s other goal in the second half.
Real Madrid 1-1 Barcelona (La Liga, April 2011)
Lionel Messi was outstanding as Barcelona beat Real Madrid 5-0 at Camp Nou in November 2010, providing two assists in a famous win as José Mourinho’s first Clásico ended in humiliation.
Barça and Madrid went on to meet four times later in the season in April and May and in the first of those games, Messi converted a penalty in a 1-1 draw at the Santiago Bernabéu. Cristiano Ronaldo levelled late in the game with a spot-kick of his own for 10-man Madrid.
Real Madrid 0-2 Barcelona (Champions League, April 2011)
After losing out to a Cristiano Ronaldo header in extra time in the Copa del Rey final at Mestalla on April 20th, 2011, Lionel Messi scored both goals for Barcelona against 10-man Real Madrid a week later in the teams’ Champions League semi-final first leg at the Santiago Bernabéu.
After Pepe was sent off for a crunching challenge on Dani Alves just after the hour mark, Messi poked home from an Ibrahim Affelay cross to put Barça in front with 14 minutes left and wrapped up a 2-0 win for the Blaugrana as he waltzed through the Madrid midfield and defence to score a special solo goal late in the game.
Real Madrid 2-2 Barcelona (Supercopa de España, August 2011)
After meeting five times in 2010/11, Barcelona and Real Madrid faced off again over two legs in the Supercopa de España at the start of the 2011/12 campaign.
In the first match at the Santiago Bernabéu, Lionel Messi assisted David Villa for a wonderful equaliser after an early Mesut Özil effort had given Madrid the lead and the Argentine took advantage of a defensive mix-up between Sami Khedira and Pepe to put Barça in front in stoppage time at the end of the first half. Xabi Alonso netted nine minutes into the second period as the game finished 2-2.
Barcelona 3-2 Real Madrid (Supercopa de España, August 2011)
In a match overshadowed by Real Madrid coach José Mourinho poking Barcelona assistant Tito Vilanova in the eye, the Blaugrana beat Los Blancos 3-2 at Camp Nou to claim the Supercopa de España in August 2011.
Lionel Messi set up Andrés Iniesta for Barça’s opening goal after 15 minutes with some superb skill to beat two players and a wonderful defence-splitting pass for the midfielder, who chipped the ball over Iker Casillas from just inside the box. After Cristiano Ronaldo levelled for Madrid, Messi chipped the ball over Casillas from close range following a back-heeled pass from Gerard Piqué to restore Barça’s lead late in the first half. Karim Benzema then levelled the game and the tie once again after 82 minutes, but Messi volleyed home superbly with his left foot from an Adriano Correia cross to seal victory for the Blaugrana with two minutes left to play.
Barcelona 3-2 Real Madrid (Supercopa de España, August 2012)
After a goalless first 45 minutes at Camp Nou, there were five second-half strikes as Barcelona edged out Real Madrid in the first leg of the sides’ Supercopa de España series in August 2012.
Cristiano Ronaldo put Madrid in front with a header after 55 minutes, but Pedro levelled just a minute later. Lionel Messi put Barça bacl in front from the penalty spot with 20 minutes left after Andrés Iniesta was brought down in the area and Xavi made it 3-1 not long afterwards. Ángel Di María then scored what would turn out to be a vital second goal for Madrid in the closing stages following a bad mistake from Víctor Valdés.
Real Madrid 2-1 Barcelona (Supercopa de España, August 2012)
Early goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuaín saw Real Madrid take control of the second leg of their Supercopa de España series against Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabéu in August 2012.
Adriano Correia was sent off inside the half hour, but Lionel Messi pulled one back for 10-man Barcelona with a superb free-kick late in the first half which flew inside Iker Casillas’ right-hand post from just under 30 yards out. Madrid held on to win the match 2-1 and Los Blancos edged the series on away goals.
Barcelona 2-2 Real Madrid (La Liga, October 2012)
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo scored two each as Barcelona and Real Madrid shared a thrilling 2-2 draw at Camp Nou in La Liga in October 2012.
After Ronaldo had put Madrid in front, Messi pounced on a loose ball in the area to level on the half-hour mark. And the Argentine made it 2-1 on the hour with a wonderful free-kick from over 25 yards out which beat Iker Casillas inside his left-hand post. Ronaldo later levelled for Los Blancos.
Real Madrid 2-1 Barcelona (La Liga, March 2013)
Barcelona were beaten 2-1 by Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu in La Liga in March 2013.
After Karim Benzema opened the scoring for Los Blancos, Lionel Messi latched onto a Dani Alves and cut inside, sending a low shot through the legs of Sergio Ramos and past goalkeeper Diego López at the near post. Ramos scored a late winner for Real, but Barça went on to win the title with 100 points, equalling the total set by José Mourinho’s Madrid side the previous season.
Real Madrid 3-4 Barcelona (La Liga, March 2014)
Lionel Messi’s second hat-trick in El Clásico helped Barcelona seal a thrilling 4-3 win over Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu in March 2014.
Andrés Iniesta blasted Barcelona into an early lead and after two goals from Karim Benzema, Messi levelled the scores at 2-2 with a low finish inside the post following a one-two inside the area with Neymar. Cristiano Ronaldo put Madrid back in front with a penalty, but Messi converted two spot-kicks of his own late in the game, sending both efforts to the left of Diego López to win an epic encounter by the odd goal in seven. The Argentine’s goals in Madrid saw him become the all-time top scorer in El Clásico history, moving him ahead of the legendary Alfredo Di Stéfano.
Real Madrid 2-3 Barcelona (La Liga, April 2017)
After three years without a goal in El Clásico, Lionel Messi netted twice for Barcelona against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu, including an epic late winner – and marked the moment with an iconic celebration to go with it.
Messi found his way past a couple of Madrid defenders in tight spaces to slot home a leveller after Casemiro had put Madrid in front early on. Later, Ivan Rakitić made it 2-1 to Barça with a super strike from distance. Sergio Ramos was then sent off, but Los Blancos thought they had earned a draw thanks to a late James Rodríguez effort, only for Sergi Roberto to set up Messi for a curled finish inside the post in added time to seal a 3-2 win for Luis Enrique’s side. The Argentine took off his shirt and held it up to the Santiago Bernabéu crowd in an iconic celebration.
Barcelona 1-3 Real Madrid (Supercopa de España, August 2017)
Barcelona were beaten 5-1 over two legs by Real Madrid in the Supercopa de España in August 2017. In Ernesto Valverde’s first competitive match in charge and rocked by the shock departure of Neymar, Barça lost 3-1 to Madrid at Camp Nou in the first leg.
After a Gerard Piqué own goal early in the second half, Lionel Messi slotted a low penalty past Keylor Navas to level the game on 77 minutes, but long-range efforts from Cristiano Ronaldo and Marco Asensio late in the game sealed a 3-1 victory for Los Blancos.
Real Madrid 0-3 Barcelona (La Liga, December 2017)
Real Madrid had recently been crowned FIFA Club World Cup winners, but Los Blancos were second best to Barcelona in a 3-0 loss to their fierce rivals at the Santiago Bernabéu in La Liga in December 2017.
After Madrid failed to convert a couple of early chances, Lionel Messi set up Luis Suárez for the opening goal after 54 minutes and the Argentine smashed a penalty into Keylor Navas’ top-left corner 10 minutes later after Dani Carvajal had handled in the area. The right-back was sent off and Messi cut back for Aleix Vidal to score a third goal in added time.
Barcelona 2-2 Real Madrid (La Liga, May 2018)
Lionel Messi’s 26th and final goal in El Clásico came in a 2-2 draw between Barcelona and Real Madrid at Camp Nou in May 2018.
Luis Suárez volleyed Barcelona into the lead on 10 minutes and after Cristiano Ronaldo had levelled from close range, Lionel Messi picked up the ball on the edge of the box and fired home inside the post after skillfully sidestepping a couple of defenders in the second half. Gareth Bale curled home an equaliser late in the game. Messi went on to play seven more games against Real Madrid, but was unable to add to his tally. In total, he scored 26 goals in 45 games in the fixture.
