Real Madrid and Barcelona: A Century of Rivalry by the Numbers

Spanish football and LALIGA are seen as some of the pinnacles of Europe’s football scene. And on top of LALIGA’s storied history are two teams with impressive global reputation: Real Madrid and Barcelona.

The rivalry between these two teams showcases their legendary status in football. Known simply as ‘ElClásico,' or 'The Classic' in English, Real Madrid and Barcelona’s matchups need no further introduction. Explore the key stats of this iconic rivalry below and decide which team truly comes out on top.

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ElClásico’s unmatched success in Spain: The numbers

Madrid and Barca’s rivalry is well-known in the football world. While most of their matchups are in the LALIGA, ElClásico also happens in other leagues and tournaments like the UEFA Champions League and Copa Del Rey.

Both sides of ElClásico have also shared 66 championship titles, as Madrid has 36 while their fierce rival Barca has 30 of their own. That is an impressive haul from both clubs, but Real has a slight advantage, considering they are the most prolific winners in football history.

The Barcelona-Madrid LALIGA rivalry officially started in 1929, with Real Madrid winning their first-ever match, 2-1. They have faced each other in every LALIGA season since, as two of only three teams (the third team being Athletic Bilbao) that have never experienced relegation in LALIGA’s history.

As of October 2024, here is the tally of ElClásico’s games in the league alone:

Despite fewer wins, Barça might be the more influential team because their signature style of passing the ball around with short passes and flashy dribbles has been around since Johan Cruyff was the star of a style called Total Football. That evolved into the Tiki-Taka style that Pep Guardiola deployed, which continues to be the norm in football today.

On the other side, Real has always maintained a strong culture that draws players in. They are known for having some of the most talented squads in the world because of their reputation.

UCL stage: Real Madrid is the more superior side in Europe

Spain is not the only territory that Real Madrid has dominated because they have also been phenomenal in Europe. In fact, they are the most successful side in the UEFA Champions League. As one of the best LALIGA teams in the Champions League, they have 15 UCL titles to their name, which is by far the most in the football world.

Barcelona has also won the Champions League multiple times, but they only have five to their name. They are a successful club and had possibly the highest peak of any team during the 2008/09 season, but in terms of sheer numbers, they pale in comparison to their fierce rivals.

Both teams have only played against each other 8 times in the UCL, with their last matchup taking place in the 2010/11 season’s semi-finals stage. Here are the ElClásico stats of the UEFA Champions League:

Copa Del Rey faceoffs: Barcelona dominates the tournament

While most fans of ElClásico will focus on LALIGA and UCL stats, the teams’ rivalry in the Copa Del Rey brings more intensity to their overall numbers. Barcelona leads the win table of their Copa Del Rey matches and as the oldest football competition in Spain, the tournament is seen as a big deal in football.

Since Copa Del Rey’s founding in 1903, here are the ElClásico numbers:

Barcelona has produced more Ballon d’Or wins

While Real Madrid has been the most successful club in terms of trophies, Barcelona has proven they can produce better players with a slight edge when it comes to Ballon d’Or wins associated with the club.

Here’s a tally of their Ballon d'Or awards:

Barcelona has the advantage of having Lionel Messi leading the charge for the club, as he is widely considered the greatest-ever football player. That is a big deal because he has eight Ballon d’Or victories, and seven of them came while he was with the Blaugrana. Additionally, the club also had players like Cruyff and Ronaldinho as Ballon d’Or winners.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid has its fair share of winners as well, with Alberto Di Stefano and Cristiano Ronaldo leading the way. This has tied them at 12 wins throughout the club’s history, but the award is not exclusive to the men. The women’s football side of this award has Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmatí representing Barcelona, as they both have two Ballon d’Or awards apiece.

Take note that Messi, Alexia, and Aitana all came from Barcelona’s La Masia Academy. That is crucial to Barça’s success because they continue to produce world-class talent at an absurd rate. You can just look at the current squad with Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsí proving they could be phenomenal superstars even as teenagers.

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Real Madrid is the most valuable football club brand

When people bring up Real Madrid, you would often see that it is the most valuable club in the world. Forbes has named them the most valuable club in the world at US$6.6 billion.

While Barcelona has seen a slight decline in its popularity and club value in recent years, the club is still one of the most valuable brands in football. The team is currently valued at US$5.6 billion, which makes them third on the list of European football clubs value, just behind EPL’s Manchester City.

Real Madrid is the most popular club on social media

Another metric that people can look at is the popularity of Real Madrid on social media. They have the advantage of Instagram as they have 170 million followers, while they have 51.9 million on X (formerly Twitter). Compare that to Barça, who has 133 million followers on Instagram, while they have 49.4 million on X.

Madrid is more appealing to the casual viewer because they have bigger names. It also helps that they had Cristiano Ronaldo represent the club for almost a decade, cementing himself as the most popular player in the world, as he became synonymous with Real Madrid.

The top scorers in ElClásico history

This rivalry has produced plenty of superstar players. They have also topped the goalscoring charts for this match-up, as ElClásico always delivers on the big moments. No one is as ready as the top goalscorers in this match-up because Lionel Messi is the overwhelming star at the top with 26 goals.

The Argentine forward was a fantastic player for Barcelona for almost two decades. As one of the most versatile offensive footballers of all time, Messi proved that he is the best player of all time due to his goals and even assists. The second-highest goal tally is 18 goals, which was achieved by both Di Stefano and Cristiano.

Top 5 goalscorers in ElClásico history:

1. Lionel Messi (Barcelona) - 26 goals

2. Alfredo Di Stéfano (Real Madrid) - 18 goals

3. Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) - 18 goals

4. Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) - 16 goals

5. Raúl (Real Madrid) - 15 goals

Meanwhile, here are the ElClásico goal stats across all competitive matches, including LALIGA, the Champions League, and other tournaments:

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