When Barcelona meets Real Madrid tomorrow, Sunday, it will be the first 'El Clásico' encounter in many years that will not feature either of the two superstar players, Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo and Argentine Lionel Messi. Both Ronaldo and Messi left significant marks in the history of Clásico matches over the years, with Ronaldo being a star for Madrid and Messi a star for Barcelona. However, they will both be absent from this Clásico since they have left their respective teams.
Despite this, both are focused on another significant match at the same time Barcelona and Real Madrid prepare for their Clásico. Messi, with his new team Paris Saint-Germain, will play a traditional derby against Marseille in Ligue 1 tomorrow, while Ronaldo, with his new team Manchester United, faces a tough challenge in the English Premier League against Liverpool, led by the Egyptian Mohamed Salah, currently one of the world's best forwards.
Thus, tomorrow Sunday represents one of the notable days in European football this season. For the first time in many years, the Spanish league's Clásico will witness the absence of both Messi and Ronaldo, similar to the recent edition of the US Open (Flushing Meadows), which also marked the absence of the two great stars, Swiss Roger Federer and Spaniard Rafael Nadal, together for the first time in a long time.
During the nine years Ronaldo spent at Real Madrid, he and Messi did not miss any Clásico matches in La Liga, with each appearing as a starter in 17 editions of the Clásico, in addition to participating as substitutes in one match during that time. Messi had the upper hand over Ronaldo in this series of Clásico encounters, leading his team to victory in ten of them, while Real Madrid won only four, with four matches ending in a draw. In terms of goals, Barcelona scored 39 goals in this series, while they conceded 23.
Considering the Clásico matches across various competitions during the same period Ronaldo was with Real Madrid, the total wins for Real is ten matches versus 14 victories for Barcelona and eight draws in 32 Clásico matches between the two teams in that period across all competitions. During that time, Real Madrid defeated Barcelona in two Copa del Rey finals; they won 1-0 in 2011 under former Portuguese coach José Mourinho, with Ronaldo scoring the goal from a header in extra time after a goalless draw in regular time. Ronaldo also missed the 2014 Copa del Rey final due to injury, but Real won 2-1 thanks to a late goal from Gareth Bale.
Messi scored twice, leading Barcelona to a 2-0 victory over Real in their home at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium during the semifinals of the UEFA Champions League. This brace was a strong blow to Real and Ronaldo, as the team could not regain its balance in the return match at Camp Nou, resulting in a 1-1 draw before Barcelona triumphed over Manchester United 3-1 in the final. In that final, Messi scored Barcelona's second goal and won the Man of the Match award.
Messi moved to Paris Saint-Germain last summer after achieving numerous titles and records with Barcelona, including leading the Spanish league scoring list with 474 goals compared to Ronaldo’s 311 goals during his nine seasons with Real. Statistics indicate Messi's superiority over Ronaldo during Clásico encounters in the nine years Ronaldo spent at Real Madrid. Ronaldo scored six goals in nine Clásico matches at Camp Nou during these nine years but only three goals at the Santiago Bernabéu, all from penalty kicks.
Between 2009 and 2018, Messi scored nine goals in nine La Liga Clásico matches at Santiago Bernabéu, four of which were penalties, while he netted three goals in nine Clásico matches at Camp Nou, including two from open play and one from a free kick. In the nine La Liga Clásico encounters during these years, Messi assisted six goals for his teammates, while Ronaldo assisted one, further confirming Messi's superiority. Throughout 17 seasons with the first team at Barcelona, Messi scored 18 goals in Clásico matches between the two teams in La Liga.
