Who has the most appearances in Real Madrid vs Barcelona encounters?
Which player has appeared for most number of times in El Classico
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Who has the most appearances in El Classico (Image Via- Google)
El Classico is one of the biggest rivalry in world football that has produced many memorable games over the years. It is a matchup between two spanish clubs FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. El Clasico has seen many great players who have set records and scored goals in this rivalry. Let’s take a look at the top 10 players to have appeared the most times in this high-profile derby.
10. Fernando Hierro: 37 games
Real Madrid legend Fernando Hierro racked 439 appearances for the club. He was a highly competitive and hard-tackling defender. Hierro won five LaLiga and three Champions League trophies with Real Madrid in 14 years. He was a player who could play in central defense or the midfield. Hierro was a well-rounded player with an intimidating presence and great positional awareness. He was also known for his scoring ability and his passing range. During his 14-year spell in Spain, Hierro managed to make 37 apps in El Classico.
9. Andres Iniesta: 38 games
Andres Iniesta played 674 times for FC Barcelona. He won absolutely everything the game has to offer, for both the country and the club. Iniesta has been one of the most influential Barcelona players in the Clasico for the past decade. He has featured in the famous fixture for the 38th time. He has won 16, drawn nine, and lost 12 times.
8. Gerard Pique: 40 games
Originally one of the most promising students at La Masia, Gerard Piqué joined Manchester United in 2004. He returned to Barcelona in 2008 under Pep Guardiola’s leadership. Pique helped the club win trebles in 2008–09 and 2014–15. Since then Pique appeared almost 400 times, winning La Liga 8 times and UCL 4 times. He has appeared in 40 El Classicos in his career.
7. Karim Benzema: 41 games
Karim Benzema, has been in a fantastic run for Real Madrid for a couple of seasons now. Benzema holds the record for the fastest goal in the history of El Clasico for Real Madrid scoring after just 21 seconds on 10 December 2011. He has managed to appear in 41 El Classico. He is one of the two players in the list who are still actively a part of this rivalry.
6. Xavi Hernandez: 42 games
FC Barcelona’s midfield genius, Xavi Hernandez was at the forefront of the club’s domination over Los Blancos in the past decade. He had always left his imprint in the big games. Xavi is known for his passing abilities and ball control. A tremendously gifted central midfielder who has played both as a deep, controlling player and a more offensive threat. Xavi’s talents have inspired a generation of ball-playing, possession-based technical midfielders. Hernandez has featured in 42 Clasicos same as Manuel Sanchis and Francisco Gento.
5. Manuel Sanchis: 42 games
Manuel Sanchis played for Real Madrid as a defender from 1965-71 after coming through the youth ranks for Madrid. Sanchis played for Real Madrid in 42 El Clasico making him a joint player on this list. The one club man appeared in more than 700 competitive matches spending 18 years at Real Madrid and is considered one of the greatest defenders in the history of the club. Sanchis won every possible honor during his time with Real and made sure of Real Madrid’s brutal dominance over their rivals in the 80s.
4. Francisco Gento: 42 games
Francisco Gento played for Real Madrid from 1953 to 1971, he won six European titles. He appeared in a joint record eight European Cup finals, winning a record six, as well as winning a record 12 La Liga titles. The Spaniard is famous for his high speed. During his time at Real Madrid, he played in 42 El Classico matches, making him the record holder for appearances. He is also considered one of the greatest Spanish players of all time.
3. Lionel Messi: 45 games
There can never be any doubts about seven-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi’s iconic status in this great rivalry. The Argentine is El Clasico’s all-time top scorer, with 26 goals in 45 appearances for FC Barcelona. 15 of these 26 came on away games which makes it even more impressive. This included 18 goals in La Liga matches, six in the Supercopa, and two in the Champions League.
2. Sergio Ramos: 45 games
Sergio Ramos held the joint record for the most El Clasico appearances for Real Madrid in history. This record was taken over by Sergio Busquets in the semifinal of the Copa del Rey 2022-23. Ramos was never one to shy away from attacking responsibilities and scored five goals along the way. He was also sent off five times in El Clasico fixtures, ensuring that the fixture is never short of drama.
1. Sergio Busquets: 46 games
A one-club man, Sergio Busquets arrived in Barcelona’s first team in July 2008. One of the best midfielders of his generation, and one of the greatest holding midfielders of all time, Busquets is usually deployed as either a central or defensive midfielder. Since then he has made over 600 total appearances for the club and has won 31 trophies, including 8 La Liga titles, 7 Copa Del Reys, and 3 UEFA Champions Leagues. He was part of their squads that won a continental treble of La Liga, Copa del Rey, and the UEFA Champions League in 2008–09 and 2014–15. Barcelona’s Sergio Busquets made his 46th appearance in a Clasico meeting in his career in the Copa del Rey semifinal. This took him to the first spot ahead of joint record holders Messi and Sergio Ramos.
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