These five players have given Real Madrid a ton of headaches in La Liga over the years.
Throughout the years, there have been five players that have absolutely terrified Real Madrid on one hand. On the other hand, some non-lethal players, but good enough to steal the game from Real Madrid’s grasp in the final minutes.
Here are five players that terrified Real Madrid or given them too much handle over the years:
Lionel Messi, Barcelona
The first player on this list is no one other than Lionel Messi. Messi has scored 26 goals against Real Madrid so far in his career with Barcelona. 18 goals in the La Liga Santander, six in the Super Cup, and two in the Champions League.
There have been many occasions when Messi has delivered the dagger against Real Madrid. Personally, I remember the El Classico back in 2017 of April. Real Madrid was at the top of the table with 75 points and in second place with 72 points was Barcelona.
About two minutes into injury time, Messi netted his 500th goal with a low left-footed shot from inside penalty area after a cross by Jordi Alba. Ultimately, Real Madrid ended up winning the league, but this is a game that I will always remember because Lionel Messi is not to be underestimated.
Luis Suarez, Barcelona
Barcelona paid 75 million pounds for the services of Luis Suarez back in 2014. It has paid off dividends for Barcelona because Suarez has managed to score 11 goals during this tenure in Barcelona. Suarez scored nine goals in the La Liga Santander and two goals in the Copa Del Rey.
The memory for Luis Suarez I have is nightmarish. It comes from when Rafael Benitez was the manager for Real Madrid. Real Madrid suffered humiliating defeat back in 2016 to Barcelona by a score of 4-0. Luis Suarez scored twice.
The reason why I call it nightmarish is because of two reasons. First, the game was very slow. It seemed like somebody was prying my nails out. Second, Messi did not play the first half. Messi only played 33 minutes in the second half, yet Suarez made sure Barcelona still won.
Gerard Moreno, Villarreal
Gerard Moreno has scored 18 goals this season for Villarreal. Moreno is one of the best forwards in the La Liga Santander. Moreno scored against Real Madrid on Matchday 3 of the 2019-2020 season. In the last three matches, Moreno tallied two goals and one assist versus Real Madrid. Moreno is also one of Villarreal’s top all times scorers behind the likes of Giuseppe Rossi, Diego Forlan, and Santi Cazorla.
Iago Aspas, Celta Vigo
Iago Aspas had two goals and four assists in his last 12 appearances against Real Madrid. Aspas is not as dangerous as he seems on the stat sheet. However, when Aspas gets into open space, magic happens. Aspas led the team in scoring this season with 14 goals. Currently, Aspas is the all-time top scorer for Celta De Vigo.
Antonio Sanabria, Real Betis
Lastly, Antonio Sanabria. His only goal against Real Madrid was when Sanabria scored in the 94th minute to seal the victory for Real Betis. In just over 50 appearances for Real Betis, Sanabria tallied 14 goals. Sanabria is currently on loan at Genoa, and netted nine goals in 39 appearances.