Real Madrid: Top 5 performances from the 2-1 win in ‘El Clasico’

Real Madrid defeated their bitter rivals Barcelona in El Clasico this Saturday, meaning they have now accomplished the rare feat of winning three straight Clasicos. That stat shows you how good this team is at playing in big matches under Zinedine Zidane. They have their weaknesses, but this group of players has so much heart, which we all saw in the way they held on to win 2-1.

Who were the top performers in this narrow victory? Here are the five players who stood out the most on La Liga’s Matchday 30 in El Clasico.

LB Ferland Mendy

We begin with an underrated player, Ferland Mendy. The left back has been class since joining Real Madrid in the summer 2019 transfer window, and Madridistas have Zinedine Zidane to thank for pushing the club to sign Mendy for 50 million euros from Lyon. He quickly took Marcelo’s starting spot and has not looked back.

On Saturday night at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano, Mendy was a wall defensively. The opposition could not get past Mendy in one-on-ones, and it is often hilarious watching as players resort to throwing themselves on the ground because they know they cannot cope with Mendy’s strength. They embarrass themselves. Martin Braithwaite was the latest player to blatantly dive in Mendy’s presence, though he was not the only Barça player who preferred the ground to Mendy.

In any case, the defense-minded left back was lockdown again for Real Madrid, and he remains one of the most underrated defenders in European football.