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.
CM Toni Kroos
The official Man of the Match of El Clasico, Toni Kroos scored a free-kick goal, thanks to Sergino Dest’s backside providing a friendly deflection for the midfield maestro. When Kroos left the pitch in the second half, Real’s control of the match dissipated, but Real, nonetheless, held on, meaning Liverpool will have to face a fresh Kroos again. That’s a recipe for disaster for the Reds, given what Kroos did to them in the first leg.
It was a more subdued performance from Kroos against Barcelona, but the German midfielder was still very good. He led the team with a 93.3 percent pass completion percentage, according to WhoScored.com.
CF Karim Benzema
Another Real Madrid legend who had a great game on Saturday night. Karim Benzema did not score against Liverpool, despite being a top performer against the Reds in his own right, but he made it eight in nine games by scoring the opener in El Clasico. That goal broke his streak of nine matches without a goal in the world’s marquee head-to-head matchup, whereas Lionel Messi could not break his own streak.
And Benzema’s goal was a thing of beauty. Fede Valverde did so well to dribble it up the pitch, Lucas Vazquez delivered his low cross perfectly, and Benzema flicked the ball with the back of his heel with such grace and precision that I cannot help but watch the goal over and over again. Benzema brings a different class to the Clasico at the striker position.
LW Vinicius Junior
Although Toni Kroos earned the official honor, in my humble opinion, nobody executed a more pivotal and captivating Clasico performance than Vinicius Junior. He was the hero of last year’s second Clasico en route to Real’s title triumph, scoring the 1-0. In this equally important Clasico in the La Liga title race, Vini did not score, but he came close to directly creating a goal. And he did create the second goal by winning the free kick with some of the sickest dribbling skills you’ll see in La Liga this month.
As a whole, Vinicius led Real Madrid with three key passes and three dribbles completed. Now that’s what you call making an impact. It seemed like every time Real had a counterattack, Vini was there running off the shoulder. And Barcelona could not handle him.
GK Thibaut Courtois
Vinicius was crucial to Real Madrid offensively, but Thibaut Courtois was just as vital to Los Blancos defensively. He made a few great, game-saving stops to ensure Los Merengues would hold onto their 2-1 advantage. Even at the beginning of the match, Courtois reached out to stop a low cross that would have almost certainly resulted in a goal.
Courtois’ weekly brilliance is still overlooked by mainstream pundits, but regular observers of La Liga understand how crucial the Belgian international is to Real’s success. Once again, Real would not have won a tough league matchup without the contributions of their man between the posts.