As Real Madrid prepare to take on Barcelona in the Copa del Rey Final on Saturday, it's time to take a look at the greatest goal-scorers in the history of world football's greatest fixture.
5. Barcelona ST Luis Suarez, 11 goals
Luis Suarez is one of the most annoying players in the history of Real Madrid, because the all-world Uruguayan striker always seemed to come up with the goods whenever he faced Real. That meant more than just goals, too, as Suarez was one of the best all-around strikers of his era with tricks, nutmegs, and assists for days.
Across six seasons for Barca, Suarez managed to score 11 Clasico goals, winning four league titles and four Copa del Rey in the process. After he left Barcelona, he even made sure to sink Real Madrid hearts again by winning the league title on the last day of the 2020/21 season for crosstown rivals Atletico Madrid.
4. Real Madrid ST Raul, 15 goals
For some Madridistas, Raul is the perfect example of a Real Madrid player for his leadership, professionalism, goals, and everything else he gave to the club over the years. Snubbed by Michael Owen from the Ballon d'Or in 2001, Raul won three Champions League titles and six LaLiga trophies during his illustrious career.
He was an absolute menace to the Barcelona defense in El Clasico with his pinpoint finishing and a clutch gene like so many other Real Madrid greats. Raul's devastating chips and movements off the ball were impossible to defend. His 1999 goal to silence the Camp Nou stands as one of the greatest moments in the history of El Clasico.
3. Real Madrid ST Karim Benzema, 16 goals
The most underappreciated striker of his generation, Karim Benzema was often lost in the shadow of Cristiano Ronaldo, unselfishly sacrificing his own goals and accolades in order to do all the dirty work in the attack that the Real Madrid three-peat juggernaut needed. So he was frequently ranked below contemporary greats Robert Lewandowski and Luis Suarez before building the strongest case of his own with his ridiculous, Remontada-stacked 2021/22 Champions League (and Ballon d'Or) run.
Benzema was a consistent presence in El Clasico through the 2010s, and he started off the 2020s with some epic Clasico moments, including this wonderful backheel goal that would have been a title-sealer had Luis Suarez not had other plans over at Atleti.
2. Real Madrid LW Cristiano Ronaldo, 18 goals
Cristiano Ronaldo set an entirely different standard for even a club like Real Madrid, such was his greatness. To compare how difficult it is to match what Cristiano did, Real Madrid's current main star Vinicius Junior ranks sixth with seven goals in El Clasico in his seventh season with the club. It would take Vinicius 11 more years to match Cristiano at this pace. Ronaldo, by the way, spent nine total seasons in Madrid.
Cristiano was a part of an era in which Real Madrid surpassed Barcelona and achieved more than they did in the Champions League, and he had plenty of great Clasico moments, too, often proving to be a pillar inside the penalty area.
Beyond the 14 goals which are third behind only the literal two greatest players of all-time's total Clasico hauls, Benzema is also tied with Barcelona fullbacks Sergi Roberto and Jordi Alba for the all-time lead with six assists in El Clasico.
1. Barcelona RW Lionel Messi, 21 goals
There was never any question that Lionel Messi would land first on the list of Real Madrid and Barcelona players with the most career Clasico goals. Messi's era of greatness at Barca spanned nearly 20 years from 2004 to 2021, and it's going to be very difficult for anyone else to score more goals than him in this great fixture.
Raul had his "silence" celebration, but Messi easily had the most iconic goals in El Clasico history. Whether it was hoisting his jersey to the Real Madrid faithful on his 500th career goal for the Blaugrana against Real Madrid in the semifinals of the Champions League, Messi's greatness has become synonymous with El Clasico - and even Madridistas cannot deny that.