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Top 5 Barcelona victories at the Santiago Bernabeu in the “Messi Era”

By Ernesto Hernandez

Barcelona's Uruguayan forward Luis Suarez (3R), Barcelona's Argentinian forward Lionel Messi (2R) and Barcelona's Spanish defender Gerard Pique (R) celebrate their win at the end of the Spanish league football match between Real Madrid CF and FC Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on March 2, 2019. (Photo by OSCAR DEL POZO / AFP) (Photo credit should read OSCAR DEL POZO/AFP via Getty Images)
Barcelona's Uruguayan forward Luis Suarez (3R), Barcelona's Argentinian forward Lionel Messi (2R) and Barcelona's Spanish defender Gerard Pique (R) celebrate their win at the end of the Spanish league football match between Real Madrid CF and FC Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on March 2, 2019. (Photo by OSCAR DEL POZO / AFP) (Photo credit should read OSCAR DEL POZO/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Barcelona’s Argentinian forward Lionel Messi (R) celebrates after scoring during the Spanish League “Clasico” football match Real Madrid CF vs FC Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on December 23, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / OSCAR DEL POZO (Photo credit should read OSCAR DEL POZO/AFP via Getty Images)
Barcelona’s Argentinian forward Lionel Messi (R) celebrates after scoring during the Spanish League “Clasico” football match Real Madrid CF vs FC Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on December 23, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / OSCAR DEL POZO (Photo credit should read OSCAR DEL POZO/AFP via Getty Images) /

4. Christmas comes early for Ernesto Valverde

Ernesto Valverde’s first season as Barcelona manager could not have gotten off to a worse start. Not only does he lose Neymar to PSG that season but his side gets beaten quite handily by Real Madrid.

So much so that Gerard Pique comes out and openly admits that they’ve never been or felt second-best to Madrid as they did during the Super Cup.

Valverde managed to right the ship and went into the first Clasico of that season with a significant lead. A win meant opening up a double-digit lead and all but winning the league before the new year.

Needing a win, Zinedine Zidane decided to play Mateo Kovacic and man-mark Lionel Messi. That plan would backfire in the lead-up to the first goal where instead of tracking the running Ivan Rakitic, Kovacic held off and instead trailed Messi.

It gave Rakitic all the space in the middle who saw an open Sergi Roberto who calmly passed the ball to an incoming Luis Suarez who slid the ball right under the outstretched hand of Keylor Navas.

Still, Lionel Messi could not be denied as he put the visitors ahead thanks to a penalty after Dani Carvajal was shown a red after a blatant handball near the goal line on a Paulinho header. Not only did the Argentine score but he gave an iconic celebration in front of the Madrid faithful.

He also delivered the icing on the cake late as he left Marcelo in his path and cut a pass back inside the box to an awaiting Aleix Vidal whose shot slowly rotated to the back of the net. It was a 3-0 drubbing of Madrid which left the home team out of the title race in December.

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