Stat of the Day | 96: Wins against Real Madrid
The race is on to see who can hit three figures first and the momentum is very much with Barça. In games going all the way back to 1902, a 3-1 win for the Catalans with a two goals from the German Udo Steinberg and one from Joan Gamper, it is Barça who have had the most wins in the biggest club fixture of them all, making it 96 wins with the victory in March 2019, just over a year ago.
That was a turning point. It was the first time for 87 years (since 1931) that Barça had more all-times wins than Madrid (96-95). And the catch-up in recent years has been spectacular, with the Catalans dominating the fixture and decimating what had developed into quite a tidy lead for the all-whites.
Back from 7 down
About ten years ago, Madrid led by seven (78-85), but decade since saw a balance of 18-11 to leave the sides tied on 96 wins each. Barça’s amazing form at the Santiago Bernabéu has had a marked effect on that, where they were victorious on four successive occasions from 2015 to 2019.
Messi, the Clásico king
It is no coincidence that this has happened at the time when Leo Messi has graced the fixture. In 43 appearances since the 2004/05 season, he has a 19-11-13 record, scoring a staggering record of 26 goals, eleven of those in ‘enemy’ territory.
His last Clásico was last March, and although Barça didn’t get the three points, Messi did become the team’s player who has contested the most games against Madrid, surpassing the previous recorded held by Xavi.