El Clasico; the game where two of the biggest clubs in world football in Barcelona and Real Madrid lock horns and scrap it out, literally. There's never a dull moment when Barca and Real square off and they have provided us with so many memorable games of football.
There's one game in particular that is etched in my mind, that being the drubbing Pep Guardiola's Barcelona inflicted on Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid six years ago.
Tomorrow is the six year anniversary of the performance that truly epitomised what Pep Guardiola's Barcelona were all about.
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Real Madrid, unbeaten at the time, barely had a kick and were utterly outclassed by a quick, more aggressive and more clinical Barcelona at the Nou Camp. Los Blancos had all their stars in the side; Ronaldo, Ozil, Di Maria and Benzema were all involved but were easily nullified because Barcelona were on the front foot so much.
Just 10 minutes in and Barca were already utterly dominating. Their pressing and energy was relentless and they pulled Real all over the place with the clever movement of Messi, Pedro, Villa and co - setting the tempo for the duration of the game. Messi hit the post with a delicately dinked cross-shot and just moments later the hosts were ahead via an archetypal Barcelona goal. They found space you didn't even know existed and after the ball made its way to Andres Iniesta, he picked out his midfield partner Xavi, who slotted home after a slight deflection from Marcelo on his attempt to cut out the pass.
It was 2-0 by the time the 18th minute rolled around, this time Pedro scoring from close range after Villa's driven cross was too powerful for Iker Casillas.
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By half-time, Jose Mourinho was well aware that his side were being totally destroyed and he opted to take out one of his most creative players in Mesut Ozil in place of Lassana Diara, in the hope of adding a bit of steel to the midfield where Busquets, Xavi and Iniesta ran the game.
But even Mourinho, who has an unparalleled eye for detail and has changed so many games with his tactical tweaks, had no answer for Barca's onslaught.
10 minutes after the interval, it was three. Messi collected the ball off the front and his exquisite pass was on the same level as the wonderfully timed run by David Villa, who finished with aplomb. Then the same combination worked a treat mere minutes later, Messi, a little deeper this time, conjured up another majestic defence-splitting pass and Villa was on hand again to fire past his Spanish national team colleague Casillas.
The fifth came in stoppage time. Jeffren Suarez, then a talented youngster making waves in the Barcelona first-team, made his mark in El Clasico when fellow La Masia graduate Bojan squared for him in the six-yard box and he duly converted. Now six years on, he plies his trade with K.AS Eupen in the Belgian top flight.
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Back to the game, there was obviously a red card in the game. If tensions don't boil over in El Clasico and there isn't a sending off, is it really an El Clasico? Sergio Ramos completely lost the plot in the 93rd minute when he hacked down Lionel Messi, shoved his Spain teammate Carles Puyol and then raised his hand to Xavi, another one of his colleagues at international level. Unsurpisingly, he was given his marching orders immediately as the game drew to a close.
When talking about memorable El Clasicos, this is the first one that springs to me. It was absolutely breathtaking to watch. A lot is made about the principles that Barcelona hold but their passing and movement was different gravy in this game and it was easily the greatest performance produced by Guardiola's Barca.
Reflecting on what his side had just produced, Guardiola said:
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"It was a spectacle and how we did it - that makes us proud. Now just let us sit back and enjoy that win - we'll reflect and look at the whole game, but now it would be wrong not to revel in the win. Games like that happen very rarely indeed.
"This match isn't representative of the difference between the two teams. They are a very good team, they came here unbeaten and as league leaders. Today all of our players played well and that was the difference."
The Blaugrana would go on to win La Liga and the Champions League that season in what was the very peak of Pep's project with Barca. Though the season for Real was ultimately disappointing, they did edge out Barca 1-0 in the Copa Del Rey final.
Yet of the five Clasicos that took place that season, the most engaging and dramatic was when 99,354 packed in the Nou Camp to watch a scintillating 90 minutes of football.
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Let's see what the upcoming El Clasico at the Nou Camp on 3rd December has to offer.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Jose Mourinho, Football, Pep Guardiola, Barcelona, Lionel Messi, Real Madrid, La Liga