El Clasico is arguably the biggest fixture in club football. The whole world stops to watch as Barcelona and Real Madrid’s teams of superstars face each other, and scoring in one can make a player immortal.
When both teams possess so much quality, there are often spectacular goals and heated fights during the meetings between the two. However, a player scoring a hat-trick in El Clasico is practically unheard of.
The likes of Andres Iniesta and Ronaldinho have received standing ovations from the opposition crowds after dazzling displays at the home of their rivals, but neither ever managed to score three against the enemy.
Even Cristiano Ronaldo, the joint-second top scorer in El Clasico history, and the player with the most hat-tricks in history, never managed to score one against Barcelona.
Just five players have managed this feat since the 1980s, and no European player has scored one since 1987.
We’ve listed the last five to do it, and how they immortalised themselves with a treble on the biggest stage.
Gary Lineker
Before his days of awful puns on Match Of The Day, Gary Lineker was actually a handy player for Barcelona and remains the only Englishman to score a hat-trick in El Clasico.
In January 1987 a highly anticipated La Liga clash between the two giants of Spanish football took place at the Camp Nou, and Lineker scored twice in the first five minutes.
He added his third at the start of the second half, before Jorge Valdano and Hugo Sanchez replied for Real Madrid, but could not complete a comeback and the game ended 3-2.
Speaking to La Liga TV, Lineker recalled how his first appearance in the fixture could not have gone any better.
“The first time I played in a Clasico at Camp Nou was in early 1987, and I didn’t really know what to expect, from the atmosphere. But it was incredible. I’ve never known anything like it,” the 61-year-old stated.
“I scored two goals in the first five minutes, and the noise… the crescendo in Camp Nou was just something that I’ll never, ever forget. I had goosebumps all over my body when I scored the second goal because the place was going crazy.”
“Just after half-time [Andoni] Zubizarreta hit a long ball, their defender [Chendo] made a mistake, and I had a one-on-one… I think [Paco] Buyo was in goal.”
“I saw him coming out, and I just did a little dink over the top of him and is was going in I thought ‘It’s going in… I’ve scored a hat-trick in a Clasico… in my first proper home…
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