FOR almost a decade El Clasico was not only Real Madrid vs Barcelona; it was Cristiano Ronaldo vs Lionel Messi as well The two global superstars clashed at least twice a season and one of them usually stole the show - but this time neither will be on the pitch. 1 This familiar figure will be missing from Sunday's El Clasico Credit: Reuters Why is Cristiano Ronaldo not playing for Real Madrid vs Barcelona? Quite simply, he no longer plays for Los Blancos. He left for Juventus this summer after a nine-year stay in Madrid that featured 450 goals and 15 trophies, including four Champions League crowns. What was his El Clasico record like? Ronaldo holds the record for the scoring in the most consecutive Clasicos with a goal (six games, all in 2012). Overall, he scored 18 goals, having faced Barca 30 times but enjoying just eight victories, a win percentage of 26 per cent. He managed just one assist. How about Messi? The Argentine superstar has scored 26 goals in 38 appearances against Real. Having won 17 times, his win percentage of 44.7 per cent. He has made 13 assists in addition to his goal tally.<doc-sep>Having overseen plenty of Clásicos as a manager and featured in even more during his playing days, Guardiola is well placed to discuss the fixture. Speaking to 'Univisión', the City boss gave his verdict on the game and he had special praise for Cristiano Ronaldo as Real Madrid prepre for their first Clásico since the Portuguese completed his move to Juventus in the summer. "With Cristiano or without Cristiano Real Madrid are a top team, but they've lost 50 or 60 goals. He's incredible and not just for the goals, but also the assists that he provides in important moments. He's irreplaceable," Guardiola enthused. Stand out news In line with derbies all over the world, Guardiola also claimed that there are no favourites for the game, despite Real Madrid heading into the clash having won just one of their last six games in all competitions. "A Clásico is special, there isn't a favourite. In any case, the favourite would be Barcelona because they're playing at home, that's always worth something more." Finally, he discussed Madrid and their recent performances. "They started well, but now they're on a bad run, although they're still up there," he added, before turning his attention to Lionel Messi and Ronaldo. "Spanish football has been very lucky to have been able to enjoy them both for almost a decade. They have helped grow Spanish football," he concluded.<doc-sep>After one of their worst scoreless runs in their history, it is clear that Julen Lopetegui's side need an injection of quality in attack When Real Madrid sold Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus in the summer, they knew they were taking a gamble. Heading off was a player who had led them to three-successive Champions League titles, won the latest of his five Ballons d’Or barely six months earlier and had scored at a rate of over a goal per game for his nine-year stay at Santiago Bernabeu, writing his name large into the history of the most storied club in world football. As he sat watching Real Madrid slip to a 2-1 defeat against Levante, president Florentino Perez must have been mulling over the bet that backfired. During that game, Los Blancos missed an array of chances as they slipped to a third defeat in succession, and a fifth without a win. Most damningly, though, Real clocked up 480 minutes without finding the net – the type of drought that Ronaldo alone scarcely suffered during his time in white, let alone the whole team. Indeed, only once in the club’s illustrious 116-year history has there been a longer scoreless run. If ever there was evidence ahead of Saturday's Clasico match up with Barcelona that Madrid needed an adequate Ronaldo replacement, this was it. Of course, players of the Portuguese’s stature are not readily available, and it could even be argued, with some justification, that he was irreplaceable. “We can't be crying for someone who didn't want to be here,” Isco said earlier in the week. But while he is right that Madrid must look to the future, he must also appreciate that a greater effort must be made to fill the Ronaldo vacuum. Incessant rumours suggest that Real Madrid see Neymar as the heir to Cristiano’s Bernabeu crown. Long coveted by Madrid – he had a spell training with the youth squad as young as 14 – the Paris Saint-Germain star could be tempted by a move back to Spain, where he could find a platform to fulfil his personal ambitions. One of the driving forces behind his move to Paris was his burning desire to be recognised as the best player in the world, something he felt he could not achieve whilst in the shadow of Lionel Messi. Perez, a long-time admirer of the 26-year-old, has always had a belief that the stage of the Spanish capital would offer the former Santos star the showcase required to attain that goal. “Being at Madrid would make it easier for Neymar to win it,” he said, speaking to El Larguero back in 2017. “Madrid is a club that gives big players what they need.” While Ronaldo might dispute that second claim, having departed in the summer due to feeling underappreciated, it would be churlish to dispute the overall message, particularly as Real find themselves in need of a Galactico figurehead. It is a challenge that Neymar would surely embrace. Expectations that would overwhelm most have been a part of his everyday life for the duration of his career. When Brazil played host to the World Cup in 2014, he was ubiquitous around the football-loving nation, even after his tournament was ended by injury at the quarter-final stage, while he has drawn the media spotlight with PSG for the duration of his stay. His statistics, meanwhile, make for impressive reading. Eight goals in eight Ligue 1 outings this season, plus four assists, represent a strong return, and while there may be doubts over the strength of the French top flight, he previously enjoyed 22 and 24-goal seasons in La Liga with Barcelona during his previous four-year stint in Spain. And Ganso, the godfather to Neymar’s son, who is currently playing in France with Amiens, believes the Madrid target has improved since moving to Ligue 1. “He’s matured a lot, primarily,” he told L’Equipe . “Before, he’d primarily be a dribbler, trying to beat players with great skills. He was already scoring a lot, but tactically he didn’t always think what was to be done correctly.” More than just his goals, though, Neymar encapsulates the glitz, glamour, flair and excitement that Real Madrid have come to represent throughout their history. His eye for the spectacular, his willingness to humiliate opponents with an incredible piece of individualism and his mass appeal all combine to make him a perfect addition. But signing him, clearly, will be no mean feat. PSG will want to recoup the €222 million (£200m/$262m) outlay they lavished on the player little more than a year ago, while there is no release clause to trigger as such agreements are illegal in French contract law. “I wish Real Madrid and Barcelona the best of luck in their attempt to bring Neymar away from here!" Marquinhos sarcastically told the media last week, responding to the latest round of claims that PSG’s ace is readying himself for a return to Spain. Article continues below “People know what our president is like, how he is with his people and how he loves our important players.” Neymar himself, meanwhile, is under contract until 2022 and branded rumours of a return to Barcelona or a move to Real Madrid as “fake news” in a recent Instagram stories post. Madrid, though, are a club that have made the impossible possible in the past. If they are to regain those glory days in the near future, they have to find a way of doing so again because this Galactico-less version of their first-team is also destined to become trophyless this season.<doc-sep>
The last 10 years of El Clasico have been ­dominated by two of the greatest players ever. The genius of Lionel Messi against the wizardry of ­Cristiano Ronaldo. Two men who have ­single-handedly changed the face of football. But this afternoon, that all changes. There will be no Ronaldo in a Real Madrid shirt at the Nou Camp. He will be too busy recovering after ­helping Juventus stay top of Serie A yesterday. Messi will be there... but sitting in the Barcelona stands with a sling on his broken arm. (Image: FABIO MUZZI/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock) (Image: SIPA USA/PA Images) El Clasico is moving into a new era after a decade of their brilliance. There will be a new ­headline act for the 272nd meeting between Spanish football’s two ­fiercest rivals. So who will be the new Messi or Ronaldo? There is an insane amount of expectancy surrounding Barca’s Rafinha Alcantara. Barcelona have spent a lot of money on Ousmane ­Dembele and Malcolm in recent transfer windows. But in Messi’s first game out injured, it was 25-year-old ­Brazilian Rafinha who came in and scored a crucial goal. I’ll be very surprised if Barca boss Ernesto Valverde goes with anyone else. Rafinha is known for his ­joyful, chilled ­attitude. He can keep his cool under the ­brightest of lights. Real Madrid have troubles. ­Languishing way below the pacesetters in the table, boss Julen Lopetegui is facing the sack for a ­disastrous season, that could turn on today’s result. Madrid do, however, have Gareth Bale – though the Wales striker should never slip into the ­mindset of ­replacing ­Ronaldo. (Image: SIPA USA/PA Images) Bale has proved himself at the highest level and should be respected as one of the leaders of the team in his own right. Bale can just be Bale. The real player who should be looking to make the most of Ronaldo’s departure is Marco Asensio. He has the world at his feet and this is certainly his time. The Spain international has been out of sorts so far this season, but this El ­Clasico is the perfect ­opportunity to reset his ­psyche and move on to new heights. Thibaut Courtois is ­another player whose ­performance will be ­dominated by his mindset. So far, the goalkeeper, who left Chelsea for £35million, has failed to impress. In his last four games for Real, they have lost three and drawn one – with Courtois ­conceding six goals. Not good. But as we know, form is temporary and class is permanent. (Image: Getty Images) Courtois has shown he can impress under pressure. Just look at his displays for Belgium at the World Cup in Russia. So if he can keep out Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho, then it will ­suddenly be very a different matter. As for Real boss ­Lopetegui, this will be his first El Clasico –and could well be his last! Losing his cool on the sideline again, and punching the dugout, would be an embarrassing way to go. Lopetegui needs to show the same calm and collected approach that saw him ­oversee an incredible two years as Spain manager. Very few international coaches can boast a record of 20 games, 14 wins, six draws and no defeats. Impressive. Two of the best teams in the world will run out of the tunnel to the incomparable noise of the Nou Camp with the adrenaline rushing through their veins. The victors, however, will be the ones who keep cool heads in the cauldron that is El Clasico.