Real Madrid vs Barcelona history: Head to head and finals of El Clasico matches

Matches between Real Madrid and Barcelona are always the biggest dates on the Spanish football calendar with the two grandest clubs in La Liga battling out some memorable contests over the years.

Despite no longer boasting the iconic Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo matchup, the fixture still includes some of the biggest names in world football and regularly sees the two teams competing for the biggest prizes.

In 2022/23, these teams met five times across the season. Barcelona eventually lifted the league title and defeated their rivals in the Supercopa de Espana final, but Madrid got their revenge by winning the two-legged Copa del Rey semifinal tie.

The two clubs have met each other in 256 competitive matches, with Real Madrid winning 105, Barcelona 100, and the teams sharing the spoils 52 times. Former Barca star Messi is the all-time highest goalscorer in El Clasico's history and the Argentina great is behind only Sergio Busquets in appearances (48) in this fixture.

MORE: How the first Clasico of 2023/24 played out

El Clasico head-to-head record

Here, we take a look at all the records of this classic encounter between the two Spanish giants.

Carlo Ancelotti vs Xavi head to head

Xavi finds himself battling against Ancelotti in the dugout following his return to Barcelona in 2021, with Ancelotti making his own La Liga comeback in the same year.

As a player, Xavi faced Ancelotti teams three times in his early career as the fulcrum of Barcelona's midfield against AC Milan. They met again as Ancelotti moved on to Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid.

Xavi lost just one of his four La Liga meetings with Ancelotti during the Italian's first spell in Madrid from 2013 to 2015, but he was on the losing side in the 2014 Copa del Rey final.

It finished one La Liga win each as they faced off as rival coaches for the first time in 2021/22, but Ancelotti sealed the title. Madrid beat Barca in the Supercopa de Espana final last season, but Xavi turned the tables in the 2023 final.

Last season, Barca and Madrid won one game apiece in league play, with the Catalans winning the Supercopa final and the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal tie before Madrid romped to a 4-0 victory in the second.

In the first meeting of 2023/24, Madrid came from a goal down to win 2-1 in Catalonia thanks to two more strikes from Jude Bellingham. In the second, Vinicius Jr scored a first-half hat-trick as Madrid won 4-1 to win the Supercopa in Saudi Arabia.

Xavi then announced he would step down at the end of the campaign. Barca's form picked up and they headed into El Clasico at the Santiago Bernabeu with an outside chance of the title. The led twice, through Andreas Christensen and Fermin Lopez but Madrid hit back each time before Bellingham was their tormentor once more in stoppage time.

Who has won the most El Clasico matches — Real Madrid or Barcelona?

Who are the top goalscorers in El Clasico?

Who are the players with the most appearances in El Clasico?

What are the biggest wins in El Clasico history?

Which players have scored the most hat-tricks in El Clasico?