Ronaldinho’s brilliance and Messi’s first game against Real: El Clásico 2005


The 2005/2006 season stands as one of the most memorable in Barcelona’s modern history. The Blaugrana were chasing a treble, but among their fierce opponents was Real Madrid. On November 19, 2005, these two giants clashed in El Clásico at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Pre-match context: Barcelona, under Frank Rijkaard, entered the match as La Liga leaders, while Vanderlei Luxemburgo's Real Madrid sat in an unfamiliar fourth place.
At the time, Real still featured members of the "Galácticos" era, such as Ronaldo (Cristiano Ronaldo would arrive four years later), Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham, and Roberto Carlos. Barcelona boasted stars like Samuel Eto’o, Ronaldinho, and Deco, while a young Lionel Messi was just beginning his ascent to legendary status. This match marked Messi’s first El Clásico in the starting lineup for Barcelona.
The game: It took only 15 minutes for Messi to record his first Clásico contribution, assisting Eto’o for the opening goal. The score remained 1-0 at halftime.
In the 58th minute, Real Madrid lost Raúl to injury, and the stage was set for Ronaldinho’s magic. The Brazilian maestro took over, scoring twice in his trademark style—darting runs through half the pitch to make it 2-0 and then 3-0. Barcelona left the Bernabéu with a resounding 3-0 victory.
Aftermath: Luxemburgo lasted just over two more weeks as Real Madrid’s coach before being sacked on December 5, 2005. Meanwhile, Barcelona went on to achieve a domestic and European double, winning both La Liga and the UEFA Champions League.
Real Madrid finished the league in second place with 70 points—just two points above fifth-placed Sevilla, who would go on to compete in the UEFA Cup during the 2006/2007 season.
















