📸 The 5 most iconic celebrations in El Clásico history

📸 The 5 most iconic celebrations in El Clásico history

El Clásico is not a match like any other. It is a stage where legends are written as much through goals as through the way they are celebrated.

From silencing gestures to shirts held up to the sky, here’s a look back at the 5 celebrations that have left their mark on the history of this rivalry.

Raúl silences Camp Nou (1999)

We begin with an absolute classic. October 1999, Real Madrid are under pressure in Catalonia. Raúl González equalizes right at the end of the match (2-2). Instead of shouting with joy, he puts his index finger to his lips in front of a stunned Camp Nou. A pure act of defiance that instantly became legendary: Raúl had just silenced 100,000 people.

Cristiano Ronaldo, "Calma, Calma" (2012)

Mourinho’s Real were on their way to the title in 2012. At Camp Nou, Cristiano Ronaldo beats Victor Valdés and puts his side back in front. His reaction? A hand gesture toward the ground, telling the Catalan crowd to calm down: "Calma, yo estoy aquí" (Calm down, I’m here). The celebration was even added to FIFA games...

Lionel Messi, the celebration that broke the internet (2017)

Perhaps the defining image of the decade. In April 2017, Lionel Messi scores the winning goal (3-2) in the very last second of stoppage time. In a Santiago Bernabéu left in shock, the Argentine takes off his shirt and holds it up, arms outstretched, toward the Madrid fans. As if to say: "Never forget who’s the boss." A fitting way to immortalize his 500th goal for Barça.

Cristiano Ronaldo, the shirt replica (2017)

A few months after Messi’s gesture at the Bernabéu, CR7 got his revenge in the Spanish Super Cup. After scoring a sublime goal into the top corner, he takes off his shirt and imitates his Argentine rival’s celebration. Fair play...

Gerard Piqué, the "Manita" (2010)

In November 2010, Guardiola’s Barça gave Mourinho’s Real a footballing lesson (5-0). At the end of that masterclass, Gerard Piqué raised his hand toward the Camp Nou stands, showing his five fingers to symbolize the five goals conceded by Los Blancos. More than a celebration, it became a symbol of Catalan supremacy at the time.

Kick-off for the 264th Clásico this Sunday at 9 p.m. (Matchday 35 of La Liga).

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.