The 2024/25 Season had been a season of sheer craziness for both Barcelona and Real Madrid. For the Blaugrana, the dawn of a new era, about the third of the 2020s decade by that point, had been spearheaded by new manager Hansi Flick, who had to then overseen incredible rises in form from players like Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Pedri, and Inigo Martinez, and which resulted in Barcelona looking the best they had been since the MSN years. An unlikely trio ran the show up front. Starting with 36-year old Robert Lewandowski, a wiley veteran who, while he was widely considered one of the top three strikers of his generation, had lost the spark that made him great prior to Flick’s arrival. Then, you have Raphinha, a 28-year old Brazilian winger who had to fight tooth and nail for everything he got in this game. No club even signed the Brazilian until he was 18, and since then he bounced between clubs in Portugal, France, and England before Barca took a shot on him. However, under Xavi, it seemed the chance wasn’t worth it. While the Brazilian had a few good moments, like 3 goals in 2 games against PSG in the 2024 quarterfinals, he’d largely been unimpressive for the club. Finally, you had Lamine Yamal, the kid who played 50 games for Barca at 16 years old and was the golden boy of the club, but still was yet to gain worldwide plaudits before Flick’s arrival.
Flick turned these three, somehow, into the best front three in Europe. 120 goal contributions between the three ALONE, and paired with one of the best high line in the world, as well as a resurgency and finally fit season from Pedri, a breakout season of Marc Casado, and a killer back four of Balde, Inigo, Cubarsi, and Kounde, Barca became one of the most unplayable teams in the world. Hard fought games under Xavi turned into 4 and 5-goal wins under Flick, and Barca wasn’t just beating teams, they were DOMINATING them. All this, with the same team who’d lost the league and Copa del Rey by January, conceded 5 at home to Villarreal, collapsed to PSG, just with the appointment of Hansi Flick, and the one signing of Dani Olmo. (Two if you count bit part Pau Victor’s loan being made permanent).
Meanwhile, on the side of Real Madrid, it was a completely different story. Los Blancos, despite controversies on the way, won the league-UCL double, their second of the past 3 years, and was likely just an extra-time loss against Atleti away from the treble. Ancelotti’s side had lost just twice all season, both away matches against Los Rojiblancos, and won their 15th Champions League, and for the first time in their history, won it without losing once along the way. Against Barca, they won all 3 Clasicos that season, a Jude Bellingham double to complete a 2-1 comeback at the Montjuic, a 4-1 pummelling of the Blaugrana in the Supercopa, and another late Bellingham winner to win 3-2 in a controversial Bernabeu Clasico. They won La Liga with a 6th-best in history 95 points, and looked unstoppable, with a young core of Vinicius, Bellingham, Tchouameni, Rodrygo, Valverde, Camavinga, and others getting a year older and more well acquainted. Oh yeah, and on top of that, they had only gone and signed Kylian Mbappe, widely considered the world’s best player. They also signed Endrick, Brazil’s next big thing, who’d already torn up the Brazilian league at 17 and made appearances for the Brazil senior team.
With this squad, was Madrid about to go unbeaten for an entire season? It seemed to be the only way to go for a Madrid side that already looked like the best in the world, head and shoulders. However, all expectations were fell way short of from the very start of the season, drawing 2 of their first 3 matches against Mallorca and Las Palmas. They also once again failed to beat Atleti away from home 4 matches later, earning their third 1-1 draw of the season in 8 matches. Their Champions League form wasn’t any better, as they struggled to get across the line against Stuttgart and then lost against Lille. While they beat Dortmund, it was incredibly uneasy as Madrid had to claw back from 2-0 down at the 60th minute mark to win 5-2. They then suffered defeats at home against Milan, and away against Liverpool, in which star man Kylian Mbappe missed a potentially equalizing penalty, losing as many games in their first five CL matches of the season as they had in the past two and a half years.
This form continued, and if you want to see a more in-depth analysis of their season, read my post about Kylian Mbappe after you’re done this one. Long story short, Madrid had fallen way short of all expectations, having lost 12 matches this season as opposed to 2 last year. The two Clasicos to this point summed up the difference between the two clubs, the first of the season being a second half collapse by Los Blancos, with Barca scoring four in 30 minutes to humiliate Madrid 4-0 at the Bernabeu. Two and a half months later, the humiliation was repeated. While Kylian Mbappe opened the scoring inside five minutes, Barca once again made quick work, repeatedly embarrassing Madrid and being up 4-1 by halftime, and won the game 5-2. It had got to a point, in 90 minutes of football across the second half of the first Clasico and first half of the second Clasico, Barca outscored Madrid 8-1. The three Clasico wins of the year before seemed long ago now.
That brings us to the Copa del Rey. Very much a unique competition in Spanish football, one where any club can win with grit and some luck. Big clubs don’t dominate the competition like they do the league. I mean, Bilbao has the second-most wins of the competition, more than Madrid and Atleti. The 2024 final was between Osasuna and the Basque side, with Barcelona and Madrid going out in the round of 16, and Atleti going out in the semifinals. However, this year, it was different. In the Round of 32, the first round where the two played, they made easy work of Arandina and Barbastro. Then, in the Round of 16, the stumbling block for both clubs last season, Barcelona pounded Betis 5-1, and after a shaky collapse from 2-0 up to 2-2 in the last 10 minutes, Madrid put 3 past Celta in extra time to win 5-2 and qualify for the quarters. Barcelona once again made quick work of their opponents, this time Valencia, with a 5-0 away win just 2 weeks after a 7-1 home win, getting to the semifinals with a 14-1 aggregate score across their 3 matches. Madrid had another tough game, collapsing once again after being up two away against Leganes, and needing a winner from, of all people, youth player Gonzalo Garcia in the 93rd minute, sealing a 3-2 win.
The semifinals were where it started to get real for both clubs. Now a two-legged affair, Barca drew Atlético Madrid, and Madrid drew Sociedad. Despite the 14-1 so far, it wouldn’t be so simple for Barca from here on in.
We start at the first leg at Montjuic. The usually dominant Barca were put on the back foot early by Atleti, and in the first 60 seconds, a very good chance was saved by Szczesny, and the corner was put in by Julian Alvarez. Then, before the 5-minute mark, an Alvarez pass broke the backline, a pass that found Antoine Griezmann, who put it past Szczesny again, 2-0 in 5 minutes. Was it already over? No. A beautiful Lamine Yamal pass found Jules Kounde, who cut it across the box, and Pedri buried it first time to make it 2-1. A minute later, Barca pressing like crazy, a Raphinha corner goes past every Atleti player and gets to Cubarsi on the back stick, who nods it over an Atleti defender to score his first ever Barca goal and level it at 2-2 20 minutes in. 5 minutes before halftime, another Raphinha corner flies over a disorganized Atleti backline, and Inigo Martinez, taking advantage, heads home and puts Barca up 3-2 at the half. The second half is more Barca domination, which eventually pays off, with another scintillating run by Yamal played across to Robert Lewandowski, who taps it into an empty net to make it 4-2 with 15 minutes left. Surely Barca couldn’t bottle it now. They could. Two late goals from Atleti, Marcos Llorente and Alexander Sorloth, sees it finish 4-4 in an all time great first leg.
The Madrid game was less enthralling. Young star Endrick puts Los Blancos up 1-0 early, and a good defensive show defines the rest of the match, and it finishes with a 1-goal advantage to the away side. However, the second leg is a different story. At the Bernabeu, Madrid were hoping for an easier ride in to the final, but Sociedad had other ideas. 16 minutes in, Ander Barranetxea nutmegs Andriy Lunin in an effort that really should have been saved. 30 minutes in, Endrick’s fed the ball, and lobs the Sociedad goalkeeper Alex Remiro to give Madrid the lead back. That’s how it would stay until deep into the second half, Pablo Marin’s cross rebounds off David Alaba and goes in to level it once again. Then, incredibly, with 10 minutes on the clock, David Alaba lets Mikel Oyarzabal’s shot rebound off him and go in to give Sociedad the lead late on. However, Madrid, not to be outdone, responds. In the 82nd minute, a Vini Jr. run finds Jude Bellingham to level it once again. 4 minutes later, a beautiful cross finds Aurelien Tchouameni, who heads it pretty poorly, but Alex Remiro fumbles it in the net and it somehow finds its way in. 3-3, 4-3 Madrid on aggregate. Somehow, this tie is STILL not done. In the third minute of added time, Sociedad have a free kick. Mikel Oyarzabal outmuscles his marker, David Alaba, and heads it home past a diving Andriy Lunin to send it to extra time. Finally, after a hard-fought extra time period, Arda Guler’s corner is headed in by an unmarked Antonio Rudiger, making it 4-4, 5-4 Madrid on aggregate, taking Los Blancos through to the final after way too much drama.
The show goes across the street to the Wanda Metropolitano for the second leg of Barca-Atleti. Between the first and second legs, the two played again in the league, Barca coming back from 2-0 down in the last 20 minutes, somehow winning 4-2. It looked like another classic was on the way, but unexpectedly, at least from what Barca usually produces, it was rather routine. A first half Ferran Torres goal followed up by a great defensive display got the Blaugrana across the line, 1-0, and like the Madrid tie, 5-4 on aggregate.
And now, finally set up, three and a half weeks after the semifinals, was the third of four Clasicos for the 24/25 season. However, the build up to the Clasico wouldn’t be simple. First, you had the issue of the Champions League quarterfinals, both legs of which would take place in this stretch. Madrid played Arsenal, and Barca faced Dortmund. For the two sides, the first leg went in polar opposite directions. Madrid was undone at the Emirates, after TWO Declan Rice free kicks and a late Mikel Merino goal in an instant classic match, 3-0 Arsenal. For Barca, they dominated Dortmund from beginning to end, Raphinha stealing a Pau Cubarsi goal made it 1-0 at halftime, then a Lewandowski brace, with some beautiful play from Yamal, who eventually got a goal of his own, saw the game finish 4-0 Barca. Despite efforts from Madrid, a remontada could not be done in the second leg, and they lost 2-1 to Arsenal at the Bernabeu, 5-1 on aggregate, a good summary of their overall performance this season. At the Signal Iduna Park with Barca, Dortmund came out like a house on fire, and nearly did the impossible. They won on the night 3-1, with two offside goals that would have levelled it. However, Barca still won 5-3 on aggregate. Then, you have the issue of the league title race, still hotly contested between the two. Barca were three points up on Madrid after the Copa del Rey semis, and after Madrid lost to Valencia after a late Hugo Duro goal, Barca only gained one point of ground, drawing 1-1 with a red-hot Betis. After this, though, both teams picked up form. Barca beat a tough-to-crack Leganes team 1-0, came back from 3-1 down against Celta to win 4-3, and dominated against Mallorca, getting 40 shots, but still just winning 1-0. For Madrid, it was three nervy 1-0 victories, the first away against Alaves after a Kylian Mbappe red card, then a late Fede Valverde winner against Bilbao, and a beautiful Arda Guler goal made the difference in a tight game against Getafe.
Now, we were at the match. The Copa del Rey final, scheduled to be played at La Cartuja, a venue in Seville without a home club, just used for big matches like these. Kylian Mbappe would recover in time from his injury against Arsenal for the match, however, Barca wouldn’t have either Alejandro Balde or Robert Lewandowski, still recovering from injuries suffered against Leganes and Celta respectively. Going into this match, the situations of these teams were clear. Barcelona was on the hunt for a treble, quadruple including the Supercopa, the new big boys and the clear favourites in this final. Real Madrid, truly humbled after a pathetic performance this season to this point. No matter what, this Copa del Rey final, the first contested between the El Clasico sides since 2014, would go down in history as a big chapter of this legendary rivalry. Little did we know though, that this Clasico would be the best since the classic Messi/Ronaldo days of the 2010s.
In the days leading up to the Clasico, Barca’s 4-0 and 5-2 thumpings of Madrid this season so far were referenced more than they had been in the month prior. Every action was analyzed, re-analyzed, and the game was looked at from every perspective possible. This was the most anticipated Clasico of the past decade. And it wouldn’t disappoint.
The mind games of the Clasico would start days before the match. The Thursday before the match, Real Madrid TV, Real Madrid’s official TV channel, would run a 4-minute segment about De Burgos Bengoetxea, the referee chosen by RFEF to officiate the final. It went through many “mistakes” from him, many of which just calls against Madrid, and accusations thrown against him, many of which were cases that had already finished and were proven to be nothing. This isn’t the first time Real Madrid TV has done this. They do this, usually, before every big game they play. It helps in a lot of things that push Madrid’s cause. First, it mobilizes the braindead section of Madridistas who’ll believe anything thrown to them, and run to any contentious decision made against them like bugs to light. This goes hand in hand with its second purpose, to get in the heads of referees. Anything that Madrid can do to get into the referee’s mind, even if its just subconscious, they’ll do. It helps them get decisions. It’s not bribery, technically not match fixing, not even against the rules yet. It just puts the fact that “If I make a contentious decision against Madrid, the Madrid fans will have my head” into the referee’s subconscious. It works like a charm. Time and again, we see so many incredible decisions go Madrid’s way.
This behaviour usually goes unacknowledged by referees, but this time, in the pre-match press conference, on the day before the match, the referees held a press conference, in which, referee De Burgos Bengoetxea, the referee at whom the video was targeted, told the world of the impact Real Madrid TV’s videos had on him and his family. In the press conference, he broke down crying, and said that the videos were affecting his children, as kids who were Madrid fans were bullying them and saying that their father was a thief. While a press conference that should have exposed Real Madrid TV to the world, back home, Florentino Perez had other ideas. He saw the press conference as scandalous, or at least let the world think that he did, and, as he’s done many times before, thrown a strop for everybody to see. Immediately, he cancelled Madrid’s press conference before the match, the team dinner, and their training session at La Cartuja. Madrid released a statement saying that if the referees didn’t provide an apology, or RFEF didn’t change the referees, that they’d take the team back to Madrid and not show up for the final. RFEF stood their ground. No referee change came, nor did any apology. Madrid said that they’d play the final, but still thought that the press conference showed clear impartiality. They still weren’t happy. On Barca’s end, radio silence.
It had arrived. April 26th. After all this, all the buildup, all the storylines, It all amounted to this match. As the lineups came out at La Cartuja, the biggest surprise was Madrid’s decision to start Mbappe on the bench as he played his first match back from injury. Also coming back from injury was Ferland Mendy, surprisingly starting as it was thought he’d for sure miss this game with a muscle injury suffered in the Champions League vs Atlético. However, after perceived replacement Eduardo Camavinga injured himself against Getafe, Ancelotti decided to rush him back, as he trusted neither Fran Garcia or David Alaba to mark down Lamine Yamal. For Barca, it was Gerard Martin and Ferran Torres taking the starting places usually taken by Lewandowski and Balde.
The game kicked off, and immediately, Barca looked the better side, and you could tell Madrid missed Mbappe. Lamine Yamal started the game hotly, and after just 9 minutes, it was clear Ferland Mendy wasn’t ready for the game. Ancelotti rushed him back, and after one collision, the Frenchman was on the floor asking to be subbed off. Fran Garcia took his place. We’ll get to that later, but 16 minutes in, a Raphinha cross aimed at Ferran just went by the Spaniard, deflected off Valverde, and was cleared. On second replay, however, it seemed that the ball went off the Uruguayan’s arm in the process. However, this was the first of a series of potential penalties not even looked at by VAR. Barca were starting to look dangerous, and 2 minutes later, we saw the first real Yamal vs Fran moment. Instead of taking on the 25-year old, Yamal cut inside, and his low curling effort went just shy of the bottom left corner. No more than 60 seconds later, Raphinha was fouled by Lucas Vazquez to win Barca a free kick from 35 yards. The Brazilian took the free kick, and decided to cross it into the middle, where an unmarked Jules Kounde waited, with an effort that forced a great save from Thibaut Courtois.
The chances started to dry up, until, at the 27 minute mark, Jude Bellingham’s counter was intercepted by Pau Cubarsi and claimed by Pedri. He played a great long ball to Lamine Yamal, who had already gone past Fran Garcia. However, by the time he’d caught up with the ball near the touchline, the 24-year old had caught up. Instead of taking him on, Yamal kept the ball, and made an almost stagger into the box. 3 defenders now surrounded him, and more were making the run back. Thinking quickly, Yamal made what looked to be a suicidal pass just outside the box, but making an appearance to claim it was Pedri, who fired first time, connected incredibly well on the shot, which looped over Courtois, and nestled just to the right of the top left corner. 1-0 Barca, brilliance from both Yamal and Pedri.
34 minutes in, Madrid finally started getting some footing. Jude Bellingham found himself being passed the ball in the middle of the box, and put it past Szczesny to equalize, but the assistant raised his flag immediately. 3 minutes before halftime, a corner whipped in by Dani Olmo curved just so that it hit the post and was inches from going in. On replay, it appeared that Madrid’s Raul Asencio pulled back Pau Cubarsi, who would have been there to tap it in. However, once again, it wasn’t even looked at by the video assistant. Madrid, not to be outdone, found Vini on the counter attack. Without Balde, none of Barca’s defence was quick enough to catch the Brazilian, and he was taken down in the box by Inigo Martinez. The referee immediately pointed to the spot, but on replay, Vini was leaning just behind Barca’s elite high line, and for the second time tonight, the high line saved what very likely would have been a goal.
After all this, it was just 1-0 Barca, and the halftime whistle was blown. It was a half largely dominated by Barca, but Madrid had their answer at halftime. Coming on for Rodrygo, was their main man, Kylian Mbappe. While Barca started the half with close efforts from Yamal, Raphinha, and Pedri in the opening minutes, it was clear Real Madrid was making themselves known this half. It wouldn’t be so easy for Barca. In the 50th minute, Vini found himself barrelling down on Szczesny, and forced an incredible double save from the Polish stopper. 3 minutes later, Mbappe got his first action of the second half, getting half-past Cubarsi and having a shot saved by Szczesny again from a tight angle. Barca was still dangerous on the counter, Raphinha putting an effort just wide on a said counter. However, it was still Madrid who was the better team, another Vini chance forcing the Barca defence to scramble, a shot saved by Szczesny bouncing off Kounde and Gerard Martin before the shot stopper pounced on the loose ball. Vini had some more close efforts, before Raphinha recreated his counter attack from minutes earlier, dragging the ball agonizingly wide once again. It was clear that the next goal would be absolutely critical. With 23 minutes to go, still with some close but not close enough chances from both sides, Kylian Mbappe used his top level speed to get by Inigo Martinez, and dragged a shot wide, even with appeals of being dragged back by Frenkie de Jong. The contact was minimal, but referee De Burgos Bengoetxea still called the foul. He was then surrounded by Madrid players who thought Mbappe was the last man, and de Jong should have been sent off. However, it was just a yellow for the Dutchman. Despite pleas from Madrid fans begging Guler to take the free kick, it was Mbappe to take it. He had never scored a direct free kick goal before, but tonight would be different. The Frenchman aimed for the bottom left corner, something Szczesny clearly didn’t anticipate, and it was placed perfectly, nobody was saving that. It was 1-1, beautiful goal.
This goal fueled Madrid, and they went even harder than they were before. After getting a couple corners in a row, Arda Guler, a great talent who really should start for Madrid, played a great cross that landed right on the head of Aurelien Tchouameni, and flew by Szczesny, and gave Madrid the lead. 2-1. With 14 minutes of regular time to go, it was as simple as defending the net for about the same amount of time it takes to make a salad. However, the rule, as it has been all season for the Blaugrana, comes into play.
“It’s Barca. It’s never that simple.”
Immediately after the goal, Barca started getting chances again. In the 79th, Fermin Lopez got by Asencio and nearly got by Rudiger before the German cleared it. 2 minutes later, Yamal picked up a pass from Pedri at the edge of the box. He cut inside, and his effort was just saved by Courtois. However, just 3 minutes after that, the 17-year old picked up the ball around halfway, and played a great long ball to Ferran Torres. Many times in this match, he’d shown that he didn’t have the legs for a long run like this. But the 25-year old used all of his pace to get past Rudiger, and beat Courtois with his first touch. The ball still wasn’t going in, so he had to contort his body, and beat a scrambling Rudiger to put it in, and he did. 2-2, and as they had done all season with massive goals like these, the entire bench came to celebrate with him. We were square again, with just minutes left.
There weren’t many massive chances in the minutes to follow, but in the fourth of six planned added minutes, Ferran Torres spun in the box, and was clipped by Rudiger with none of the ball in sight. However, no penalty was called on the field, and to my knowledge, no check was done by VAR. This was the third time this had happened tonight. However, it looked like Barca may just get that bit of justice they were looking for as just minutes later, Raphinha went down after an alleged tackle by Raul Asencio, and the referee finally pointed to the spot. Guess who decided to, for the first time of the night, finally show up. The video assistants. After calling the referee over to the screen, it was made clear that Asencio hadn’t actually made contact with Raphinha, and that it was merely a very convincing dive. The referee overturned his decision, and, in fact, booked the Brazilian for the dive. Barca fans were in outrage as the final whistle blew to send the match to extra time, but there was nothing they could do.
In extra time, defence was the order of the match, as it usually is in the final period. Barca were more on the attack, however, while Madrid wanted this one to go to pens. There was about a half-dozen chances in the first half for the Blaugrana that were just one pass or missed interception away from being truly dangerous. Just before the half, however, We saw the most dangerous chance of the extra time so far. Ferran Torres got the ball and dragged an effort just wide of the far post.
The second half of extra time started the same. 2 minutes in, Ferran Torres put it past Courtois, but like the Vini goal in the first half, the assistant raised his flag. 2-2 it remained. However, Madrid made a statement. Off went Antonio Rudiger, who didn’t know yet this would be his last football of the season, and on came Endrick, who had 5 goals in the Copa del Rey so far, and looked to stop this match from going to pens. Madrid were going on the attack. It started to work, as with 8 minutes left in the extra time period, an Arda Guler cross just missed finding Mbappe or Bellingham in the box.
Minute 115. Barca has a throw in, dangerously inside Madrid territory. Inigo Martinez, who had shifted to left back, put it to Raphinha. Raphinha played it back to Inigo with the intention of playing a 1-2, but it was intercepted by Fede Valverde. After a struggle between Inigo and Fede for the ball, Luka Modric comes in and wins it. He plays it to Brahim Diaz, trying to start a counterattack. But there’s a miscommunication. Brahim Diaz is walking backwards as Modric is trying to give him the ball. Jules Kounde notices this and sprints for the ball. He intercepts the pass before it rolls to Brahim Diaz, taking a touch, and just outside of the ‘D’ on the edge of the box, drills a low shot past a sprawling Courtois and into the bottom corner. It’s 3-2. Barca may have just won it, with 5 minutes before penalties.
After the kickoff, Kylian Mbappe makes a run into the box. He’s taken down by Gavi, and the referee points to the spot. However, it’s offside, and if it was onside, likely it would have been taken to VAR, and the referee would have seen the perfect tackle made by Gavi. Then, in stoppage time, after the referee called a foul on Eric Garcia, the Real Madrid bench went ballistic. Many substitutes, including Vini, yelled at the referee, even stepping on the pitch, and Antonio Rudiger even threw an ice pack at De Burgos Bengoetxea. The referee halted the game, and sent off the German. Now with nothing to lose, the German had to be held back from going on the pitch and attacking the Basque official. In the chaos, Vazquez and Bellingham were also sent off.
The final whistle blew. Barca won 3-2, a fitting scoreline for their 32nd Copa del Rey title, putting them 8 wins above Bilbao’s tally in second. An end came to a Clasico that has a case of being the best since some of the classics of the Messi/Ronaldo days. The storylines, referee drama, on field drama, and everything around this match made it the spectacle it ended up becoming. We will be hard pressed to find a Clasico quite like this in the years that will follow April’s match. Barca couldn’t even celebrate it like the spectacle it was. 3 days after the match, Barca were back at home, facing Inter in their first Champions League semifinal since 2019. It was a match, similarly incredible, and ended 3-3. The second leg takes place later today, and likely we won’t see the celebrations for a match like this until after the season ends. Another Clasico takes place in less than a week! Either way, this Clasico was utterly incredible, and will never be forgotten.