For the first time this century, the El Clasico match between Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona will feature neither Iker Casillas nor Xavi Hernandez.
Two of the most legendary players from their respective clubs, former Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas and former Barcelona midfielder Xavier Hernandez will, for the first time in their careers and this century, find themselves away from the action of El Clasico on the 21st of November.
A Great History
On the occasion of the first ‘Clasico’ without the two former captains, Spanish newspaper Marca provided a bit of history about their encounters against each other.
Since they first faced off in the fixture in February 2000, they have played against each other on a total of 36 occasions. The Real shot stopper triumphed in the first game, starting in the 3-0 win for Real Madrid, in which the Bar a midfielder came on after the interval.
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Their final showdown was somewhat similar with Casillas starting and Xavi replacing Iniesta with 10 minutes to go. This time though Barcelona took home the spoils (2-1). In total, the Barcelona star won 15 of their meetings and the Real Madrid custodian 12, with nine draws.
A New Dawn For El Clasico
Casillas and Xavi have both had a big hand in shaping the growth and development of their clubs with both of them serving as captains and influential squad members. While Casillas is now at Porto and Xavi at Qatari side Al-Sadda, the impact that they have had on the El Clasico will always be cherished.
It is now time for the new legends of Barcelona and Real Madrid, players like Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar and Bale to leave their mark on the biggest match in Spanish football.