Real Madrid vs Barcelona: which is the best team in Spain?

Real Madrid vs Barcelona: which is the best team in Spain?

Kevin Omuya
updated at April 12, 2023 at 7:59 PM

Heavyweight teams from Catalunya and the Spanish capital are arguably the most famous rivalry in international football, and they always put on a great show. Real Madrid vs Barcelona is on the verge of their 250th competitive El Clásico match, with little to choose between the two teams in terms of overall record. This article provides the best team in El Clássico.

Real Madrid vs Barcelona: which is the best team in Spain?
The FC Barcelona and Real Madrid club crest on the first team home shirts without the La Liga logo on July 22, 2020, in Manchester, United Kingdom. Photo: Visionhaus
Source: Getty Images

With large budgets and a reputation for attracting world-class talent worldwide, their respective rosters have been stacked with match-winners. But, in a famous rivalry that dates back to 1929, who has had the upper hand? This article examines which is the best team in Spain.

Real Madrid's profile summary

  • Full name: Real Madrid Football Club
  • Nickname: Los Blancos
  • Founded: 1902
  • Colours: White, Blue and Pink.
  • Federation: FIFA
  • Head coach: Carlo Ancelotti
  • Captain: Karim Benzema
  • Top scorer: Cristiano Ronaldo (438 goals)
  • Stadium: Santiago Bernabeu Stadium
  • Stadium Capacity: 81,044
  • Instagram: @realmadrid (113 million followers as of 1 April 2022)
  • Twitter: @realmadriden (13.7 million followers)
  • Networth: $4.75 billion

Barcelona's profile summary

  • Full name: Futbol Club Barcelona
  • Nickname: Blaugrana
  • Founded: 1899
  • Colours: Blue, Yellow, Red and White
  • Federation: FIFA
  • Head coach: Xavi
  • Captain: Sergio Busquets
  • Top scorer: Lionel Messi (709 goals)
  • Stadium: Camp Nou
  • Stadium Capacity: 99,354
  • Instagram: @fcbarcelona (107 million followers as of 1 April 2022)
  • Twitter: @FCBarcelona (40.8 million followers)
  • Networth: $4.76

Real Madrid vs Barcelona coaches

Carlo Ancelotti's outstanding plan has helped Real Madrid dominate the 2021-22 La Liga season. He is an experienced head coach who returned to Real Madrid to help the squad recover from the terrible results under Zidane.

Since his first term as Real Madrid's head coach (2013-2015), Ancelotti has a lousy record against Barcelona, who has changed several coaches, having lost four 'Clasicos' and winning only one at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium.

Real Madrid vs Barcelona: head to head

The 249th competitive Clasico took place at Santiago Bernabeu in March 2022. However, Madrid and Barcelona had met 33 times in friendlies and other non-competitive matches. The sides' total head-to-head record has been incredibly close, with Real, who has already reached a century of victories having the upper hand in competitive matches and Barca having the upper hand when exhibition games are factored in.

Real Madrid vs Barcelona titles

Real Madrid vs Barcelona UEFA Champions League titles, La Liga titles, and Copa Del Rey have been summarised below.

real madrid vs barcelona: which is the best team in Spain?
All-time head-to-head record in competitive games between Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Source: UGC

As of the match on March 20, 2022, Real Madrid leads Barcelona in results of the head in competitive matches, with 100 wins to 97 draws. On the other hand, the Catalans lead Los Blancos in exhibition matches, with 19 victories to Madrid's 4 with 10 draws, and in total matches, with 116 wins to Madrid's 104 with 62 draws.

Real Madrid vs Barcelona squads

Real Madrid vs Barcelona: which is the best team in Spain?
Players of FC Barcelona line up for a team photo prior to the LaLiga Santander match against Los Blancos at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on March 20, 2022, in Madrid, Spain. Photo: Mateo Villalba
Source: Getty Images

This is the latest squad of FC Barcelona, including new signings in 2021/22.

Goalkeepers

  • Marc-André ter Stegen
  • Neto
  • Arnau Tenas

Defenders

  • Gerard Piqué
  • Ronald Araujo
  • Dani Alves
  • Clément Lenglet
  • Jordi Alba
  • Óscar Mingueza
  • Eric García

Midfielders

  • Sergio Busquets
  • Riqui Puig
  • Nico González
  • Pedri
  • Frenkie De Jong
  • Gavi

Forwards

  • Ousmane Dembélé
  • Memphis Depay
  • Adama Traoré
  • Martin Braithwaite
  • Luuk De Jong
  • Ferran Torres
  • Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Real Madrid squad 2022

Real Madrid vs Barcelona: which is the best team in Spain?
Los Blancos team lines up during the UEFA Champions League match between Real Madrid and Club Brugge at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. Photo: Manu Reino
Source: Getty Images

This is the latest Real Madrid squad in 2022, including new signings in 2021/22.

Goalkeepers

  • Thibaut Courtois
  • Lucas Cañizares
  • Diego Piñeiro
  • Luis Federico López Andúgar

Defenders

  • Éder Gabriel Militão
  • David Alaba
  • Jesús Vallejo
  • Marcelo
  • Dani Carvajal
  • Nacho
  • Ferland Mendy
  • Mario Gila
  • Pablo Ramon

Midfielders

  • Toni Kroos
  • Casemiro
  • Lucas Vazquez
  • Luka Modric
  • Daniel Ceballos
  • Eduardo Camavinga
  • Vinicius Júnior
  • Sergio Arribas Calvo
  • Antonio Blanco
  • Ivan Morante
  • Álvaro Fidalgo Fernández
  • Federico Valverde
  • Javier Munoz
  • Peter Federico Gonzalez Carmona
  • Eden Hazard
  • Isco

Strikers

  • Mariano Díaz Mejía
  • Karim Benzema
  • Marco Asensio
  • Luka Jovic
  • Rodrygo
  • Juan Miguel Latasa
  • Ruben Sobrino
  • Oscar Aranda
  • Gareth Bale

Real Madrid vs Barcelona legends

Real Madrid defeated Barcelona 3-2 in a unique match featuring iconic players from both teams. Minutes, Alfonso Perez and Ruben de la Red scored for Los Blancos, while Ronaldinho and Jofre Mateu scored for the Catalans at Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv.

Who has the most wins in El Clásico?

Real Madrid vs Barcelona: which is the best team in Spain?
Vinicius Junior of Los Blancos and Ousmane Dembele of Barcelona compete for the ball during the La Liga match at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on March 20, 2022, in Madrid, Spain. Photo: Jose Breton
Source: Getty Images

Barcelona (116 wins) has won more El Classico matches than Real Madrid (104 wins). As of the 20 March 2022 match, Real Madrid leads in competitive matches with 100 wins to Barcelona's 97 with 52 draws. Barcelona leads in exhibition matches with 19 victories to Los Blanco's 4 with 10 draws and overall matches with 116 wins to Los Blanco's 104 with 62 draws.

  • Competitive matches: Real Madrid - 100
  • Exhibition matches: Barcelona - 19
  • Total matches: Barcelona - 116
  • Most player appearances: Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos - 45 each
  • Top scorer: Lionel Messi - 26
  • Largest victory: Real Madrid 11–1 Barcelona Copa del Rey (19 June 1943)

Is Real Madrid or Barcelona bigger?

As of March 2022, there are more Google searches on Barca than Real in the past 12 months. Real has had the upper hand over Barcelona since 1929, winning more La Liga titles, having a better average league position, winning more El Clasicos, and having a more renowned trophy cabinet.

The two clubs and their players now have unrivalled global support on social media. On the other hand, the Catalans have won four of the last six Real Madrid vs Barcelona matches and have finished ahead of Los Blancos for the past four seasons.

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Authors
Kevin Omuya photo
Kevin Omuya
Kevin Omuya is a Content Writer with 4 years of experience who joined Sports Brief in 2022. In 2019 he held a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism & Digital Media from KCA University.