Barcelona vs Real Madrid: Here Are the Last Five Players to Score a Hat Trick in El Clasico

• Real Madrid defeated Barcelona 4-0 to advance to the Copa del Rey final
• Karim Benzema bagged a hat-trick to become the first Real Madrid player to score treble in 60 years
• Sports Brief looks at the players who have scored a hat-trick in El Clasico since 1990

Possibly the biggest match in club football is El Clasico. When Spanish powerhouses, Barcelona and Real Madrid cross swords in any competition, the entire world pauses to watch, and notching up a goal can make a player immortal.

When the two fiercest rivals are this good and possess so much quality at their disposal, matches between them frequently feature spectacular goals and intense brawls. A player scoring a hat-trick in El Clasico is incredibly uncommon though.

Standing ovations from the opposing crowds have followed impressive performances by players like Andres Iniesta and Ronaldinho at the Santiago Bernabeu, but neither has ever scored three goals against Real Madrid.

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Even five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo, who is tied for second place all-time in El Clasico top scorers and holds the record for most career hat-tricks, failed to score a treble against La Blaugrana.

Only five players have accomplished this since the 1990s. Here, Sports Brief looks at the last five stars to accomplish it, along with how they immortalized themselves by bagging a treble on the biggest stage.

Romario, Barcelona

The legendary Brazilian player played for Barcelona for just two seasons, but during that time he scored 39 goals in 65 matches, including a stunning hat trick against Real Madrid during the 1993–94 campaign.

When Real Madrid visited the Camp Nou in January 1994, they were humiliated 5-0 and had to flee with their tails between their legs.

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Ivan Zamarano, Real Madrid

The significance of the rivalry with Barcelona was crystal clear from the moment Ivan Zamorano moved from Sevilla to the Bernabeu for €5 million in the summer of 1992.

The legendary Chilean forward was noted for scoring goals against Barcelona. He is best remembered for netting a brace in a 4-2 victory over the Catalan club in September 1991.

However, he announced himself to the world in January 1995. Real Madrid defeated Barcelona 5-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu thanks to Zamorano's first-half hat-trick. His goals served as payback for Romario's antics at the Nou Camp.

Lionel Messi, Barcelona

Lionel Messi is the only player to make this list twice, which was inevitable.

His first came in a 3-3 draw playing alongside Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto'o at the Camp Nou in March 2007, when he was still a teenager.

In March 2014, he accomplished the feat once more, this time winning 4-3 at the Bernabéu.

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Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo both scored goals, but Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick in addition to Andres Iniesta's opening goal to defeat the tense contest. Messi's second penalty of the game came in the 87th minute.

Luis Suarez, Barcelona

Not even Real Madrid were even able to stop a prime Suarez.

The last El Clasico hat trick occurred in October 2018 when Barcelona racked up a 5-1 victory over Real Madrid at the Camp Nou, with Luis Suarez winning the game's golden ball. This was before Karim Benzema's Copa del Rey heroics.

A stunning outcome was achieved thanks to a penalty, an outrageous header, and a brilliant chip.

Lucio Suárez? Rewards come from perseverance. The result of everything he has been doing is the hat-trick. After the game, manager Ernesto Valverde beamingly said, "He is always there.

Karim Benzema, Real Madrid

Real Madrid and 2022 Ballon d'Or holder, Benzema, were under severe pressure to make amends at Spotify Camp Nou for the second leg of their Copa del Rey matchup.

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The 14-time European champions went into the game 1-0 down in the tie after losing the first leg at the Bernabeu, and they had all but given up their league title race after a recent 2-1 El Clasico loss gave Barcelona a 12-point advantage.

Given that Barcelona's defense has dominated this season, allowing just nine league goals, the task of overcoming the deficit appeared especially challenging. Evidently, Benzema missed the memo.

The Los Blancos captain was obviously in a good mood after scoring three goals in the span of seven minutes against Real Valladolid at the weekend. Vinicius Junior's tie-leveller was set up by him.