Lionel Messi was just 18 years old when he tasted El Clasico for the first time. It was at the Santiago Bernabeu on a cold November night in 2005 that the Argentine teenager first featured in Barcelona’s team against Real Madrid, doing so with the No.30 on his back.
Shortly into his El Clasico debut, Messi did what he does best and worked his magic to assist Samuel Eto’o for Barca’s first goal, before Ronaldinho scored a brace to record a memorable 3-0 away win.
Now, 15 years later, Messi is a thorn in Madrid’s side. Messi hasn’t only lived up to that early promise, but he has managed to set his own benchmarks in this famous La Liga fixture.
Nobody can dispute his dominance as the forward has broken many records that had stood for more than half a century. Continue reading