The gunpowder of the Classic

For a little over a decade, from 2009 to 2018, El Clásico was marked by two soccer giants. Cristiano and Messi, Messi and Cristiano. During that time, they both shared nine Ballons d'Or, five for the Argentine, four for the Portuguese (who won another in 2008). Even with both in Madrid and Barça, Modric changed the trend. The Croatian raised him in 2018. But Cristiano's march to Juve inaugurated a new era. Now, Messi and Benzema (in the effective absence of Hazard) appear as the true flagships in the field of both entities. But the scoring account of the two is at zero in that new fight. Without Cristiano in Madrid, seven Clásicos have been played. Neither Messi nor Benzema have been able to score. Today, a new assault.

In that decade dominated by Cristiano and Messi in Madrid and Barça, the Argentine played 32 Classics and scored 20 goals. Cristiano played 30 and scored 18 points. Already in this new era, the one starring Messi and Benzema, Madrid have won two of the seven Clásicos contested and Barça, three …

Benzema comes to the game that can decide a season in the best scoring streak of his career at Real Madrid, To which he arrived in 2009 from Olympique de Lyon for 35 million euros, today, a ridiculous figure for a player of his quality. They are already seven games in a row scoring. It is the most decisive Benzema. 35.3% of Madrid's goals this season are his, both in the league (18 out of 51) and in all competitions (24 out of 68). More than any other previous campaign at Real Madrid. He averages 0.73 points per game, one every 118 minutes, which is his best scoring frequency since 2015-2016.

In the Classics, however, Benzema has not shone excessively since he wore the Madrid shirt. If Cristiano was able to score 18 goals in the 30 he played, the Frenchman is left with nine goals in 30 played. Six of those goals, anyway, were scored in Classics played at home … Benzema has not scored against Barcelona since the 2017-18 season, in the second leg of the Spanish Super Cup.

At 33 years of age, Benzema is experiencing a final stretch of his golden career. He has a contract with Madrid until 2022 and, behind him, 547 games played with the white jersey in which he has scored 273 goals. Adding up what was done at Lyon, 605 club games as a professional and 339 goals. Without Ramos, Marcelo or Varane in the starting lineup, Benzema will also be the captain today in a Clásico for the first time.

Messi arrives happy and fit to the Classic. He has scored 19 goals in 20 games in 2021, and 16 goals in the last thirteen league games. Spectacular figures that also correspond to a state of clairvoyance that was only slowed last Monday against Valladolid. Perhaps the inactivity of the break. But the feelings of the six-time Ballon d'Or are good. After scoring only seven goals in his first 16 league games, the Argentine gradually found partners. First it was Pedri, with whom he has had happy connections in the games of Zorrilla and San Mamés. Then, Busquets, with whom he understands with his eyes as they demonstrated at the Reale Arena. And also the usual one, Jordi Alba. The connections with De Jong, Griezmann and Dembélé have also flowed. The last twenty games Messi, like Barça, are not a coincidence.

Messi also has a recent pending account with the Classics. Although he is the all-time top scorer for the Madrid-Barça (26 goals in 44 with a record of 19 wins, 11 draws and 14 losses), he has now gone six games without scoring. And that is a rarity in the Argentine. He has been dry since May 6, 2018, when he scored one of the 2-2 goals at the Camp Nou in a match that was already inconsequential, because Barça were champions.

In the 2018-19 season, Messi could not play in LaLiga 5-1 because he injured his hand. At the Bernabéu, Barça won with solvency (0-1), but the one who scored was Rakitic. He also won the Cup semifinal with another great performance by Luis Suárez (0-3). Finally, last season he was also missing in the 0-0 at the Camp Nou and the 2-0 at the Bernabéu, in which he also saw a yellow card, the result of the frustration he accumulated.

In the foreground, the fight for the top scorer trophy, in which Rosario's genius is once again the leader (looking for his eighth Pichichi trophy). And, in the background, the fear that it could be the last Clásico of his career, since his contract with Barça expires on June 30.