2010 La Liga Match vs Real Madrid (5-0)

Lore & Background

The game showcased Barça's mastering of the tiki-taka in combination with the Total Football philosophy and the superb team-work of whom many consider the top three players in the world: Messi, Xavi and Andrés Iniesta. The international press hailed Barcelona's impressive win and their football as currently the best in the game, while some questioned whether the Real Madrid squad was 'ready' for the magnitude of this match.

In Their Own Story

The atmosphere inside the Bernabéu was suffocating with tension until the first whistle shattered it. When the final blow came, the roar from the visiting 'Culés' drowned out the disbelief of the home section. Lionel Messi stood near the center circle, chest heaving not from fatigue but from the sheer weight of the moment, his eyes scanning a field where Real Madrid's defense had simply ceased to exist. As teammates embraced in a sea of blue and red against the stark white jerseys of their defeated rivals, the era of Spanish football was irrevocably rewritten right there on the pitch.

Reader's Guide

Guardiola stated, 'it was a spectacle' and 'how we did it – that makes us proud. Now just let us sit back and enjoy that win – we'll reflect and look at the whole game, but now it would be wrong not to revel in the win. Games like that happen very rarely indeed'. In regards to Madrid, Pep stated, 'This match isn't representative of the difference between the two teams. They are a very good team, they came here unbeaten and as league leaders. Today all of our players played well and that was the difference.'

Did You Know?

• After the victory, Barcelona took over first place in La Liga's table, ahead of Madrid by two points with 25 rounds left to play.
• The match was scheduled on a Monday due to the elections to the Parliament of Catalonia, held the day before.