The Barça coach has seen it all as a player in these clashes, and now he faces a formidable challenge from the dugout. Xavi Hernández, steering Fútbol Club Barcelona, brings a deep reservoir of experience to the Clásico stage, a stage he has dominated in the past as a player and now tests anew as a manager. His tenure includes a significant history in these duels, with 42 official Clásicos on his record as a player, an anchor for how he approaches this rival on match day.
Xavi’s Clásico record with Barcelona against Real Madrid: goals, matches, wins, losses and titles
Strong home and away dynamics
From his vantage point, Xavi won 40 percent of his meetings with Real Madrid, translating to 17 victories. He endured 13 defeats and 12 draws in those battles. In terms of scoring, he hit five goals against the White team and supplied eight assists, delivering performances that often swayed the balance of these storied encounters. Across these derbies, he produced moments that fans still recall, like setting up four goals in a single unforgettable Bernabéu night or contributing to key wins that defined his era as a player.
Memorable performances like the 2-6 away win at the Santiago Bernabéu, where he supplied four assists, and the lopsided 5-0 thrashing that marked Mourinho’s Madrid debut against Barcelona—an early banner moment in his Clásico narrative. He himself found the net and set the tone in those classic bouts as a player, leaving a lasting imprint on the fixture.
Great moments captured in images and highlights reflect the arc of his career in these games, underscoring a period when Barcelona thrived under a global spotlight.
Locking arms with Real Madrid
If there is a blemish on Xavi’s Clásico ledger, it lies in a single season where the road to glory ran through Madrid, specifically during the 2007-08 campaign. Barcelona, fresh off a domestic title, faced a difficult test away from home in a game that would resonate through the season, a reminder of the fierce rivalry and the high standard required to win the Clasico at the Bernabéu.
Debates aside, those clashes formed a critical thread in a narrative that would feature both strategic brilliance and intense competition, reinforcing the rivalry as one of football’s defining showdowns.
Clásicos from the dugout: wins and near-misses
From the bench, Xavi has witnessed both the sweetness of success and the sting of defeat. In a dramatic late moment during the Spanish Super Cup semi-final in 2022, a goal by Fede Valverde changed the course of extra time, leaving a tough memory for Barça (3-2 after extra time). Yet, a sweeping 0-4 triumph at the Bernabéu on another memorable night showcased his team’s execution and the efficiency of his players when everything clicked. That year’s league or cup campaigns carried the imprint of tactical clarity and collective effort under his leadership. In another fixture from the 2022-23 season, Real Madrid triumphed 3-1 at the Bernabéu in the Clásico, highlighting the ever-present tension of this fixture. Still, Barça would respond in the next chapter, capturing a 3-1 win in a domestic final that featured goals from a rising generation, with Gavi, Lewandowski, and Pedri delivering the decisive strikes.
These episodes illustrate how Xavi has balanced ambition with the pragmatism of managing at the highest level, navigating a fixture that demands both resilience and invention from a team under his guidance.
Which post did you like the most?
- Real Betty
- sao paulo
- cremonese
- Ajax
- Burnley
14689
Thank you for voting
The results will appear shortly.
Which post did you like the most?
- 51%Real Betty
- eleven%sao paulo
- 5%cremonese
- 25%Ajax
- 7%Burnley
14689
Source: Goal