Without Messi and Ronaldo, El Clasico takes a peek into the future

BARCELONA – “No Messi, no Cristiano.”

It’s a common refrain from just about everybody you see in the days leading up to Sunday’s El Clasico at the Camp Nou. Cab drivers bring it up; you can overhear locals discussing it while waiting in line at the grocery store or eating their ham croquettes at one of the seemingly endless restaurants in the city.

Bereft of the two stars who defined it for over a decade, the latest edition of the engrossing rivalry between Barcelona and Real Madrid still feels like it’s all about them.

It’s fitting, really.

Since the Dec. 2007 installment, when a Julio Baptista goal gave Madrid a 1-0 win, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been ever-present when La Liga’s two behemoths lock horns in Spain’s great footballing spectacle.

David Ramos / Getty Images Sport / Getty

For 11 years, they overshadowed this meeting. The 44 goals they scored in 68 matches between them – a ridiculous statistic – doesn’t even tell the whole story.

It was Messi vs. Ronaldo first and Barcelona vs. Real Madrid – arguably the most grandiose rivalry in the sport – second. Judging by the chatter around the Catalan city …read more

Source: https://www.thescore.com/liga/news/1634726