Two of the three titans of Spanish football, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid have a long, long history.
Bar Clasico rivals Real Madrid, there is no team Barca have locked horns with more frequently. For Atletico, it is, by some distance, the most played fixture in the club's 120-year existence.
United by a shared hatred of Real Madrid, these two sides have played out some thrilling classics in the past, no more so than in the last few decades.
Here are five memorable meetings between Barca and Atletico in the 21st century and their complete head-to-head record.
Memorable Games
- Atletico Madrid 4-2 Barcelona - March 2008
- Atletico Madrid 4-3 Barcelona - March 2009
- Barcelona 5-0 Atletico Madrid - September 2011
- Barcelona 1-1 Atletico Madrid - May 2014
- Atletico Madrid 0-1 Barcelona - May 2015
Atletico Madrid 4-2 Barcelona - March 2008
In the late 2000s and early 2010s, Barcelona vs Atletico was a fixture that guaranteed goals, with the side from the Spanish capital coming out on top in a six-goal affair in March 2006.
Ronaldinho may have given visiting Barca the lead with a fabulous overhead kick, but this was a day for a young Sergio Aguero to shine. The striker was aided by a big deflection for his opener before turning provider for former Liverpool attacker Maxi Rodriguez to fire home from a tight angle.
Diego Forlan's penalty gave Atletico a two-goal advantage, with Aguero grabbing his second after a delightful run and low finish with 20 minutes remaining. Samuel Eto'o's strike reduced the deficit but Atletico held on for a memorable victory, especially given they had lost their last two games against Barca by an aggregate score of 9-0.
Atletico Madrid 4-3 Barcelona - March 2009
Exactly one year after their 4-2 win over Frank Rijkaard's side, Atletico enjoyed a similarly stunning victory over Pep Guardiola's Barcelona. It was Aguero and Forlan who stole centre stage again, although Thierry Henry did his best to take the limelight himself.
Henry opened the scoring with a 20-yard beauty before Lionel Messi doubled Barca's lead with an exquisite solo strike with half an hour played. Forlan cut their advantage before the break, thundering home a dipping left-footed effort from 25 yards to bring a first half of stunning strikes to an end.
Aguero continued the trend after half-time with a lovely touch and finish beyond Victor Valdes, although Henry restored Barca's lead with 17 minutes to play.
It was a dramatic finish in Madrid as Forlan's penalty levelled proceedings before Aguero capitalised on a rare Carles Puyol error to score an 89th-minute winner in front of the home supporters.
Barcelona 5-0 Atletico Madrid - September 2011
Just six games into the 2011/12 La Liga season, Barcelona gave Gregorio Manzano's Atletico a real hiding at Camp Nou.
Future Atletico striker David Villa would give Barca the lead early on, taking down Xavi's wonderful lofted through ball before cutting past an Atletico defender and curling beyond Thibaut Courtois. A rather unfortunate Miranda own goal would double their lead before Messi produced a trademark piece of individual magic to make it three before half-time.
A gorgeous Messi free-kick ensured there was no way back for Atletico before the diminutive Argentine grabbed his hat-trick with another beautiful finish in a mesmeric performance.
Barcelona 1-1 Atletico Madrid - May 2014
A trip to Camp Nou has never been so memorable for Atletico's players and supporters. On 17 May 2014, after a 1-1 draw with Barcelona, Diego Simeone's side lifted a first La Liga trophy for Atleti in 18 years.
Barcelona would have won the Spanish title if they had beaten Atletico on home soil and it looked as if they were well on their way to another piece of silverware when Alexis Sanchez fired home a wonderful effort to give them a first-half lead.
However, Atletico came out fighting in the second half and it took Diego Godin just four minutes to head home an equaliser that would ultimately win the visitors the league. It was the first time that one of Barca or Real Madrid hadn't won La Liga in a decade.
Atletico Madrid 0-1 Barcelona - May 2015
Having suffered heartbreak on the final day of the 2013/14 season at the hands of Atletico, it would be sweet revenge for Barcelona in Madrid the following campaign.
In their penultimate La Liga match, Barca would grab the title off Atletico in their own stadium, Messi's effort the difference between the two sides in the capital. The forward, who was part of the famous 'MSN' trio that also contained Luis Suarez and Neymar, helped the Catalan club to a then 23rd Spanish title.
It was exactly a year on from Atletico's draw at Camp Nou that had denied Barcelona the title the previous season and the Catalan side would go on to win the treble, lifting the Copa del Rey and Champions League in a sensational season.
Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid - Complete H2H record
- Games played: 241
- Barcelona wins: 109
- Draws: 56
- Atletico Madrid wins: 76
Top scorers in Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid fixtures
Player | Team represented | Goals scored |
|---|---|---|
Lionel Messi | Barcelona | 32 |
Cesar Rodriguez | Barcelona | 16 |
Paco Campos | Atletico Madrid | 13 |
Laszlo Kubala | Barcelona | 12 |
Hristo Stoichkov | Barcelona | 12 |
