The famous El Clásico – the fierce rivalry between Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona remains one of the most anticipated fixtures of the European season.
Since the first-ever encounter in 1902, the battle has proven to be decisive most times in determining the winners of the Spanish La Liga.
The first installment of the 2025-26 edition is take place at the Santiago Bernabeu – home of 15-time European champions Real Madrid on the 26th of October, with kickoff scheduled for 4:15 PM.
With the legendary duo of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo no longer part of the action, a new generation of stars led by Lamine Yamal and Kylian Mbappe, has taken center stage.
But which players have scored the most goals in the history of this iconic rivalry? And do either of the two all-time greats rank among the top five?
In this article, SportPremi reveals the top five highest goalscorers in El Clásico history;
5. Raul (15 goals):
Real Madrid legend Raul Gonzalez scored 15 goals for Los Blancos in this fierce rivalry, leaving him in fifth spot on this rankings.
The former Spanish international scored 11 in La Liga, three in the Spanish Supercopa and one in Europe across 37 appearances.
4. Karim Benzema (16 goals):
French forward Karim Benzema scored 16 times in the history of the El Clásico, ranking him fourth on this list.
The Al Ittihad striker scored eight of those goals in the Spanish La Liga and added four in the Copa Del Rey.
Benzema also scored four times for Real Madrid against Barcelona in the Spanish Supercopa and has the third most appearances in the history of the clash with 43.
The one-time Ballon d’Or winner also recorded the fastest goal in the fixture history, scoring after just 21 seconds when both sides met in December 2011.
3. Alfredo Di Stefano (18 goals):
The legendary Alfredo Di Stefano is joint-second on this list, having scored 18 times in the El Clásico during his playing career.
The Real Madrid legend has the second-most La Liga goals in this fixture with 14 and is the oldest goalscorer in the fixture’s history, scoring at 37 years and 174 days on the 15th of December, 1963.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo (18 goals):
Unsurprisingly, Cristiano Ronaldo takes second spot with the joint-second most goals in El Clásico history with 18.
The former Manchester United and Juventus forward has also scored in the most consecutive editions of the fixture, scoring seven times in six straight games against Barcelona between 2011 and 2013.
1. Lionel Messi (26 goals):
Barcelona legend Lionel Messi stands at the top of the rivalry’s history books, scoring an unmatched 26 goals, eight more than any other player in history
The Argentina captain scored 18 of those goals in La Liga and six in the Spanish Supercopa, making him the highest scorer in both competitions in this fixture.
Messi also has the most assists in the history of the clash (14) and has scored the most penalties as well (6).
