Five of the best - Iniesta's most memorable Clasicos
With Sunday's clash between Real Madrid and Barcelona to be Andres Iniesta's final 'El Clasico', we look back at five of his most memorable games against 'Los Blancos'.
Andres Iniesta is set to play in his final Clasico on Sunday as his glittering Barcelona career nears its end.
With little other than pride riding on the biggest club game in world football, Iniesta will likely have even more licence to mark his last appearance in the fixture with a flourish.
Should he be unable to do so, the 33-year-old Spain great will still have plenty of fond memories of games against Madrid to look back on. Here we reflect on five of his best Clasicos.
- Ronaldinho rips apart Real - November 19, 2005: Real Madrid 0-3 Barcelona -
Introduced from the bench for Lionel Messi in November 2005, Iniesta was able bear witness to perhaps the defining performance of Ronaldinho's career as the Brazilian tore apart Madrid almost single-handedly. A smart turn and finish from Samuel Eto'o put Barca ahead after 14 minutes before Ronaldinho twice skipped past Sergio Ramos as a pair of stunning individual strikes earned him a standing ovation from the Santiago Bernabeu crowd, a rare distinction Iniesta would eventually enjoy.
- The joy of six for Barca - May 2, 2009: Real Madrid 2-6 Barcelona -
Madrid had won 17 of 18 matches as they relentlessly pursued Pep Guardiola's Barca in the race for the title, but the Catalans emphatically ended their hopes of winning La Liga with a brutal demolition job at the Bernabeu. Iniesta was to the fore, as he and Xavi ran rings round Fernando Gago in midfield. He dispossessed Lassana Diarra to set up Messi for the first of his two goals, while Thierry Henry also netted a brace and Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique were on target.
- Benitez beaten and a Bernabeu ovation - November 21, 2015: Real Madrid 0-4 Barcelona -
As with Ronaldinho, the Bernabeu crowd displayed their appreciation for a superb performance from a Barca player after Iniesta inspired the worst result in Rafael Benitez's short reign with Madrid. After Luis Suarez had opened the scoring, Iniesta slid in Neymar at the near post to make it 2-0, with the same pair combining again in a clever one-two that ended with the Spaniard rifling into the top-right corner from just inside the box. Suarez then netted a second before Iniesta was withdrawn to unexpected applause from the home fans.