From Ronaldinho to Iniesta: A decade of dominance at the Bernabéu

Almost ten years to the day since Ronaldinho famously received an ovation from the Real Madrid faithful for a masterful performance, Andrés Iniesta was given similarly warm applause in Saturday’s win.

It was 19 November 2005 when the Brazilian scored two fine solo goals in a 3-0 victory while Iniesta’s blistering strike in a 4-0 win on 21 November 2015 marked a decade of dominance at the Santiago Bernabéu, with eight wins for Barça, three draws and six defeats.

A debut Clásico appearance for a young Leo Messi and a goal from Samuel Eto’o were overshadowed by a now infamous display from Ronaldinho in the 2005/06 season. The match is best remembered for the Madrid supporters’ applause after his second goal.

Ten years later, history would repeat itself. As was the case a decade ago, Barça’s win takes them to the top of the table after Week 12 of La Liga following an international break and Madrid fans again rose to their feet to appreciate the fine talents of an opponent, this time Iniesta.

The Spanish midfielder not only provided an assist for Neymar to make it 2-0 and scored with a fine drive from the edge of the box for 3-0, but his all-round display was key in controlling the tempo of the game.

Decade of dominance at the Bernabéu

There have been some famous victories at the Bernabéu over the last ten years, no less than the 6-2 league win in 2009, the 2-0 in the Champions League semi-final of 2011 and the 4-3 in the 2013/14 La Liga campaign.

Barça have come out on top in the last decade with eight wins and three draws from the last 17 visits to the Bernabéu: La Liga (10), Copa del Rey (3), Spanish Super Cup (2) and Champions League (1).