El Clásico is one of the biggest games in club football and a brutal test for new faces, players and managers alike.
Xabi Alonso is about to make his Clásico debut as a coach, making him the seventh Real Madrid coach since 2010 to get his first taste in charge of this mammoth fixture. Barcelona have also had eight managerial debutants during that time, including Luis Enrique, Ronald Koeman and current boss Hansi Flick.
But how did all those coaches do on their debut in the world’s biggest game? Predictably, a lot of them struggled. We’ve had a look at all the El Clásico managerial debuts since 2010, from Ancelotti to Zidane, and ranked them all from best to worst.
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1. Hansi Flick
Real Madrid 0-4 Barcelona – 2024
El Clásico debuts really don’t come as gloriously enjoyable as this. After a tight first half in which Barca had dominated, they absolutely put Real Madrid to the sword after the break, a Robert Lewandowski brace and further strikes from Lamine Yamal and Raphinha giving Hansi Flick a thumping 4-0 away victory in his first meeting with the old enemy. The German has continued in that manner, winning all four of his Clásicos so far by a 16-7 combined scoreline.
2. Zinedine Zidane
Barcelona 1-2 Real Madrid – 2016
There aren’t many good Clásico debuts. It’s too brutal a fixture, especially for Real Madrid managers. Bernd Schuster won on his Clásico debut in 2007, but then Pep Guardiola happened. After Schuster, there was Juande Ramos, then Manuel Pellegrini, José Mourinho, Rafa Benitez and Carlo Ancelotti, and they all tasted defeat (you’ll see the latter three on this list later).
But then there was Zinedine Zidane, Real Madrid’s mad grasp for a Pep Guardiola of their very own.
It was an absurd risk, but it worked in the most Real Madrid way possible: winning. Sure, the football wasn’t transcendental, but that’s never been Real Madrid’s thing. Winning has. And Zidane won everything. But before the trophies, he won his first Clásico. At the Camp Nou. Snapping a 39-game unbeaten run from the Blaugrana. A massive statement of the glory to come. And undoubtedly one of the best Clásico debuts a manager has had in the past decade.
3. Carlo Ancelotti
Barcelona 1-2 Real Madrid – 2021
As you’ll see, Carlo Ancelotti didn’t really enjoy El Clásico too much during his first spell in charge, but his second one got off to a much better start. The Italian masterminded a dramatic 2-1 win away at the Camp Nou, with David Alaba scoring in the first half, before Lucas Vázquez added insurance in second-half stoppage time. That said, there was a nervy finish as Sergio Aguero halved the deficit in the 97th minute.
4. Tito Vilanova
Barcelona 3-2 Real Madrid – 2012
It can’t be easy following Pep Guardiola, especially when you’re battling cancer, but the late, great Tito Vilanova was such an incredible figure that he did a stupendous job. Picking up the Blaugrana after a season where they threw away the chance to win four Ligas in a row and retain the Champions League, Tito drove them to a 100-point La Liga victory, and it all started in the Supercopa de España.
Barcelona would actually go on to lose the cup on away goals after a 2-1 defeat in the Santiago Bernabeu, but the brilliance of that initial win, full of the same kind of fabulous football fans had become used to under Guardiola, was so exhilarating. Barcelona won 3-2, Messi began his ascension to free-kick king, and things were on their way again. #TitoEtern
5. Tata Martino
Barcelona 2-1 Real Madrid – 2013
No one wanted Tata Martino, although they claimed that Messi did to make him look bad. The thing is, Tata started out quite well, with the courage of his convictions to play 4-3-3 and have his side press like hell. This led to an impressive win at the Camp Nou, highlighted by a spectacular chip from Alexis Sánchez.
6. Zinedine Zidane
Real Madrid 0-0 Barcelona – 2020
Zidane’s second debut as Real Madrid manager was the worst Clásico in living memory. A dour 0-0 where both sides looked miles short of their usual level and the two best players were the goalkeepers. It was awful to watch, but it wasn’t a defeat, so it actually ranks highly here.
7. Xavi
Barcelona 2-3 Real Madrid (AET) – 2022
Barcelona had shown some good signs during Xavi’s early reign, with Bayern Munich and Real Betis the only teams to beat them in his opening 11 matches, though there were a few disappointing draws as well. His first meeting with Real Madrid came in the Spanish Super Cup semi-final, and his side showed great heart to twice come from behind to force extra-time. However, a Federico Valverde strike in the 98th minute settled the tie. Of course, this would have gone down as a draw if it were a league game, while Xavi went on to win his next Clásico 4-0 at the Bernabeu.
8. Santiago Solari
Real Madrid 0-1 Barcelona – 2019
Brought in to steady the ship midway through the 2018/19 season, Solari’s Clásico debut wasn’t that bad, really, as an outmatched Real Madrid battled hard against a Barcelona running away with the title. Los Blancos contained their attacking threats for the most part and only succumbed to a superb finish from Ivan Rakitic.
9. Carlo Ancelotti
Barcelona 2-1 Real Madrid – 2013
Ancelotti went on to win the fabled Decima in his first season in charge, but he was a bit of a Clásico dud during his first spell with Real Madrid. He fell in his first game on Tata Martino’s debut and even lost the return 3-4 at the Santiago Bernabeu. He lost three of his five Clásico showdowns during this period. That said, all was forgiven when Real Madrid beat Barcelona in the Gareth Bale Copa del Rey final in 2014.
10. Luis Enrique
Real Madrid 3-1 Barcelona – 2014
Luis Enrique’s tenure as Barcelona coach coincides with the reign of the deadly MSN trident. How amusing, then, that his Clásico debut was the first time all three men played together, and it ended in defeat as Madrid ate an early goal (from Neymar, set up by Suárez) and then picked the Blaugrana apart. The season ended with a treble for Lucho, but it began on rockier ground.
11. Ronald Koeman
Barcelona 1-3 Real Madrid – 2020
Ronald Koeman had to take on Real Madrid just six games into his Barca tenure, and having already lost his previous La Liga match against Getafe, the signs weren’t good. Federico Valverde fired Real Madrid into a fifth-minute lead at the Camp Nou before Ansu Fati quickly equalised. But while Barca missed a few decent chances, Los Blancos always looked in control, sealing victory with a Sergio Ramos penalty and a late Luka Modric strike. Koeman went on to lose all three of his El Clásicos in charge of Barcelona.
12. Ernesto Valverde
Barcelona 1-3 Real Madrid – 2017
It’s hard to imagine starting a Barcelona career off in a trickier way than a Clásico, but that’s what Ernesto Valverde had to do in 2017. With Neymar freshly departed and Madrid the incredible Liga and Champions League kings, Barcelona were nowhere near their rivals all game. Piqué admitted post-match that it was the first time he had ever felt “inferior” to Los Blancos. Not a good start.
13. Quique Setién
Real Madrid 2-0 Barcelona – 2020
Setién’s tenure at Barcelona was supposed to be great, but it turns out that he was better at having ideas than actually communicating and implementing them. His Barcelona were somehow even worse than Valverde’s, and to make matters worse, Setién didn’t even stick to his convictions and start striker Martin Braithwaite, someone he lobbied for the board to sign outside the transfer window. Of course, Braithwaite almost scored with his first touch, but by then Madrid had too much momentum to be stopped and romped to victory.
14. Julen Lopetegui
Barcelona 5-1 Real Madrid – 2018
Lopetegui was meant to be the answer. Zidane had delivered trophies galore, Lopetegui was going to bring beautiful football to Spain’s capital. Madrid were so eager to get him that they jumped the gun and announced it prior to the World Cup, leading to him getting sacked, and thus coming to Madrid in disgrace rather than triumph. As a result, he carried no weight with the club and struggled massively, culminating in his last game also being his Clásico debut. Lopetegui matched wits with Valverde for about an hour before the Barcelona manager pushed Sergi Roberto forward, introduced Ousmane Dembélé, and tore Los Blancos to bits. Lopetegui was sacked soon after.
15. Rafa Benitez
Real Madrid 0-4 Barcelona – 2015
When Rafa Benitez’s Madrid were scheduled to face a Barcelona side without Messi, there was hope that they could defeat their old enemy. However, the Madrid hierarchy didn’t want him to play Casemiro, which meant that Benitez had a 4-2-3-1 with no defensive midfielders. So when Blaugrana rocked up to the Bernabeu, even without Messi, they utterly tormented their hosts. Barcelona were better from start to finish, and Los Blancos were lucky that the score was only 0-4. This was a brutal beatdown.
16. José Mourinho
Barcelona 5-0 Real Madrid – 2010
In 2009, Barcelona revolutionised world football under Pep Guardiola. They won the treble and changed the game with dazzling play. In 2010, they were just as good but failed to win the Champions League again because of an incredible Inter Milan led by José Mourinho, who went on to win his own treble that season. This got him the Real Madrid job with a clear brief: knock Barcelona off their perch.
To do this, he was given the most expensive squad of all time. Cristiano Ronaldo was the world’s most expensive player, Kaka second just behind him. Karim Benzema, Xabi Alonso, and Raul Albiol all brought in for big money. Mesut Ozil, Angel Di Maria, Pepe. The squad was a who’s who of world-class talent all assembled with one aim in mind: stop Barcelona.
In the lead-up to that first Clásico, the title race had been breathless. Both teams were immaculate, running roughshod over everyone. This was the biggest Clásico the game had seen in years (and the first of five that season alone), and the expectations for a titanic tussle were high.
Then Barcelona showed up and beat the life out of Real Madrid. Mourinho watched on helplessly as the most expensive football team planet Earth had ever seen got torn to pieces by a side largely composed of graduates from Barcelona’s famed La Masia youth academy. The ball flew around the pitch at lightning speed, the players changed positions in possession, pressed like hell out of it, and basically reduced Los Blancos to potshots from distance.
The final score was 5-0. A manita, as they say in Spain. A devastating defeat to reaffirm Barcelona’s place as the greatest team in the world (and one of the best in history) and hand José Mourinho the worst managerial Clásico debut ever.