Chance, the fixture list and performances over 34 matchdays have all combined to give this Sunday’s Clásico at Spotify Camp Nou the potential to crown Hansi Flick’s Barça as champions of La Liga 2025/26. It would be the first time the team has sealed the title in a direct showdown with Real Madrid, although it is not the first on which a Clásico has proved decisive (or almost decisive) in the title race. Here are six examples.
1945: 5-0 at Les Corts
To find the first case, we have to go back more than eight decades, to 25 March 1945. That day, Les Corts hosted a Barça v Real Madrid clash with six games to go. The Catalans, coached by the legendary Samitier, arrived with a one-point lead as they looked to end a 16-year title drought. What followed was a five-star display (5–0), earning two crucial points (the value of a win until 1994/95). After the Clásico, Real Madrid won all their remaining matches, while Barça dropped two draws, and the title was decided by a single point: 39 to 38.
1960: Tied on points
Fifteen years later, on 20 March 1960, Camp Nou staged another huge Clásico. Barça came into the game two points behind Madrid, who had won 2–0 in the first meeting at the Bernabéu. After a goalless first half, Kocsis put Barça ahead, Di Stéfano equalised almost immediately, but goals from Eulogio and Villaverde in the space of two minutes sealed it 3–1. The win levelled both the standings and the head-to-head record. In the end, the teams finished level on points, and a heavy Barça win over Zaragoza on the final day secured the title for Helenio Herrera’s side on superior goal difference.
1994: Win at the Bernabéu
The third of our examples came in the penultimate game of the 1993/94 season. With Real Madrid out of the title race, Barça could not afford to slip up if they were to snatch the title from leaders Deportivo on the final day. A single goal from Guillermo Amor in the 77th minute earned a win for the Dream Team, who then thrashed Sevilla 5–2 on the final day, while Deportivo drew 0–0 with Valencia, with Djukic missing a penalty that ultimately handed Barça the title on head-to-head advantage over the Galicians.
2009: Unforgettable 6-2
The most glorious night of Pep Guardiola’s first title-winning season. Barça had just drawn 2–2 in Valencia, while Real Madrid, with 17 wins and a draw in 18 matches, were only four points behind. The Clásico offered the hosts a chance to close the gap to one point, but instead they were torn apart. Messi as a false nine, Puyol soaring, Henry finishing ruthlessly and Piqué adding the gloss: Barça left the Bernabéu seven points clear and the title race was as good as over.
2010: Another crucial win away
The following season, Real Madrid and Barça met in another decisive Clásico, this time with both sides locked on 77 points. Everyone knew the winner would likely take the title, and goals from Messi and Pedro secured it for the blaugrana. Those three points proved decisive, as they were exactly what separated the two sides at the end of the campaign.
2025: Magnificent comeback
The most recent example is no less remarkable. Last season, at the Estadi Olímpic, Real Madrid came to Barcelona four points behind Flick’s side, with the Clásico their last real chance to stay in the race with three games remaining. After just 14 minutes, a Kylian Mbappé brace made it 2–0, and Ancelotti’s were within a point of the leaders. But Barça exploded into life, scoring four goals in 26 minutes to go in 4–2 up at half-time. The game ended 4–3, the gap stretched to seven points, and the title was wrapped up the following week away to Espanyol.