Last season, Barcelona and Real Madrid faced each other five times in a single season, the first time they had ever met so prolifically in a single campaign. Their meetings tested the resolve of all concerned, and helped create defining moments in the histories of both clubs.
Their first encounter, in November, seems so long ago now given the intense nature of their four clashes across 17 days in April and May, but the mastery produced by Barcelona on that evening has since come to set the standard against which they will be measured in every subsequent fixture.
Real Madrid had their moment to cherish too; clinching the Copa del Rey in an ill-tempered but utterly absorbing battle at the Mestalla. Barca would have the last laugh, however, eliminating their ancient rivals in the semi-finals of the Champions League, before taking care of Manchester United at Wembley.
Back in May, Goal. com produced a guide to their infamous encounters, documenting how the four matches at the end of the season transpired. As the pair get set to meet once more in the two-legged Spanish Supercopa, we have now updated our piece to include the first meeting of 2010-11, and thus complete the ultimate companion for the year of the five Clasicos.
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