EL CLÁSICO
10 years to the day since Zidane's last 'Clásico'
In April 2006, Madrid travelled to Camp Nou 11 points behind Barça and played out a 1-1 draw despite being down to 10 men.
Strange things happen in football - tomorrow, Zinedine Zidane will experience his first 'Clásico' as a coach, exactly 10 years and one day since he took part in his last one as a player. Madrid travelled to Camp Nou for the Week 31 clash on 1 April 2006 in a similar position to the one they find themselves in now. The team, coached by Juan Ramnón López Caro, were 11 points adrift of Barça in the table; in tomorrow's Week 31 meeting, the distance between the two is just one point less.
It turned out to a drab game. Referee Medina Cantalejo signalled for a dubious penalty for a Roberto Carlos challenge on Van Bommel and Ronaldinho made no mistake from 11 yards. Roberto Carlos left the team a man down just four minutes later - he was sent off for protesting and it started to look quite gloomy for a Madrid side presided over by interim president Fernando Martín (Florentino had quit in February that year). But despite the odds being against them, the team responded. Ronaldo (Nazário) beat Valdés with a sublime lob as it ended 1-1 on the whistle.
Zidane didn't have the best of days in his last visit to Camp Nou as a player. He was taken off on 78 minutes - replaced by... Thomas Gravesen of all people. Raúl, who didn't start the game, ended it on the subs' bench.
The only surviving players of that duel who remain active and still at their respective clubs are Sergio Ramos and Andrés Inista - both playing the full 90 minutes. The Barça midfielder even being involved in a brief rukus with the current Madrid coach.