28 November 2000 - Boca's Five-Minute Flurry

On 28 November 2000, Boca Juniors won their second Intercontinental Cup, upsetting Real Madrid 2-1.

Madrid, winners of the previous season's Champions League, had lifted the Intercontinental Cup in 1960 and 1998 and were looking for their third trophy. Led by the attacking trio of Raúl, Guti, and Luís Figo, they were heavily favored over Copa Libertadores champions Boca Juniors, who had themselves won the Intercontinental Cup in 1977.

But playing before a crowd of over 52,000 at the National Stadium in Tokyo, the Spaniards were stunned to  find themselves down 2-0 after only five minutes, with both goals delivered by forward Martín Palermo. For the first, in the third minute, he received a cross at the edge of the 6-yard box and fired home past keeper Iker Casillas. Two minutes later, he ran onto a long lobbed ball and held off pressure from a Madrid defender before firing it past the hands of the diving Casillas.

Real Madrid back Roberto Carlos pulled one back in the 11th minute. But even though they enjoyed the lion's share of possession, they could not crack the Boca defense again.

Madrid did eventually win a third Intercontinental Cup in 2002, followed by Boca's third in 2003.

3 November 2010 - Inzaghi Becomes King Of Europe

On 3 November 2010, Milan striker Filippo "Pippo" Inzaghi scored his 70th goal in European competition to share the honors as UEFA's top scorer. Briefly.

The goal came in a Champions League group stage match against Real Madrid, who had beaten Milan 2-0 in Spain the previous month. Playing before a crowd of 76,357 in the return leg at the San Siro, Real Madrid took the lead with a 45th-minute score from Gonzalo Higuaín. But in the second half, Inzaghi struck twice to put Milan ahead.

His first goal of the day was a 68th-minute header that took advantage of a rare mistake from Real Madrid keeper Iker Casillas. He struck again ten minutes later to notch his 70th goal in UEFA competitions, matching the record set by former Real Madrid forward Raúl González, who had moved to Schalke earlier that year.

Unfortunately for Milan, the lead did not last, as Madrid winger Pedro León scored an equalizer in the fourth minute of stoppage time to earn a 2-2 draw. Inzaghi's share of the record did not last long either, as Raúl scored three months later in Schalke's 1-0 win over Valencia in the Round of 16 to push his total to 71. Since then, that number has been passed  by both Cristiano Ronaldo (113) and Lionel Messi (100), pushing Inzaghi down to fourth.

9 August 1973 - Inzaghi Crosses The Line

On 9 August 1973, Italian striker Filippo "Pippo" Inzaghi was born in Piacenza. He went on to become one of the country's most prolific scorers.

He signed his first professional contract in 1991, joining his hometown club, Piacenza Calcio, but made only three appearances before moving to Leffe in 1992. A series of other moves followed, including stays at Verona, another turn at Piacenza, Parma, and Atalanta before he joined Juventus in 1997.

In his first season with Juve, he scored a career-high 27 goals in 47 appearances across all competitions as the club won Serie A and reached the Champions League final. After four seasons in Turin, he moved to AC Milan, where he proceeded to win two more league titles (2004, 2011) and two Champions League trophies (2003, 2007). Meanwhile, he also won the World Cup with Italy in 2006.

Known for playing on the edge of the offside line, his style of play once prompted Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson to say "That lad must have been born offside." He retired in 2012, having scored a career total 288 goals in 623 club appearances (with another 25 goals for the national team). Seventy of those goals came in UEFA club competitions, ranking him second overall in that category just behind Raúl González (77).

27 June 1977 - The Rise Of Raúl

On 27 June 1977, Raúl González was born in Madrid. He went on to become Real Madrid's all-time leader in goals and appearances.

The striker joined the club's youth squad in 1992 after spells at San Cristobal (1987-90) and Atlético Madrid (1990-92) and made his professional debut with the first team on 29 October 1994. Only 17 years and 124 days old at the time, he set his first club record as the youngest player to appear for the club (though it was broken later that season). He made a total of 30 appearances that season, scoring 10 goals.

It was a sign of things to come; over the next fifteen seasons, Raúl made a total of 741 appearances and scored 323 goals, both club records at the time, though he is now second in goals after Cristiano Ronaldo, who has 406. Along the way, he won six league titles, three Champions League trophies, and two Intercontinental Cups. He also twice won the Pichichi as La Liga's top scorer.

(He was also once Spain's top scorer, with 44 goals in 106 caps between 1996 and 2006, but David Villa has since overtaken him.)

In 2010, with age and injury combining to diminish his role in Madrid, Raúl left for Schalke, where he spent two successful seasons, including winning the German Cup in 2011. He last played for the New York Cosmos in 2014-15.

1 December 1998 - Raúl Sinks Vasco Da Gama

On 1 December 1998, Real Madrid won their second Intercontinental Cup, beating Vasco da Gama 2-1 in Tokyo with a late strike from Raúl González.

Champions League winners Madrid were making their third appearance in the competition, after winning it in 1960 and losing it in 1966 (both times against Peñarol). It was the first appearance for Vasco, who had won the Copa Libertadores the previous August.

A crowd of 54,514 gathered at Tokyo's National Stadium to watch the match, with Madrid taking a first-half lead thanks to an own goal--in attempt to head away a cross from Roberto Carlos, Vasco midfielder Nasa deflected the ball past his own goalkeeper in the 25th minute. Undaunted, the Brazilians pressed forward for an equalizer and were rewarded in the 56th minute. Madrid's German goalkeeper, Bodo Illgner, parried one shot, but knocked the ball into the path of Nasa's midfield partner Juninho, who placed it perfectly into the top right corner.

Both teams had several chances to take the lead, but were denied repeatedly by brilliant play from both keepers (and, in Vasco's case, a couple of near misses). Real Madrid forward Raul then struck the decisive blow in the 83rd minute when he outraced the Vasco back line to latch onto a long ball, beat two defenders, and slipped the ball past keeper Carlos Germano.

It was Vasco's only appearance in the competition, while Real Madrid returned twice more, winning it again in 2000.

15 May 2002 - Bayer Gets Another Real Headache

On 15 May 2002, Real Madrid won their ninth European Cup/Champions League trophy, beating Bayer Leverkusen in the Final.

The Final--Bayer's first and Real Madrid's twelfth--was a rematch of the two team's quarterfinal meeting in 1998, which the Spaniards won 1-4 on aggregate en route to their seventh tournament title. Like that previous match, Real Madrid were heavily favored and took very little time to stake their claim to the trophy, going up in the 8th minute with a strike from their center forward, Raúl.

Bayer did not lie down, however, and quickly responded with a 13th-minute header from Lúcio, their Brazilian center back.

Then, in the 45th minute, Madrid got a Brazilian edge of their own when Roberto Carlos surged forward from his left back position and sent a high arcing cross into the box. It dropped to Zinedine Zidane, who executed a stunning left-footed volley from the edge of the box. The ball rocketed over Bayer's keeper, putting Madrid up 1-2. It was the last goal of the match.

For Bayer, it was part of an almost-Double, as they also finished as runners-up in the Bundesliga that season.

1 May 2002 - The Clasico Is Not Always A Classic

On 1 May 2002, Real Madrid and Barcelona met in the second leg of their Champions League semifinal match-up. The game ended as a 1-1 draw, which was enough to see Madrid through to claim their ninth European Cup/Champions League trophy.

The fierce rivals had faced off twice before in the competition, with Madrid winning both legs of their semifinal meeting in the spring of 1960 and going on to win the Final. The next fall, it was Barcelona who advanced, winning 4-3 on aggregate in the first round en route to the Final, which they lost to Benfica.

By May of 2002, they had already played each other three times. Madrid won twice, including a 2-0 victory in the semifinal's first leg (the other match was a 1-1 draw in the league). Playing before a crowd of 75,000 at the Bernabéu, Barcelona pressed for the needed goals, but it was Madrid who took the lead with a left-footed shot from Raúl in the 43rd minute.

Barça were finally rewarded in the 48th minute when Madrid defender Iván Helguera deflected a cross into his own net. The visitors continued to press for chances, but wasted them as shots from Javier Saviola, Patrick Kluivert, Luis Enrique, and Geovanni all shot wide.

The match ended 1-1 and Madrid went on to the Final in Glasgow where they beat Bayer Leverkusen, 1-2.

12 February 2003 - Raúl Takes Two To Become Number One

On 12 February 2003, Raúl González scored two goals in a 3-1 win over Germany to become Spain's all-time top scorer.

Raúl, who played 16 seasons at Real Madrid before moving to Schalke in 2010, made his first full international appearance in 1996. He scored only five times in his first three years, but hit his stride in 1999 with ten goals--the most ever scored for Spain by one player in a single year. He never replicated that performance, but continued to be a reliable striker and took over as captain in 2002.

The friendly with Germany came in the midst of Spain's qualification campaign for Euro 2004. Played in Mallorca, Raúl scored the opening goal in the 30th minute. It was the 30th of his career, beating the former record of 29 held jointly with his Real Madrid teammate Fernando Hierro. Germany's Fredi Bobic equalized for the visitors eight minutes later, but Raúl restored the lead in with a 77th-minute penalty kick. Guti added a third for the hosts to end the day at 3-1.

Raúl scored a total of 44 goals for Spain before his retirement from international play in 2006. A record at the time, it has since been surpassed by David Villa, who scored 59 goals between 2005 and 2014.

13 December 2008 - When The Paradigm Shifted In Spain

On 13 December 2008, Barcelona won their first Clásico in almost three years, beating Real Madrid 2-0.

Since suffering a 3-0 loss to Barcelona on 19 November 2005, the Merengues rattled off a five-match unbeaten streak that included three wins and two draws, all in the league.

The last match of that run was the worst for Barcelona as, on 5 May 2008, Real Madrid won 4-1 at the Bernabéu with goals from Raúl (12'), Arjen Robben (20'), Gonzalo Higuaín (62'), and Ruud van Nistelrooy (77') (Barcelona's lone goal was an 86th-minute consolation strike from Thierry Henry). It was the final nail in the coffin for Barça manager Frank Rijkaard, as the club announced shortly afterward that he would be replaced at the end of the season by youth team coach Pep Guardiola. Real Madrid, meanwhile, went on to claim their second consecutive La Liga title

Guardiola duly took over the following month and immediately began to reshape the team by offloading a number of players, including two-time FIFA World Player of the Year Ronaldinho. After an opening day loss to Numancia, Guardiola's Barcelona went unbeaten in their next thirteen league matches, with eleven wins and two draws. They were at the top of the table on 13 December when they hosted Real Madrid for Guardiola's first Clásico as manager. It was close until the last few minutes, when goals from Samuel Eto'o (83') and Lionel Messi (90') delivered a 2-0 victory.

Barcelona extended their unbeaten streak against Madrid to seven league matches, with six wins and one draw, before finally losing in April 2012. During that run, they also went undefeated against their rivals in the Champions League and the Supercopa de España, getting a win and a draw in each of those competitions.

6 March 2002 - Real Madrid's Unwanted Birthday Present

On 6 March 2002, Real Madrid celebrated their 100th birthday with a loss to Deportivo de La Coruña in the Copa del Rey Final.

With Real Madrid's 100th anniversary falling on 6 March 2002, club president Florentino Pérez arranged to mark the date by hosting the Copa del Rey Final on that day. He further instructed manager Vicente Del Bosque to place a higher priority on the cup, which Madrid had not won since 1993. The previous season, they had been eliminated in the Round of 64 by third-division side Toledo.

But Deportivo, who had won La Liga in 2000 and finished second to Real Madrid in 2001, had no intention of letting the hosts claim the cup as birthday present. They swarmed around the ball in the first half with an energy and determination that quickly caught Madrid off-guard. In just the 6th minute, midfielder Sergio González (pictured) fired Deportivo ahead from close range after beating Madrid captain Fernando Hierro and right back Míchel Salgado to slip the ball through the legs of keeper César. Just over half an hour later, striker Diego Tristán doubled the lead with another close-range shot.

Madrid closed the gap to one with a goal from Raúl Gonzalez, but they would get no closer. The match ended 1-2 to Deportivo, giving them only the second Copa del Rey in club history.

Real Madrid got some consolation a little over two months later when they won their ninth European Cup/Champions League trophy, beating Bayer Leverkusen 1-2 in Glasgow.

11 November 2008 - Real Madrid Gets Romo'd

On 11 November 2008, Spanish third division side Real Unión Club de Irún lost away to Real Madrid, 3-4, in the Round of 32 of the Copa del Rey. Thanks to their 3-2 win in the first leg, however, Irún advanced on an aggregate 6-6 score with a 3-2 advantage in away goals.

Irún had already been tested in the cup with early-round wins over CD Lugo (0-3), UE Sant Andreu (2-1), and Barakaldo CF (2-1). Real Madrid, on the other hand, was playing their first match of the tournament, entering the competition in the Fourth Round.

The match was even at 2-2 in the second half, when Real Madrid substitute Alberto Bueno put his team ahead with a goal in the 69th minute. Real Madrid captain Raúl appeared to secure the Blancos' advancement with an 85th-minute strike--his third of the match--but a defensive miscue gave Irún another chance and midfielder Arangoa Eneko Romo scored the decisive goal in the 90th minute.

It was the first time in Real Madrid's history that they were eliminated by a third division side at home. History soon repeated itself, however, as the Blancos were eliminated from the 2009-10 Copa del Rey in the Fourth Round by third division side AD Alcorcón.

Irún's moment of glory was fleeting, as they were eliminated by Real Betis in the Fifth Round, 2-0. In 2009, they were knocked out in the Second Round by second division side RC Celta de Vigo, 2-1.

28 August 2000 - Super Mario's Golden Goal

On 28 August 2000, Galatasaray defeated Real Madrid, 1-2, in the UEFA Super Cup before a crowd of 15,000 at Stade Louis II in Monaco.

Established in 1972 as the European Super Cup, the competition originally featured the holder of the European Cup against the holder of the European Cup-Winners' Cup and was played over two legs. Starting in 1998, however, the cup was contested in a single match at a neutral venue. The Cup-Winners' Cup was discontinued in 1999, so the 2000 Final was played between the UEFA Champions League holders (Real Madrid) and the UEFA Cup holders (Galatasaray).

The Turkish side drew first blood with a penalty kick in the 41st minute, as Real defender Iván Campo was flagged for fouling left back Hakan Ünsal in the box and the Turkish side's new signing, Brazilian forward Mario Jardel, converted the spot kick. Real captain Raúl scored an equalizing penalty in the 79th minute after Galatasaray midfielder Suat Kaya was called for a handball.

The match went into extra time, where Jardel decided it by slotting the golden goal past Iker Casillas from eight meters away in the 103rd minute.

27 June 1977 - The Rise Of Raúl

On 27 June 1977, Raúl González was born in Madrid. He went on to become Real Madrid's all-time leader in goals and appearances.

The striker joined the club's youth squad in 1992 after spells at San Cristobal (1987-90) and Atlético Madrid (1990-92) and made his professional debut with the first team on 29 October 1994. Only 17 years and 124 days old at the time, he set his first club record as the youngest player to appear for the club (though it was broken later that season). He made a total of 30 appearances that season, scoring 10 goals.

It was a sign of things to come; over the next fifteen seasons, Raúl made a total of 741 appearances and scored 323 goals, both club records. Along the way, he won six league titles, three Champions League trophies, and two Intercontinental Cups. He also twice won the Pichichi as La Liga's top scorer.

(He was also once Spain's top scorer, with 44 goals in 106 caps between 1996 and 2006, but David Villa has since overtaken him.)

In 2010, with age and injury combining to diminish his role in Madrid, Raúl left for Schalke, where he spent two successful seasons, including winning the German Cup in 2011. He currently plays for Qatari club Al Sadd.

28 November 2000 - Boca's Five-Minute Flurry

On 28 November 2000, Boca Juniors won their second Intercontinental Cup, upsetting Real Madrid 2-1.

Madrid, winners of the previous season's Champions League, had lifted the Intercontinental Cup in 1960 and 1998 and were looking for their third trophy. Led by the attacking trio of Raúl, Guti, and Luís Figo, they were heavily favored over Copa Libertadores champions Boca Juniors, who had themselves won the Intercontinental Cup in 1977.

But playing before a crowd of over 52,000 at the National Stadium in Tokyo, the Spaniards were stunned to  find themselves down 2-0 after only five minutes, with both goals delivered by forward Martín Palermo. For the first, in the third minute, he received a cross at the edge of the 6-yard box and fired home past keeper Iker Casillas. Two minutes later, he ran onto a long lobbed ball and held off pressure from a Madrid defender before firing it past the hands of the diving Casillas.

Real Madrid back Roberto Carlos pulled one back in the 11th minute. But even though they enjoyed the lion's share of possession, they could not crack the Boca defense again.

Madrid did eventually win a third Intercontinental Cup in 2002, followed by Boca's third in 2003.

3 November 2010 - Inzaghi Becomes King Of Europe

On 3 November 2010, Milan striker Filippo "Pippo" Inzaghi scored his 70th goal in European competition to share the honors as UEFA's top scorer. Briefly.

The goal came in a Champions League group stage match against Real Madrid, who had beaten Milan 2-0 in Spain the previous month. Playing before a crowd of 76,357 in the return leg at the San Siro, Real Madrid took the lead with a 45th-minute score from Gonzalo Higuaín. But in the second half, Inzaghi struck twice to put Milan ahead.

His first goal of the day was a 68th-minute header that took advantage of a rare mistake from Real Madrid keeper Iker Casillas. He struck again ten minutes later to notch his 70th goal in UEFA competitions, matching the record set by former Real Madrid forward Raúl González, who had moved to Schalke earlier that year.

Unfortunately for Milan, the lead did not last, as Madrid winger Pedro León scored an equalizer in the fourth minute of stoppage time to earn a 2-2 draw. Inzaghi's share of the record did not last long either, as Raúl scored three months later in Schalke's 1-0 win over Valencia in the Round of 16 to push his total to 71 and claim sole honors as Europe's leading marksman.

9 August 1973 - Inzaghi Crosses The Line

On 9 August 1973, Italian striker Filippo "Pippo" Inzaghi was born in Piacenza. He went on to become one of the country's most prolific scorers.

He signed his first professional contract in 1991, joining his hometown club, Piacenza Calcio, but made only three appearances before moving to Leffe in 1992. A series of other moves followed, including stays at Verona, another turn at Piacenza, Parma, and Atalanta before he joined Juventus in 1997.

In his first season with Juve, he scored a career-high 27 goals in 47 appearances across all competitions as the club won Serie A and reached the Champions League final. After four seasons in Turin, he moved to AC Milan, where he proceeded to win two more league titles (2004, 2011) and two Champions League trophies (2003, 2007). Meanwhile, he also won the World Cup with Italy in 2006.

Known for playing on the edge of the offside line, his style of play once prompted Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson to say "That lad must have been born offside." He retired in 2012, having scored a career total 288 goals in 623 club appearances (with another 25 goals for the national team). Seventy of those goals came in UEFA club competitions, ranking him second overall in that category just behind Raúl González (77).

1 April 2011 - Ironically, He Probably Could Have Used A Beer After That

On 1 April 2011, the match between Schalke and St. Pauli was abandoned after someone in the stands hit a linesman with a full cup of beer.

Playing at St. Pauli's Millerntor-Stadion, the hosts had already gone behind 2-0 after strikes from Raúl (26') and Julian Draxler (66'). They were also down to nine men, after St. Pauli defender Jan Philipp Kalle received a second yellow card in the 68th minute and midfielder Fin Bartels received a straight red for a foul on Schalke's Jefferson Farfán.

The home crowd had already been turned on the officials, pelting them with lighters and coins in the first half. But linesman Thorsten Schiffner drew particular attention after he disallowed a St. Pauli goal in the 60th minute for an offside violation. In the 89th minute, one disgruntled supporter threw a plastic cup full of beer, striking Schiffner in the back of the neck. Referee Denis Aytekin responded by immediately suspended the match.

St. Pauli manager Holger Stanislawski apologized to Schiffner and later told the press "Such scenes are unacceptable. These things should not happen in stadiums. I can only apologize to the assistant in the name of St. Pauli."

The German football association awarded the match as a 2-0 win to Schalke, who went on to finish in the Bundesliga's 14th spot, while St. Pauli's season ended in relegation.

13 December 2008 - When The Paradigm Shifted In Spain

On 13 December 2008, Barcelona won their first Clásico in almost three years, beating Real Madrid 2-0.

It is difficult to picture at the moment, with Barça having just won their eighth match against their Madrid rivals in twelve tries across all competitions (the lone loss came in the 2011 Copa del Rey Final), but there was a time not too distant in which Real Madrid were the dominant team. Since suffering a 3-0 loss to Barcelona on 19 November 2005, the Merengues rattled off a five-match unbeaten streak that included three wins and two draws, all in the league.

The last match of that run was the worst for Barcelona as, on 5 May 2008, Real Madrid won 4-1 at the Bernabéu with goals from Raúl (12'), Arjen Robben (20'), Gonzalo Higuaín (62'), and Ruud van Nistelrooy (77') (Barcelona's lone goal was an 86th-minute consolation strike from Thierry Henry). It was the final nail in the coffin for Barça manager Frank Rijkaard, as the club announced shortly afterward that he would be replaced at the end of the season by youth team coach Pep Guardiola. Real Madrid, meanwhile, went on to claim their second consecutive La Liga title

Guardiola duly took over the following month and immediately began to reshape the team by offloading a number of players, including two-time FIFA World Player of the Year Ronaldinho. After an opening day loss to Numancia, Guardiola's Barcelona went unbeaten in their next thirteen league matches, with eleven wins and two draws. They were at the top of the table on 13 December when they hosted Real Madrid for Guardiola's first Clásico as manager. It was close until the last few minutes, when goals from Samuel Eto'o (83') and Lionel Messi (90') delivered a 2-0 victory.

Since then, Barcelona have extended their unbeaten streak against Madrid to seven league matches, with six wins and one draw. They've also gone undefeated against their rivals in the Champions League and the Supercopa de España, with a win and a draw in each of those competitions.



Photo credit to Albert Olive/EPA.

1 December 1998 - Real's Raúl Sinks Vasco Da Gama

On 1 December 1998, Real Madrid won their second Intercontinental Cup, beating Vasco da Gama 2-1 in Tokyo with a late strike from Raúl González.

Champions League winners Madrid were making their third appearance in the competition, after winning it in 1960 and losing it in 1966 (both times against Peñarol). It was the first appearance for Vasco, who had won the Copa Libertadores the previous August.

A crowd of 54,514 gathered at Tokyo's National Stadium to watch the match, with Madrid taking a first-half lead thanks to an own goal--in attempt to head away a cross from Roberto Carlos, Vasco midfielder Nasa deflected the ball past his own goalkeeper in the 25th minute. Undaunted, the Brazilians pressed forward for an equalizer and were rewarded in the 56th minute. Madrid's German goalkeeper, Bodo Illgner, parried one shot, but knocked the ball into the path of Nasa's midfield partner Juninho, who placed it perfectly into the top right corner.

Both teams had several chances to take the lead, but were denied repeatedly by brilliant play from both keepers (and, in Vasco's case, a couple of near misses). Real Madrid forward Raul then struck the decisive blow in the 83rd minute when he outraced the Vasco back line to latch onto a long ball, beat two defenders, and slipped the ball past keeper Carlos Germano.

It was Vasco's only appearance in the competition, while Real Madrid returned twice more, winning it again in 2000.

15 May 2002 - Bayer Gets Another Real Headache

On 15 May 2002, Real Madrid won their record ninth European Cup/Champions League trophy, beating Bayer Leverkusen in the Final.

The Final--Bayer's first and Real Madrid's twelfth--was a rematch of the two team's quarterfinal meeting in 1998, which the Spaniards won 1-4 on aggregate en route to their seventh tournament title. Like that previous match, Real Madrid were heavily favored and took very little time to stake their claim to the trophy, going up in the 8th minute with a strike from their center forward, Raúl. Bayer did not lie down, however, and quickly responded with a 13th-minute header from Lúcio, their Brazilian center back.

Then, in the 45th minute, Madrid got a Brazilian edge of their own when Roberto Carlos surged forward from his left back position and sent a high arcing cross into the box. It dropped to Zinedine Zidane, who executed a stunning left-footed volley from the edge of the box. The ball rocketed over Bayer's keeper, putting Madrid up 1-2. It was the last goal of the match.

Neither team has returned to the Final since. For Bayer, it was part of an almost-Double, as they also finished as runners-up in the Bundesliga that season.