Africa’s rich history in Spain’s El Clasico

Real Madrid host Barcelona in El Clasico on Sunday, the first showdown of the season between the LaLiga giants.

Moroccan Brahim Díaz will be the only African player potentially involved this time round, but over the years players from the continent have more than made their mark on one of the game’s elite club fixtures.

We look back at the top 10 appearances for African players in El Clasico down the years.

SAMUEL OKUNOWO (NIGERIA)

Club: Barcelona

El Clasicos: 1

The Nigerian had a brief stay at Barcelona in the 1998/99 season and came off the bench in a 2-2 draw with Real Madrid. He was not in the squad for the other LaLiga fixture that season, which ended in a 3-0 Barça win.

ALEX SONG (CAMEROON)

Club: Barcelona

El Clasicos: 2

Song battled to get into a Barça side that had Sergio Busquets as one of the first names on the teamsheet, and so the Cameroon midfielder was limited to two El Clasico appearances. He came off the bench in a 2-1 LaLiga win in the 2013/14 season and featured in a 2-1 Spanish Super Cup victory the season before, when he was also a substitute.

EMMANUEL AMUNIKE (NIGERIA)

Club: Barcelona

El Clasicos: 3

Injuries heavily impacted the Nigerian forward’s stay at Camp Nou, and in four seasons he did not feature in a single LaLiga clash with Real Madrid. However, he did make three appearances overall, two in the Copa del Rey and one in the Spanish Super Cup. He was never on the losing side: the Copa del Rey games in 1996/97 finished 3-2 and 1-1, while the Super Cup ended 2-1 to the Catalans.

GEREMI NJITAP (CAMEROON)

Club: Real Madrid

El Clasicos: 3

The Cameroon midfielder was at Real between 1999 and 2002 but only featured in three El Clasico matches in that time, recording a win, a draw and a loss, though he played every minute. In 1999/00 he was involved in a 2-2 draw and a 3-0 win, but the following season he was on the end of a 2-0 defeat, and his influence at the club lessened after that.

MAHAMADOU DIARRA (MALI)

Club: Real Madrid

El Clasicos: 4

The Malian defensive midfielder was a key part of the Real Madrid setup under Fabio Capello before his influence waned, limiting him to just four El Clasico appearances. He was unbeaten in those matches and even managed an assist, playing every minute.

He featured in a 2-0 home win in 2006/07, with the return fixture ending 3-3. The following year Real claimed 1-0 and 4-1 victories, with Diarra assisting Gonzalo Higuaín. Despite staying at the club until 2010/11, he did not feature in another El Clasico.

EMMANUEL ADEBAYOR (TOGO)

Club: Real Madrid

El Clasicos: 4

The tall Togolese striker featured in four El Clasicos on loan from Manchester City, but only one in LaLiga, none as a starter, all during the 2010/11 season. Real edged Barça 1-0 in the Copa del Rey final as Adebayor came off the bench, while the only league meeting he featured in ended 1-1.

The teams also met in the UEFA Champions League semifinals, with Barça advancing after a 1-1 draw and a 2-0 Real defeat. Incredibly, all of these matches were played between 16 April and 3 May 2011, a span of under three weeks.

MICHAEL ESSIEN (GHANA)

Club: Real Madrid

El Clasicos: 4

All four of Essien’s El Clasico appearances came in the 2012/13 season while on loan from Chelsea, and he was never on the losing side, two wins and two draws. In LaLiga he started a 2-1 win at the Bernabéu and came off the bench in a 2-2 draw.

The teams also met in the Copa del Rey, where Essien started a 1-1 draw in the first leg and came off the bench in a 3-1 away win in the second.

YAYA TOURÉ (IVORY COAST)

Club: Barcelona

El Clasicos: 5

Touré experienced both thumping wins and heavy defeats in his five El Clasico appearances. He lost his first two after joining Barça in 2007/08, as Real won 1-0 and 4-1 in LaLiga. But Touré proved a lucky charm thereafter, Barça won all three of his next games: 2-0 and 6-2 in 2008/09, and 1-0 in the following season.

SAMUEL ETO’O (CAMEROON)

Club: Barcelona

El Clasicos: 8

Real Madrid were the team Eto’o faced most often in his career, alongside Espanyol, 20 times in total, though only eight of those were for Barça. All came in LaLiga, with four wins, two defeats and two draws.

He netted four goals and provided two assists in that period. Eto’o started all eight matches between 2004 and 2009, underlining his influence at the club. He was, of course, once a Real Madrid player himself but never featured against Barça for them.

SEYDOU KEITA (MALI)

Club: Barcelona

El Clasicos: 10

No African player has featured in more El Clasicos than Keita, who was a mainstay of the Barça midfield from 2008 to 2013. He had an exceptional record against Real, winning seven and drawing two of his 10 clashes. His only defeat came in the 2010/11 Copa del Rey final. He didn’t record a goal or assist, but that wasn’t his role, he excelled at keeping Real’s creative threats quiet, and did so superbly.