Season: 2004–05La Liga – Matchday 7Date: October 3, 2004Match: Real Madrid vs. FC BarcelonaStadium: Santiago Bernabéu, MadridLeague Standings (Before Kickoff):
Barcelona: 1st (16 pts)
Real Madrid: 2nd (15 pts)
Valencia: 3rd (13 pts)
Top Scorers:
Ronaldo (Madrid) – 6
Eto'o (Barça) – 5
Messi (Barça) – 4
Torres (Atlético) – 4
European Buzz:
Robinho (Santos → Madrid in talks) is being called "the next Pelé."
Wayne Rooney just scored a hat-trick on his Manchester United debut in the Champions League.
Cristiano Ronaldo is turning heads at Manchester United.
Benzema, still only 17 at Lyon, is breaking into Ligue 1 with flair.
Pre-Match – The Bernabéu Hums
The stadium was a storm.
Flashbulbs. Anthems. White flags waving like thunderclouds.
For Messi, it felt like entering a gladiator arena.
Real Madrid. The Galácticos.Figo. Zidane. Ronaldo. Beckham.Stars who ruled the world.
And then…him.Messi.17.Starting.
The Locker Room
Eto'o paced like a tiger.Puyol growled instructions.Ronaldinho smiled — but even he was serious tonight.
"This is more than football," he told Messi."This is war in boots."
Kickoff – Minute 1
The whistle blew.
Bernabéu roared.
The first ball came to Messi on the right.
He touched.Looked up.And sprinted.
Salgado dove in. Missed.
The crowd gasped. The bench stood up.
"He's not scared," Deco whispered.
Minute-by-Minute Action
11' – Beckham swings in a cross. Ronaldo heads… off the bar!15' – Messi flicks past Roberto Carlos, threads a ball to Eto'o — saved by Casillas!24' – Zidane chips it — Guti volleys! Valdés saves brilliantly.29' – Messi cuts in from the wing, beats Helguera, goes left… shoots! Just wide.
He clutches his face. That was inches from history.
Minute 39 – The Opening Strike
Ronaldinho dances past two, lays it off to Messi.
Touch one: right foot forwardTouch two: flicks over Guti's challengeTouch three: lays it off behind with a no-look backheel to Deco.
GOAL! Barcelona 1–0 Madrid
The Bernabéu falls silent.
Halftime: Real Madrid 0 – 1 Barcelona
Rijkaard keeps it calm.
"One mistake and they'll punish us. Stay sharp. Messi — keep running at them. They're afraid of you."
Second Half: Madrid Responds
49' – Ronaldo bullies past Oleguer, shoots low. Goal.
1–1. The Galáctico strikes back.
The fans explode. Chants rain down like arrows.
"Messi's not ready!""He's just a kid!"
But Messi doesn't flinch.
Minute 61 – The Duel: Messi vs. Zidane
Zidane steps up near midfield.
Messi intercepts the ball.
Zidane closes in.
Messi spins, escapes.
He leaves Zidane behind.
The crowd murmurs.
Even Madrid fans applaud.
"Who is this kid?" one whispers.
Minute 70 – The Magic Moment
Barcelona win a free kick 35 yards out.
Ronaldinho taps it forward to Messi.
No angle. No real chance.
Messi takes one touch. Cuts inside Beckham. Shoots with his left.
It curls… bends… dips…
GOAL!!!
Barcelona 2 – 1 Madrid
The bench empties. Messi runs to the sideline, arms out like wings.
Ronaldinho grabs his head and kisses his forehead.
"You're not the future anymore. You're the present."
Minute 85 – Messi's Exit
Rijkaard substitutes him off to standing applause from his own players — and some Madrid fans.
1 goal. 1 assist. 0 fear.
Barcelona see out the final minutes with mature possession.
Final Score: Real Madrid 1 – 2 Barcelona
Messi named Man of the Match.
Post-Match Headlines:
📰 "Messi humiliates Madrid — The Bernabéu just met the boy who'll haunt them for a decade."📰 "El Clásico has a new prince."📰 "The kid from Rosario just outplayed the world's best."
Notebook Entry – October 3, 2004
Anto,They called it El Clásico.But for me… it was just football. It always will be.I scored against the biggest club in the world. I felt them panic when I ran.But I wasn't thinking of the crowd. I was thinking of you. Of Rosario. Of home.Today, I heard my name echo through their stadium.Not with hate. With fear.—Leo