29 years ago, Real Madrid dismantled Barcelona 4–1

Barcelona arrived at the Santiago Bernabéu with a first-leg advantage and protected it successfully for 41 minutes. Then Raúl decided that was enough. Real Madrid won the return leg 4–1, completed a 5–3 aggregate victory and lifted the fifth Spanish Super Cup in the club’s history.

Exactly 29 years ago, on 23 August 1997, Real Madrid and Barcelona met in the second leg of the final. Barcelona had won the opening match at Camp Nou 2–1. Raúl scored after only five minutes, Miguel Ángel Nadal equalised six minutes later and Giovanni converted a late penalty.

Barcelona had the result, the stars and every reason to believe that a controlled performance in Madrid would be enough. They remained in control almost until half-time.

Raúl beat Ruud Hesp in the 42nd minute to level the aggregate score. A 1–0 victory would not yet have given Madrid the trophy because of the away-goals rule. After the break, however, the hosts stopped worrying about calculations.

Raúl scored again in the 54th minute. Predrag Mijatović made it 3–0 four minutes later before Clarence Seedorf added the fourth in the 65th. In the space of 23 minutes, Barcelona went from protecting their advantage to watching their opponents prepare for the trophy presentation.

Giovanni pulled one back in the 80th minute. The Brazilian had now scored in both legs, but his second goal changed very little. Real Madrid won 4–1 on the night and 5–3 on aggregate.

Raúl was the decisive figure across the two matches. He scored Madrid’s only goal at Camp Nou and followed it with a brace at the Bernabéu. His three goals transformed a tie that had appeared to be moving in Barcelona’s direction.

Both line-ups now read like a collection of names from an entire footballing era. Madrid fielded Santiago Cañizares, Fernando Hierro, Roberto Carlos, Christian Panucci, Guti, Seedorf, Davor Šuker, Mijatović and Raúl. Jupp Heynckes was the coach.

Louis van Gaal selected Pep Guardiola, Rivaldo, Giovanni, Sonny Anderson and Luís Figo. The Portuguese winger was still representing Barcelona and trying to prevent Real Madrid from lifting the trophy. Three years later, Florentino Pérez turned him into the symbol of one of the most controversial transfers in football history.

That was not the only personal twist in the tie. Luis Enrique appeared for Barcelona in the first leg, only one year after leaving Real Madrid for Camp Nou. El Clásico did not require social media to produce several conflicts at once.

Around 70,000 supporters watched the return leg. Real Madrid required almost the entire first half to break through, then scored three more goals in less than 15 minutes after the interval. Only 11 minutes separated Raúl’s second goal from Seedorf making it 4–0.

Barcelona arrived in Madrid as the winners of the opening match. They left having conceded four times and watched Raúl lift the trophy. Figo was still standing next to Guardiola. Nobody knew that three years later he would be celebrating in white and that his return to Camp Nou would require rather more than ordinary stadium security.

Not every anniversary needs to be a round number. Sometimes a 4–1 scoreline, a 5–3 comeback and a future galáctico still standing on the wrong side of the photograph are more than enough.

Sources: Real Madrid – official archive of the 1997 Spanish Super Cup, FC Barcelona archive – Real Madrid 4–1 Barcelona, Weltfussball – line-ups, coaches and match details