Many of the best midfielders who ever laced up their cleats did so for Real Madrid and Barcelona. That's why a list of the best El Clasico midfielders in history will include some heavyweight talents like Zinedine Zidane and more.

Xavi

Xavi’s only been gone one year, but he will be forever missed at Barcelona. He commanded both Barcelona and Spain, taking them to an elite level. He progressed football in Spain like Johan Cruyff had done many years before. Xavi’s also a thinker, a player who reads games like they are a novel. He took in every detail too, in his football it showed. Quite possibly Spain’s greatest footballer, certainly the most important.

Fernando Redondo

Six titles, two of them European Cup wins, Fernando Redondo is seen by many   as the perfect footballer. He was fabulous to watch, able to put together attacks with brilliant ease and beauty. Some regards his heel flick against Manchester United as one of the greatest moves ever seen on a football field.

Luis Figo

The Portuguese maestro was one of few players brave enough to make a move straight from Barcelona to Madrid when he left the Camp Nou for the Santiago Bernabeu in 2000, the same year he would take home the Ballon d’Or. Figo was a supremely gifted player, able to take on defenders individually or combine with teammates with equal effectiveness. His trophy case is laden with silverware for both clubs.

Pep Guardiola

A fine manager, and it’s often forgotten how fine he was a player. Pep Guardiola was astute on the field as he is off it these days in a coaching capacity. Guardiola was a subtle presence, able to break up play and distribute the ball with class. Barcelona teams were built around him, and rightly so given his intelligent on the field.

Michael Laudrup

Michael Laudrup was successful at both Barcelona and Real Madrid, winning four La Ligas with the former and 1 with the latter. He also starred for Los Merengues in the famous 5-0 victory over Barcelona in 1995. Laudrup was an artist on the field, showing great vision and judgment in his passing. He was a strikers dream, such was the ability of Laudrup to glide undetected in games before delivering sublime passes.

Andres Iniesta

The second of the two players that will likely feature in the upcoming Clasico, Andres Iniesta for some is seen as the most gifted modern day Spanish footballer. Iniesta ghosts between the lines effortlessly, and is blessed with stunning control and ability to drive with the ball in such a graceful manner. A hero in Spain after his World Cup winning goal, he’s applauded at stadiums the length and breadth of the country.

Pirri

Pirri won an incredible 10 La Liga’s in his 16 seasons with Real Madrid, somewhat ominously winning his first while in his debut campaign with the club. He also happened to lift a European cup, and is well noted for a being a jack of all trades. While he eventually moved into a sweeper role, his best football was played while in a defensive midfield role. For his displays here made him be regarded as the greatest Spanish footballer during the late 1960s to 1970s.

Rivaldo

Rivaldo was the perfect mesh of all the fine aspects of a player. He was physically imposing, both tall and sturdy with great power in his shot, but also agile, with dribbling skills and the ability to offer up finesse. He also scored what was probably the greatest overhead kick of all time. A Ballon D’or in 1999 cemented his status as of the greats of his time.

Zinedine Zidane

How many footballers have movies made about their in-game actions? Just one. His name is Zinedine Zidane. Technical gifted, physically profound, Zizou shaped the modern era of football. Zidane won everything that could be won, with France and Real Madrid. Quite fitting for this magical player.

Johan Cruyff

A thinker, a genius. Johan Cruyff was a footballer ahead of his time, and would later go on to great things as a coach. On the field was where we first saw his magic though, there Cruyff would be graceful and elegant, becoming an icon for the heyday of Dutch football. Few will impact the game like he has, both on and off the field.

Michel

The king of the assists, he would become known as. Michel was luxury player in his age, and could use both feet adeptly. With his right he did most of the damage though, piercing even the toughest of defenses. With another great, Emilio Butragueño, he formed one of the most spectacular ‘partnerships’ in modern football.