Real Madrid's unexpected heroes in Clasicos against Barcelona

As these four men have proved, it's not always been the leading lights who've made their mark on Real Madrid's clashes with Barcelona...

El Clásico is one of the most-followed sporting events in the world: football fans across the planet make sure that they're watching as Barcelona and Real Madrid face off in a game featuring many of the game's top stars. Sometimes, however, it is not the sides' leading lights who pop up to make the difference in the box-office clash...

Camacho: a thorn in Cruyff's side

In January 1975, Barcelona visited the Bernabéu with their 5-0 win over Real Madrid the year before still fresh in the memory - and with three-time Ballon d'Or winner Johan Cruyff leading their ranks. Real's coach, Milan Miljanic, opted to man-mark the Dutch master, with 20-year-old defender José Antonio Camacho entrusted with the job.

"I had nothing to lose," Camacho remembered years later. "He was the best player in the world; I was just a kid!" Followed everywhere he went by the tireless Camacho, Cruyff was driven to distraction as Real came out 1-0 winners, and Camacho - who went on to play at the Bernabéu for 15 years - had announced himself on the big stage.

Aragón fizzes in long-range beauty

In 1990, Barcelona and Real Madrid met in the Spanish Super Cup. Los Blancos triumphed 5-1 on aggregate after a 4-1 second-leg thrashing of their arch rivals, and it was club youth product Santi Aragón - beginning what would be his only season in Real's first team - who rounded off the comprehensive win with a wonderful strike from all of 40 yards out. After winning the ball in the midfield, Aragón stepped forward, spotted Andoni Zubizarreta off his line and arrowed a precision shot over the Barça goalkeeper and into the top corner.

Following loan spells at Espanyol, Logroñés, Real Valladolid and Real Zaragoza, the midfielder finally moved permanently to Zaragoza in 1993, spending a decade at La Romareda.

Anelka breaks his duck in LaLiga

Keen to add firepower to his Real Madrid attack in the summer of 1999, president Lorenzo Sanz placed his faith in Nicolas Anelka, signing the young French striker from Arsenal for a then-eye-watering fee of in excess of 30 million euros.

However, Anelka's time at the Bernabéu proved to be a bumpy one, and the player - nicknamed the 'Incredible Sulk - failed to find the net in LaLiga until the end of February. He at least chose a good time to break his league duck, though, grabbing the second goal for John Toshack's side in a 3-0 victory over Barcelona, in which Roberto Carlos and Fernando Morientes.

The 'Beast' roars for Real at the Camp Nou

Julio Baptista, a.k.a. the 'Beast', spoke to AS this week about his memorable goal against Barcelona in late 2007 - one that gave Los Merengues a 1-0 win at the Camp Nou that put Bernd Schuster's side seven points clear of the Catalans, and was crucial to securing the Spanish-capital club's second straight league title. "It was one of the most important moments in my life," the Brazilian said. "[Iker] Casillas has played the ball up the field, one of the Barça players has cleared it - but only as far as Raúl, who has headed to me. I've played a one-two with [Ruud] van Nistelrooy, and then I've hit it with everything I had."