5 Great Barcelona Goals Against Atletico Madrid

Barcelona vs. Atletico Madrid is one of the classic matchups in Spanish football.

As a spectacle, the game has rarely let us down over the years, and there have been some fantastic matches between the pair.

A 6-0 reverse at the Vicente Calderon in 2007 remains Atleti's heaviest defeat against the Catalans, while the 4-3 win for the Rojiblancos in 2009 is a classic that no one will forget in a hurry.

Some very special Barca goals have been scored in this fixture down the years, and they make up this list.

Let's take a look.

Cruyff's Ghost Goal

It was a goal so impossible that people still talk about it today, some 41 years after it was scored.

Johan Cruyff's "ghost" or "phantom" goal as it has become known, defies logic.

Miguel Reina in the Atleti goal surely could not have expected Cruyff to reach a cross that had already gone past his goal and, one might suspect, was heading out for a goal-kick.

Yet, the Dutchman, at full stretch in midair, somehow managed to twist his body and reach the ball with his heel—at about neck height.

Facing away from goal, he diverted the ball past an unsuspecting Reina.

Only a genius would even think of trying something so audacious. Cruyff was that man.

Rivaldo's Goal from the Halfway Line

In 1997/98, Barca pitched up at the Vicente Calderon having already secured the La Liga title.

Given this and the fact that they lost the game to Atleti, it's arguable that their minds weren't on the job in hand.

Regardless of that, Rivaldo lit up this fixture in the red-and-white half of Madrid with a speculative but entirely purposeful lob from the halfway line.

Jose Francisco Molina suffered the embarrassment of picking the ball from his net, but his side did go on to triumph, 5-2.

The Final Goal of Ronaldinho's Barcelona Career

When Ronaldinho brought the curtain down on his Barcelona career, it was a sad day indeed for in the Blaugrana.

During the 2007/08 season, Barca were heading to a 4-2 defeat against Atleti, but that didn't stop Dinho from stealing the headlines with an audacious overhead kick.

Although it couldn't save Barca from losing the match, it was a goal worthy of winning any game.

Lionel Messi's Opportunistic Free-Kick

The vision from Lionel Messi when executing this free-kick is beyond compare.

Goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois is still in the process of lining up his wall when Messi spots his opportunity.

With a split-second decision to make, Messi takes command of the situation and watches the flight of the ball as it nestles in the net.

Alexis Sanchez's Blockbuster

Much like Cruyff's, it was a goal out of nothing.

When the ball fell into the path of Alexis Sanchez, no one could imagine that the Chilean, with virtually none of the goal to aim at, would find the roof of the net.

The ball was hit with such ferocity that Courtois barely had a chance to move before seeing the ball flash past him.

Ultimately, the strike was in vain as Diego Godin's header took the title back to Madrid, but there won't be too many better goals in this fixture.