Experienced Referee Appointed For FC Barcelona Vs Real Madrid Clásico

The Spanish Soccer Federation (RFEF) has announced that 42-year-old referee Alejandro Hernández Hernández will take charge of the Clásico on Sunday, May 11th, between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid.

The game could decide the title, with only four points between the two teams and four games remaining, meaning that all eyes will be on the man in the middle, who will referee his 30th game of the 2024/25 season.

From Lanzarote, Hernández Hernández has refereed 434 senior fixtures in his career, including 234 in La Liga. He is also a FIFA referee, and has taken charge of 17 international fixtures during his career.

He will be assisted by another 42-year-old referee, Juan Martínez Munuera, on VAR duties. He too has 200 league matches under his belt as a referee. He has refereed four Clásicos himself, which have ended with three Real Madrid wins, including most recently the 2023/24 Spanish Super Cup final, and one victory for Barcelona.

Hernández Hernández’s record in El Clásico

This will be Hernández Hernández’s fifth Clásico as a referee, and his first in five years. The last time was a 0-0 draw in December 2019, when Ernesto Valverde and Zinedine Zidane were in charge of the two teams as they met at Camp Nou with three yellow cards for Barcelona and five for Real Madrid.

Before that, he oversaw a 2-2 draw in May 2018, which included a red card for Barcelona’s Sergi Roberto, and one win for each team. In April 2017, Hernández Hernández sent off Sergio Ramos for Real Madrid at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu as Lionel Messi scored in injury time to seal a 3-2 victory for Barcelona. His first Clásico saw Ramos also sent off, though for two yellow cards on this occasion, as Real Madrid came from behind to win 2-1 at Camp Nou.

Barcelona has won 57% of their 37 matches with Hernández Hernández in charge, losing only four, while Real Madrid’s win rate is exactly the same at 57%, though they have lost nine of their 35 games with him in the middle.

The veteran referee has shown both teams a grand total of four red cards each, while he has awarded Barcelona 10 penalties, compared to only nine in favor of Real Madrid.

Real Madrid TV’s video against Hernández Hernández

As with many referees in Spanish soccer, Hernández Hernández was subject to a video reviewing his performances with Real Madrid by the club’s official television channel. In September 2024, a commentator on the channel said, “he’s a clear indication of a problem in the system, he goes from mistake to mistake and he continues to progress, referee Clásicos and all sorts”.

Reacting to the videos in the past, Hernández Hernández told COPE, carried by Sport and MARCA, “I’ve been refereeing for 30 years and it doesn’t affect us. It is not the perfect scenario to referee, because of the tension that is generated. This affects grassroots soccer because it makes the referee look like an enemy. I’ve been told outrageous things and I’m always upset about it”.