Everything you need to know about the Clásico referee! Does Barça have reasons to worry?

The Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has chosen Alejandro José Hernández Hernández as the referee in charge of officiating the FC Barcelona-Real Madrid match of matchday 35 of LaLiga EA Sports.

With the title at stake in Montjuïc, the professional referee since 2012 will officiate his fifth Clásico and the first since December 2019. The judge is not exempt from controversy, since in the past he claimed to be a fan of Barça during his childhood, although he has harmed the 'azulgrana' team with several controversial decisions in the past.

Below, we review how Barcelona has fared with the referee from the Canary Islands before a real final for LaLiga. Hansi Flick's team comes to the matchday 35 clash with a 4-point advantage over Madrid, so they are just one win away from sealing the title.

🟡Barça has only won 15 of 30 matches in La Liga with Hernández Hernández

In total, Hernández Hernández has refereed 37 matches involving Barça, where the Catalans have only taken 56.7% of the victories (21) in national competitions. 30 of those matches have been in LaLiga, where the 'culé' success rate is reduced to 50%.

And, so far, the 'azulgrana' team has 15 victories in La Liga with the referee from the Canary Islands as the referee. Real Madrid, for its part, has a slightly higher percentage of victories (57.1%), with 20 victories in 35 matches.

In their usual pre-match referee reports on 'RMTV', the 'Casa Blanca' complained about the refereeing of Hernández Hernández in the Clásicos of 2018 and 2019, although they overlooked a gross error that cost Barcelona LaLiga 2016/17.

And it is that the referee refused to validate a ghost goal by Luis Suárez against Betis (1-1) that would have given Luis Enrique's team a key victory in the fight for the title. Madrid won that League, as did 23/24, where the referee from the Canary Islands also gave the 'merengues' a hand to maintain the lead.

In one of the most controversial matches of last season, the 'blancos' came back against Almería (3-2) thanks to the help of the then VAR official at the Bernabéu. Hernández Hernández sanctioned an illegal penalty and validated an illegal goal in favor of Madrid, for a previous foul and a handball by Vinicius, respectively. In addition, he disallowed a legal goal to Almería.

⚽Hernández Hernández will referee his fifth League Clásico

Hernández Hernández, booking Leo Messi in a Clásico in 2018

The first Clásico for the referee from the Canary Islands was on matchday 31 of LaLiga 15/16. The 'culés' fell by the narrowest of margins at Camp Nou (1-2) in a match where Gerard Piqué had put the 'culés' ahead. Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo turned the score around in the final minutes. However, Luis Enrique's team kept the trophy, with a one-point advantage.

The second Clásico for the referee from Arrecife was in the 16/17 season. On matchday 33, Barcelona won a great match at the Bernabéu (2-3) in the last minute thanks to a brace from Leo Messi and another goal from Ivan Rakitic. Casemiro and James Rodríguez scored the 'merengues' goals.

Then, on matchday 36 of LaLiga 17/18, Hernández Hernández officiated the draw at Camp Nou (2-2). Suárez and Messi scored the Catalan goals, while Cristiano and Bale equalized for Madrid. Sergi Roberto was sent off before half-time. The title had already been decided in favor of the 'culés' before the match.

Finally, the 42-year-old referee officiated his last Clásico on matchday 10 of LaLiga 19/20, a match that ended goalless (0-0) for the first time since 2002. The 'blancos' complained about a penalty not awarded and, in the midst of the covid-19 pandemic, they would win the tournament in July 2020.

Thus, the balance is even for Barça and Madrid in Clásicos officiated by Alejandro José Hernández Hernández, with one victory per side and two draws. On Sunday, an 'azulgrana' victory will seal the championship in favor of Hansi Flick's team.

1. 04/02/2016: FC Barcelona 1-2 Real Madrid at Camp Nou. Matchday 31 of LaLiga 2015/16.
2. 04/23/2017: Real Madrid 2-3 FC Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabéu. Matchday 33 of LaLiga 2016/17.
3. 05/06/2018: FC Barcelona 2-2 Real Madrid at Camp Nou. Matchday 36 of LaLiga 2017/18.
4. 12/18/2019: FC Barcelona 0-0 Real Madrid at Camp Nou. Matchday 10 of LaLiga 2019/20.