César Soto Grado: the referee of Lamine Yamal's 'phantom goal' in 2024 will officiate the Clásico

FC Barcelona visits Real Madrid this Sunday (4:15 PM CEST) for matchday 10 of LaLiga, and will do so with César Soto Grado as the referee. The referee from La Rioja was appointed by the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) along with Javier Iglesias Villanueva (VAR).

For Soto Grado, Sunday will be his second Clásico in La Liga, again at the Santiago Bernabéu. On April 21, 2024, the referee completed a performance clearly favorable to the 'merengues', calling a non-existent penalty by Pau Cubarsí on Lucas Vázquez (the former 'blanco' full-back threw himself on the 'culé' center-back's leg) in the first half, when the match was 0-1 in favor of Barça.

With the tie already on the scoreboard, before the initial half hour, Soto Grado did not validate a 'ghost goal' by Lamine Yamal. Goalkeeper Lunin cleared the ball behind the goal line, but the VAR cameras (led that day by José María Sánchez Martínez) failed to clarify the play and the goal was not added to the scoreboard.

In the end, Madrid won 3-2 with a goal from Jude Bellingham in added time to practically seal a La Liga title that Los Blancos ended up winning comfortably (10 points ahead of the Catalans).

How has Barça fared in matches refereed by César Soto Grado?

Soto Grado in Real Madrid vs FC Barcelona

In addition to the aforementioned Clásico in April 2024, César Soto Grado has refereed 14 official Barça matches since his debut in the First Division in 2019/20. Due to his age (he turned 45 in June), the referee from La Rioja should have retired at the end of the previous season, but the RFEF decided to reward him with one more season for his good work in 23/24.

In any case, it is very likely that this will be his last Clásico as the main referee. The last time the referee from Candeleda whistled for Barça in the League was on May 15, against Espanyol in Cornellà (0-2). That victory, with goals from Lamine and Fermín, allowed Hansi Flick's team to secure the title with two matchdays to spare.

In total, Barça's record with Soto Grado is 6 wins, 3 draws, and 5 losses in 14 appearances. Real Madrid, meanwhile, boasts a very favorable record with the referee from La Rioja. The Whites have played 22 matches with this referee, totaling 14 wins, 6 draws, and only 2 losses. The most recent precedent: a 0-1 'merengue' victory against Alavés on April 21.

Barça's record in matches refereed by César Soto Grado:

1. Matches: 14
2. Wins: 6
3. Draws: 3
4. Losses: 3

Barça needs to win El Clásico to regain the LaLiga lead 

As things stand, Barça is obliged to win at the Santiago Bernabéu to regain the LaLiga leadership and will have to do so with a referee whose record clearly favors the 'Casa Blanca'. For the moment, Barcelona has 22 points, a couple less than Real Madrid after nine rounds.

In case of winning on Sunday, Hansi Flick's team will surpass the 'merengues' by one point. The Azulgrana team also boasts the best offense in the tournament with 24 goals in favor, 4 more than Xabi Alonso's. Thanks to this, Barça maintains a goal difference of +14 despite having conceded 10 goals, one more than their J10 rival (9).

• Follow the complete coverage of the Real Madrid vs FC Barcelona Clásico on FC Barcelona Noticias