As the most visible rivalry match in global football, El Clasico consistently draws enormous scrutiny from fans, media, and those within the game every time Barcelona and Real Madrid match up.
As they get set for their first league meeting of the 2026/27 season on Sunday, October 25, all eyes will be on the referee who must do his best to keep the match fair and balanced across the 90 minutes of action.
Juan Martinez Munuera, the individual selected to officiate Sunday's match, will have his work cut out for him in such a hotly-contested match that consistently reaches a boiling point.
The Sporting News brings you a look at the referee's history in this fixture full of flashpoints, and how he has fared in the past officiating games between these two globally-renowned clubs.
Who is El Clasico referee Juan Martinez Munuera?
44-year-old Juan Martinez Munuera, who was assigned to officiate the first El Clasico of the 2026/27 season, is one of the more experienced referees in La Liga.
He has been a La Liga referee since 2013, giving him 14 seasons of top flight experience, and has been FIFA listed since 2015.
In addition to refereeing countless important La Liga matches in his career, he has also officiated the 2021 Copa del Rey final between Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao.
Most of his major international experience has come as a VAR. He was in the replay booth for the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup final in Qatar, where Liverpool defeated Flamengo, and he was the assistant VAR for the 2019 UEFA Nations League final between Portugal and the Netherlands.
Juan Martinez Munuera history Barcelona vs. Real Madrid
This match on October 25 will be Munuera's fifth El Clasico in his 14th season as a La Liga referee.
Real Madrid have won three of the previous four he has officiated between these two heated rivals. Additionally, the visiting team has won all three of the domestically-based El Clasico matches he has officiated.
Munuera has drawn criticism from the Barcelona camp before. Catalan reporters claimed that his father, former third-division referee Juan Ramon Martinez, is the founder of a local Real Madrid fan group. This was further amplified when he decided to give Madrid a controversial penalty in his first El Clasico assignment after a VAR review.
| Date | Location | Competition | Match | Result |
| Oct. 24, 2020 | Camp Nou (Barcelona) | La Liga | Barcelona 1-3 Real Madrid | Real Madrid win |
| Mar. 20, 2022 | Santiago Bernabeu (Madrid) | La Liga | Real Madrid 0-4 Barcelona | Barcelona win |
| Apr. 5, 2023 | Camp Nou (Barcelona) | Copa del Rey Semifinal (2nd leg) | Barcelona 0-4 Real Madrid | Real Madrid win |
| Jan. 14, 2024 | Al Awwal Park (Riyadh) | Supercopa de Espana Final | Real Madrid 4-1 Barcelona | Real Madrid win |
Who is El Clasico VAR referee?
The man on the replay monitor for the El Clasico on October 24 is Javier Iglesias Villanueva.
He is now in his third season as part of the La Liga VAR group.
Villanueva has been in the spotlight before involving one of these teams, as he drew Real Madrid's ire back in February of 2025 when he did not recommend a review for a potential red card for a kick by Espanyol defender Carlos Romero to the back of Kylian Mbappe.
