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Alejandro Hernández Hernández · Barcelona · Real Madrid · El ClásicoUnconfirmed report

Report: Hernández Hernández to referee Barcelona v Real Madrid on 25 October

By the Data Desk · ·

First reported by Radio Marca (Roberto Gómez), via Mundo Deportivo · 7 OCT 09:29

Alejandro Hernández Hernández will referee the first Clásico of the season, Barcelona v Real Madrid at Camp Nou on Sunday 25 October, according to Roberto Gómez on Radio Marca. The appointment is not official yet, but if it holds it will be his seventh Clásico, and his record in them already splits the two fan bases.

  • Radio Marca's Roberto Gómez reported the appointment on Wednesday morning; the referees' committee (CTA) has not confirmed it.
  • Mundo Deportivo counts six Clásicos for him so far: three Barcelona wins, two draws, one Real Madrid win.
  • Barcelona v Real Madrid is on Sunday 25 October at 21:00 in Spain (20:00 UK), LaLiga matchday 10, and José Mourinho's first Clásico since his return to Madrid.
Why it mattersThe last two Clásicos he refereed both decided something: the 4-3 at Montjuïc in May 2025 and the 2-0 that won Barcelona the title in May 2026. Whoever has the whistle on 25 October will be judged on every call, and this report starts that argument 18 days early.

Gómez gave the news on Radio Marca on Wednesday morning and added that Ricardo de Burgos Bengoetxea has been ruled out for this match. Mundo Deportivo and Defensa Central followed it up within hours. Referee appointments for a LaLiga round are normally published in the days before it, so 18 days out this is a strong report, not a decision.

Hernández Hernández, from the Canary Islands, knows this fixture well. At Montjuïc in May 2025, VAR sent him to the monitor to look at a Ferran Torres shot that struck Aurélien Tchouaméni's arm, and he kept his call: no penalty, because in his view the arm was down. Barcelona won 4-3 anyway.

His most recent Clásico was on 10 May this year at Camp Nou. Barcelona won 2-0 with a Marcus Rashford free-kick and a Ferran Torres goal, and clinched the title that night. Mundo Deportivo puts his record in these games at three Barcelona wins, two draws and one Real Madrid win.

The reaction in Madrid started on the same programme: Radio Marca presenter Raúl Varela said he does not like him as a referee or his record in Clásicos, according to Goal. Expect that tone until the CTA confirms the name or picks someone else.

Our take · Editorial view

The whistle won't decide this Clásico

If the report is right, we think the referee is the smallest variable on 25 October. His most talked-about Clásico call, the Tchouaméni handball in 2025, went against Barcelona and they won anyway; his last one ended in a 2-0 title win. What decides this game is Mourinho's first Clásico back against a Flick side that has won all seven league games, and how Barcelona come through Galatasaray, Betis and PSG in the 12 days before it. If the CTA names someone else in the week of the game, we will update this story.

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Updates

  1. Still open, twelve days on. On 8 October El Gol Digital quoted RFEF sources saying no appointment had been made for the Clásico, and we have found no CTA or RFEF announcement since. El Gol Digital and El Debate both say the referee is made public one day before the match, which would mean Saturday 24 October; Barcelona v Real Madrid stays on Sunday 25 October at 21:00 in Spain (20:00 UK).
Unconfirmed reportAt the time of writing, this information has not been confirmed. The analysis above is the view of our editorial team.
Sources