Juan Martínez Munuera is walking into the perfect storm. The referee from Alicante is the man selected by Spain’s Technical Committee of Referees (CTA) to officiate the first Clásico of the season. A veteran official, he has already worked four Barcelona-Real Madrid clashes in his career. He is a referee with plenty of experience, tasked with handling a match already overshadowed by recent controversies and criticism.

Clásicos are tense by nature, but this one is shaping up to be particularly explosive. Relations between the two clubs have completely broken down because of the Negreira case. Meanwhile, José Mourinho has launched repeated attacks on Spanish officiating in recent weeks, especially following the Madrid derby. That is why the CTA has turned to an authoritative figure, someone with experience and the ability to manage high-pressure situations. Martínez Munuera is, in fact, a police officer currently on leave from active duty. He arrives for El Clásico looking to keep order.

The 44-year-old official is a FIFA-listed international referee, a credential that is often considered essential for a fixture of El Clásico’s magnitude. Even more so after the CTA took a gamble by assigning Miguel Angel Ortiz Arias, who does not hold UEFA status, to the Madrid derby, a decision that sparked intense controversy. Martínez Munuera brings an extensive résumé and considerable pedigree: he has been a LaLiga referee since 2013 and an international official since 2015.

Martínez Munuera and El Clásico - the story so far:

This will be his fifth Clásico. His first came during the 2020-21 season, when Real Madrid won 3-1 at Camp Nou in a match that generated plenty of debate. Barcelona objected to the referee awarding a VAR-assisted penalty after Clément Lenglet was judged to have pulled Sergio Ramos. It was a decision that did not sit well with the Catalan club, which had already viewed Martínez Munuera with suspicion because of previous matches.

A year later, he was again assigned to El Clásico, this time at the Bernabéu, where Barcelona cruised to a 4-0 victory. During the 2022-23 season, he took charge of the second leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal between the two clubs, a match that also ended 4-0, though this time in Real Madrid’s favor. His most recent Clásico came in the 2023-24 season, when Madrid defeated Barcelona 4-1 in the Spanish Super Cup final.

The result is a record of three Real Madrid victories with Martínez Munuera in charge of El Clásico.

Despite that, Real Madrid have criticized Martínez Munuera on countless occasions. The club even filed a complaint against him with the Disciplinary Committee. Even so, Madrid’s overall record under his whistle is highly favorable: 30 wins, nine draws and seven defeats. Barcelona, while also questioning some of his decisions over the years, have likewise enjoyed positive results, posting 24 wins, six draws and only four losses.

This will be Martínez Munuera’s sixth match of the season. Among his assignments so far were Real Madrid’s 4-0 win over Málaga and Barcelona’s 3-1 victory at Sevilla. But he knows neither compares to what awaits him now. El Clásico is a different challenge altogether, one that demands the highest level of control and composure. He may well have to call upon the instincts he honed as a police officer.

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