For a Real Madrid player, there are few bigger accomplishments than scoring against Barcelona in an El Clasico showdown.
But when you score twice, with those goals going on to make modern-day history, then the achievement goes up to the next level.
And that’s just what Real Madrid forward Caroline Weir did on Sunday, as the Scotland international’s late brace sealed a 3-1 victory over Barcelona Femeni at the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium.
Caroline Weir's history-making brace
Madrid’s win means that Barca’s gap at the top of Liga F has now been cut to four points and ended a 10-match winning streak, but that only tells part of the story when it comes to how momentous Weir’s match-winning brace was.
Weir’s goals came in the 87th minute and then in stoppage time, with the victory going on to be Madrid’s first against Barcelona in all competitions, snapping an 18-game losing streak against their bitter rivals.
It also marked the first time Barca have lost by two or more goals at home since September 2012 when Rayo Vallecano claimed a 2-0 win, as Madrid’s dreams of snapping Barca’s five-year reign as Liga F champions remain alive.
And for Weir, the dramatic late brace is another achievement ticked off during a season in which she has got her career back on track following an anterior cruciate ligament injury that saw her miss almost all of the 2023/24 campaign.
Weir - ranked at no.35 in FourFourTwo's list of the best players on the planet last year - signed for Real on a free transfer in July 2022 to become the first Scot to feature in the Spanish top flight, after her Manchester City deal expired. Her four-year stint at City saw her win two League Cups and one FA Cup, while she also earned FIFA Puskas Award nominations in both 2020 and 2021.
The 29-year-old has earned more than 100 caps for Scotland and began her career with Hibernian before moving to Arsenal as an 18-year-old. Spells at Bristol Academy and Liverpool followed before her move to City, with her full international debut coming in 2013.
Weir will be pushing to be involved when Scotland take on Germany home and away in their Nations League double-header next month as she looks to carry on her goalscoring exploits on the international stage.
She will also hope that her match-winning turn against Barcelona will mark the turning of the tide in Liga F and that this historic victory will usher in a new era for her club side.
