12/1/2025–|Last updated: 12/1/202504:32 PM (Mecca time)
Referee Jesus Gil Manzano officiates the match between Barcelona and Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final, which will be held this evening, which is the fourth Clásico in his career.
The “El Clásico” match is scheduled to be held tonight at ten o’clock Mecca and Doha time at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The Spanish newspaper “Mundo Deportivo” reported that Manzano is an unwanted referee for Barcelona when it comes to managing El Clasico, as the Catalan team has lost to Real Madrid the previous three times.
In the presence of Manzano, Barcelona was defeated by Real Madrid in the ninth round of the Spanish League of the 2014-2015 season (1-3), and in the 30th round of the 2020-2021 season (1-2) at Valdebebas Stadium without an audience, and with the same result as last season. Montjuïc Stadium in Round 11.
As for the Spanish Super Cup, Manzano will appear with Barcelona for the third time, as the Catalan team won with him once and lost the second.
Manzano led the match between Barcelona and its host Sevilla in the first leg of the Super Cup in 2016 – at that time the tournament was held in a home-and-away system – and the Blaugrana won 2-0.
In the new system, Barcelona and Manzano lost the Super Cup Final (2020) after being defeated by Athletic Bilbao (2-3) at La Cartuja Stadium in a match in which the referee sent off Argentine star Lionel Messi.
-Manzano’s statistics with Barcelona and Real Madrid
In general, Manzano managed 41 matches for Barcelona in all tournaments, during which the Catalan team achieved 26 wins (63%), 7 draws (17%) and 8 defeats (20%).
Manzano issued 101 yellow cards to Barcelona players, in addition to 10 red cards to a number of stars, most notably Messi, Luis Suarez, Neymar, Gerard Pique, Robert Lewandowski, and Dani Alves (the latter was expelled twice).
On the other hand, Manzano managed 50 matches for Real Madrid, of which the Royal Club won 39 (78%), tied 6 times (12%), and suffered 5 defeats (10%).
Manzano showed the yellow card to Real Madrid players 93 times, compared to 5 red cards.
Hours before the start of El Clasico, Manzano (40 years old) appeared in a video clip published by the official account of the Spanish Football Federation on the X platform, in which he confirmed his full readiness to manage this final.
Manzano said, “El Clásico is always an important match, especially the final. This makes you bear more responsibility because in the end there is a team that will win, and therefore you must know the extent of the responsibilities placed on the referee in every decision.”
The refereeing crew for the Spanish Super Cup final between Barcelona and Real Madrid:
- Jesús Gil Manzano: Ruler of the Arena.
- Nevado Rodriguez: First Assistant.
- Martinez Nicholas: Second Assistant.
- Iglesias Villanueva: Video Assistant Referee (VAR).
- Cerezo Parfenov: First assistant to the mouse.
- Gonzalez Fuertes: Second assistant to the mouse.
- Melero Lopez: Fourth official.
