According to reports, all eyes will be on El Clasico between Barcelona and Real Madrid this afternoon, particularly on the performance of referee Alejandro Jose Hernandez Hernandez.

This will be the fifth El Clasico officiated by this experienced referee in his professional career. His strong form in recent months is evident in this selection, as he previously refereed the Copa del Rey semifinal first leg between Barcelona and Atletico Madrid at Montjuic.

Hernandez Hernandez has officiated 17 matches in the top tier of Spanish football this season. In total, he has issued 94 yellow cards, averaging 5.53 per match—slightly higher than the league average (4.61). Two of these cards were given to Barcelona players (Gavi and Eric Garcia) during their match at Sanchez Pizjuan. Additionally, Fermin was sent off with a direct red card in the same match.

On the other hand, this referee has shown yellow cards to seven Real Madrid players this season. Lucas Vazquez against Celta Vigo, then Sebas and Rudiger against Getafe, and finally Modric, Rudiger, Alaba, and Vinicius in the match against Betis at Benito Villamarin.

Overall, he has shown four red cards this season, averaging 0.24 red cards per match, slightly higher than the league average (0.22). He has also awarded six penalties in these 17 matches, averaging 0.35 penalties per game, just slightly above the league average of 0.34 up to the 34th matchday. In total, 433 fouls have been called in matches under his supervision, averaging 25.47 fouls per game, while the league average is 24.78 (out of 8,426 fouls).

Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez is also a well-known figure internationally. He regularly participates in European competitions, both as a central referee and a video assistant referee (VAR), and is included in FIFA’s referee list. Interestingly, he and Carlos del Cerro Grande are the only Spanish VAR officials selected to officiate at the Club World Cup in the United States.

This referee from the Canary Islands is one of the most influential figures in Spain’s refereeing structure. As a result, he has attended all joint meetings between the Spanish Football Federation and La Liga since February, except when international commitments prevented his participation.

Hernandez Hernandez has been available to officiate El Clasico due to his absence from European competitions at this stage, and the day after this match, he is scheduled to attend an official meeting of La Liga referees with the federation president at Las Rozas.