With increased scrutiny on referees in the age of social media conspiracies and VAR gaffes, officials have begun to take centre stage in football.

No longer are they just the figure in the fluorescent shirt holding a whistle in the centre circle, occasionally peeping it from time to time. Now they are known not just by face but by name, by birthplace and by officiating style.

Referees tend to be at the heart of the discourse around derby day in particular, with this weekend's El Clasico between Barcelona and Real Madrid no different. The man selected to umpire such a fierce rivalry is Jesus Gil Manzano, a Spanish referee with a wealth of experience in La Liga and in Europe.

But who is the official at the centre of Saturday's Clasico?

Who is Jesus Gil Manzano?

Born in Don Benito, the province of Badajoz - 300km south of Madrid - Manzano is a Spanish referee who has been officiating in the country for a little over 20 years. Having started in the lower tiers, the 39-year-old worked his way up and has been refereeing in La Liga since the 2012/13 season.

Manzano is widely regarded as one of the best referees in Spain, having often been trusted with some of the nation's biggest games. For example, he officiated the 2018 Copa del Rey final, as well as two Supercopa de Espana finals.

Having taken charge of 221 La Liga matches, Manzano has plenty of experience at the top level. The referee has brandished 1,208 yellow cards in the Spanish top flight, averaging over five bookings per match.

The Spaniard has also taken charge of 21 Champions League matches over the course of his career - more than any of his La Liga peers - the most high-profile of which was the semi-final first leg between Inter and AC Milan last season.

Despite his experience, Manzano is yet to referee at either the World Cup or European Championship, although that could change next summer.

Has Jesus Gil Manzano ever refereed a Barcelona game before?

Manzano has officiated 36 Barcelona matches previously, the second most of any individual club over the course of his career. The most recent of these games came towards the end of last season in a 2-1 defeat for Xavi's side at Rayo Vallecano.

Having shown ten red cards to Barcelona players - an average of approximately one every three-and-a-half games - Manzano is generally not a popular man among the club's supporters. On two occasions, Manzano has sent off multiple Barca players in an individual match,

Lionel Messi famously refused to shake Manzano's hand after a 2-2 draw with Girona back in September 2018 after Clement Lenglet was sent off with 35 minutes gone and Barcelona one goal to the good.

Barcelona supporters have always felt that Manzano has favoured Real Madrid in his decision-making over the years, with fans not forgetting the time he left the Santiago Bernabeu after Madrid's clash with Villarreal holding a bag with the 14-time European champions' badge on it.

Villarreal president Fernando Roig stated after the game: "The referee and his assistants have left the stadium with bags from Madrid...and that's not right." Despite the Committee of Referees claiming that they were just souvenirs gifted to Manzano, the incident didn't sit right with many fans.

In Barcelona games that Manzano has taken charge of, Barcelona have won 22 from 36, a win percentage of just 61%.

Barcelona games that Jesus Gil Manzano has refereed

Has Jesus Gil Manzano ever refereed a Real Madrid game before?

Real Madrid are the club that Manzano has officiated most frequently.

In the space of 47 matches, Manzano has produced just four red cards for Madrid players, two of which went to Casemiro. On average, Manzano dismisses a Madrid player once every 12 games.

During his time in charge of Madrid, Manzano has awarded them 14 penalties (one every 3.4 matches). By contrast, he has given just six to Barcelona in 36 games (one every six matches).

Real Madrid also have a significantly better win percentage than Barcelona in games Manzano has officiated, tasting victory in 79% of the matches he officiates (37 wins from 47 games).

Real Madrid games that Jesus Gil Manzano has refereed

Has Jesus Gil Manzano ever refereed El Clasico?

Manzano has overseen two Clasicos before, the first of which came towards the start of the 2014/15 season. Real Madrid ran out 3-1 winners despite Barca taking an early lead, with Manzano awarding the capital side a penalty for a Gerard Pique handball which Cristiano Ronaldo converted to equalise.

During that fiery encounter, Manzano produced six yellow cards, four of which came for Barcelona players in the first half.

Manzano's second Clasico wasn't until seven years later, but Real Madrid came out victorious once more with a 2-1 win. On this occasion, he sent off Madrid's Casemiro in the 90th minute for two yellow cards in as many minutes, but it was too little too late for Barca to grab a leveller.

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This article was originally published on 90min as Jesus Gil Manzano: Who is El Clasico referee?.