Real v Barca: teams of the century
"I've got an idea," I said to my colleague the morning after semi-final first leg. "When Barca and Real Madrid reach the semis, let's do a Greatest XIs blog. That'll get the punters talking."
We came up with only two problems: firstly, that it might look a bit silly to include players from the days of yore like alongside a picture (top right) of the blogger looking about 14-years-old; and secondly, have you seen how many world-class players have represented these teams down the years?
In the end, it was quite simple. We decided to take the entire last millennium out of the equation and pretend the world began in 2000. At least, I consoled myself while I crossed out the names of Diego Maradona and Michael Laudrup, 99% of you taking part in this debate will have seen the contenders in action.
So, what better way to celebrate four Clasicos in 18 days - with the second installment in Valencia - than to choose your favourite Real Madrid and Barcelona teams from the past 11-and-a-bit years?
Hi, I'm Jonathan Stevenson, but you might know me as Stevo from the live texts. I love football more than life itself, which is probably quite a lot to do with a Brian Clough-inspired upbringing. I even met him in his son's newsagents once. You can follow me on to boot.
