Real Madrid vs Barcelona: 5 teammates of Luis Enrique who Barca could've used in the upcoming El Clasico
The latest El Clasico is almost upon us and naturally it’s one of the biggest games of the season, the two titans of Spanish football in Real Madrid and Barcelona going head-to-head. Right now it’s hard to say which club has the strongest side – Madrid boast the talents of Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale amongst others while Barcelona have their deadly trio of strikers in Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar.
In the past, both teams have been home to some of the greatest players in the world, if not of all time, and interestingly enough Barca coach Luis Enrique actually played with a great number of them, both at Real and at his current club. Although he was at Madrid first, his greatest years were spent at the Nou Camp, where he made 207 appearances over eight seasons.
Given the importance of this upcoming El Clasico, here are five of the best players that Enrique shared the Nou Camp pitch with and would probably love to use in this weekend’s game.
#1: Ronaldo
Not Cristiano of course as he’s never played for Barca – I’m talking about the Brazilian legend Ronaldo, known somewhat derogatorily today as ‘Fat Ronaldo’ due to the fame of his Portuguese namesake.
Ronaldo only spent one season with Barcelona – 1996/97 – which feels odd because in my memory at least, he seemed to be there for years before his big-money move to Inter Milan. His impact during his time there probably makes it feel longer, though – he was literally a goal machine at the Nou Camp, scoring an insane 47 goals in 49 appearances in all competitions.
Ronaldo’s pace and power in leading Barca’s attack that year enabled them to win the UEFA Cup – he scored the winning goal in the final – the Copa del Rey, and the Supercopa de Espana. He was both the highest goalscorer in La Liga and the whole of Europe, and at 20, he became the youngest player to win the FIFA World Player of the Year.
The one thing he couldn’t do? Stop a Raul-led Real Madrid from winning La Liga. But in his prime, he was arguably better than any of Barca’s current front trio when it came to sheer goalscoring, and you can bet that Enrique would love to be able to call upon him for the upcoming El Clasico to attempt to catch Real this season.