Picking an Opening-Day, Best-on-Paper La Liga XI
La Liga returns this weekend with a cast list more star-studded than ever following a close season of frantic transfer activity on both sides of the El Clasico divide.
Both Real Madrid and Barcelona have been in the market for some of world football's most recognisable players, while Atletico Madrid will hope that they have at least done enough to replace their departed stars and continue to challenge at the top of the division.
Picking a best XI from such a league is not easy, with so many names worthy of consideration. The attacking 3-4-3 formation of our side highlights the difficulty in including star names at the expense of natural balance.
Who, then, makes our team at this stage of the league season?
GK: Keylor Navas (Real Madrid)
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Simply outstanding for Levante over the past two seasons, Costa Rican goalkeeper Keylor Navas has made the step up to Real Madrid this summer, where he will look to displace the long-serving Iker Casillas from the first team.
In terms of shot-stopping ability and reflexes, there are few—if any—better in world football at the present time. Given Casillas' fall from grace over the past two years, it would seem a straightforward decision for Carlo Ancelotti to make.
His main competition from across the league comes from new Barcelona 'keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who will step into the boots of Victor Valdes this season.
DF: Sergio Ramos
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Playing on the right of our back three is Real Madrid and Spain star Sergio Ramos, one of the best natural defenders in La Liga and European football as a whole.
With his balance of physical and technical abilities, he is a formidable proposition for any opposition striker, while his ability to chip in with goals make him an even more valuable commodity.
At 28, he already has more experience and trophies than most players amass in their entire career and has undoubtedly matured, even if he remains a regular name in referees' notebooks. His contributions were essential to Real's 10th European Cup success last season.
DF: Miranda
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At the heart of our three-man defence is Atletico Madrid's Brazilian stopper Miranda, who this week celebrated a recall to the Brazil national team under returning manager Dunga.
Composed on the ball and an excellent reader of the game, he has formed a terrific partnership with combative Uruguayan Diego Godin that has been the basis for Atletico's success over recent campaigns.
It is frankly unbelievable that he was never in real consideration for a berth at the World Cup following a season in which he was one of La Liga's most consistent performers.
DF: Aymeric Laporte
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On the left side of our back three is Athletic Bilbao's French defender Aymeric Laporte, another who stood out last campaign as the Basque club achieved Champions League qualification.
With the ability to mix it physically with the league's leading strikers and show a deftness of touch worthy of many midfielders when in possession, he is an ideal modern central defender.
While Athletic always prove strong negotiators, it would seem unlikely that he will remain at the club long term as his talents continue to attract attention from the giants of the European game.
MF: Toni Kroos
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In what must be considered one of the best transfer deals of the summer, Real Madrid will this season be able to call upon the services of World Cup winner Toni Kroos at the heart of their midfield.
A key figure in Pep Guardiola's Bayern side, Kroos' vision and ability in confined spaces will be sorely missed by the German champions.
There are few better players when it comes to conducting play and controlling the tempo of a game, which combined with the abilities of Xabi Alonso and Luka Modric should hand Los Merengues a firm upper hand in most games this season.
MF: Luka Modric
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Diminutive Croatian Luka Modric's Real Madrid career got off to a slow start following his switch from Tottenham, but he came into his own under the management of Carlo Ancelotti last season and played an important role in the club's Champions League success.
Modric has an incredible ability to find space on a football pitch or, if closely marked, to use his low centre of gravity to create room for a pass with seemingly minimal effort.
He will be crucial to Real Madrid's title hopes this season and, with the possible departure of Angel Di Maria, could find that he is expected to contribute even more in a creative sense. He is, though, a player who thrives on added responsibility.
MF: Andres Iniesta
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Barcelona's little midfield magician may have endured a tough summer with the Spain national side but remains one of the most elusive operators the league has to offer.
While it is Leo Messi who grabs the vast majority of the headlines, it is the dribbling ability and vision of Iniesta that consistently comes up trumps for Barcelona when they are most in need of inspiration.
It will be a season of change at Camp Nou, with Ivan Rakitic and Luis Suarez coming into the first-choice attacking unit, but it will still be Iniesta who is expected to provide inspiration from midfield and release the likes of Suarez, Neymar and Messi.
MF: James Rodriguez
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Completing our tremendously attacking midfield quartet is Colombian golden boy James Rodriguez, one of the biggest stars of the summer's World Cup in Brazil.
Given the strength of his performances at the competition, it was little surprise to see Real Madrid move to secure his services. The only difficulty now is for Ancelotti to fit all his plentiful resources into a balanced team unit.
Blessed with a sensational left foot, the playmaker is adept at moving into spaces between the opposition's midfield and defensive lines and wreak havoc. Real will have great expectations, but he has shown this summer that he is well equipped to perform under significant pressure.
FW: Cristiano Ronaldo
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Despite an injury-affected World Cup, it is difficult to argue against Cristiano Ronaldo being considered the best player in football at present based upon his performances over the past two years.
The Portuguese forward is integral to Real Madrid's hopes of success, with the reigning European champions at times becoming overly reliant on his abilities, despite their sensational attacking options.
There is nobody in the world game quite as devastating on the counterattack, with his blend of pace, power and ruthless efficiency unmatched. He may have lost some of the trickery of his younger years, but it has been replaced many times over with strength and precision in the final third.
FW: Lionel Messi
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Somewhat surprisingly voted the best player of the World Cup, Lionel Messi was back to somewhere near his best at the competition earlier this summer and will hope to bring that form into the league season.
While he was deemed to be below par during an injury-hit 2013-14 season, he was still phenomenal by the standards used to judge mere mortals—scoring 28 goals in 31 league games.
He will have bolstered support this year with the arrival of Luis Suarez and continued development of Neymar, with Barcelona determined to return to the top of the Spanish game under new manager Luis Enrique.
FW: Gareth Bale
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Given Wales' continued absence from the top table of international football, Real Madrid flyer Gareth Bale has had a full summer to recuperate after a brilliant first season in the Spanish capital.
Early in the campaign, there were doubts over his adaptation to life at the world's biggest club, but as Real clicked into gear en route to their Decima triumph, so did Bale, who scored 21 times in league and Champions League action combined.
His on-field partnership with Cristiano Ronaldo has developed to become a real feature of Real's play, with the duo particularly devastating in transitional play. Bale, though, is beginning to step out of his teammate's shadow and into the limelight.
