Johan Cruyff Slams 'Unacceptable' Real Madrid, Questions Manchester City and PSG

Barcelona icon Johan Cruyff has hit out at Real Madrid, claiming it is "ridiculous" that the Spanish giants have sampled only one league title triumph in the past seven seasons.

In an article published in De Telegraaf (h/t Marca) the Oranje legend has spoken frankly about his former rivals' failure to secure domestic glory, calling the team spirit of the group into question:

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It's ridiculous that they have only won the league once in seven years. Losing the title race once isn't a problem, but doing so for so many seasons is unacceptable.

I had doubts whether any Real Madrid players actually wanted their teammates to score in recent games. That's the difference between them and Barca, where everybody pulls together to score goals.

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After a stunning start to the campaign, which included a remarkable 22-game winning run, Real seemed poised to seize the league title back from local rivals Atletico Madrid. But they've been inconsistent throughout 2015, as fatigue and fitness problems have conspired to knock Carlo Ancelotti's team off course.

But as Cruyff notes, while one failure can be attributed to anomalous circumstances, to have been bested so often for such a sustained spell is a concern. Especially when you consider the money that has been spent to assemble this current Los Blancos team.

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Speaking with Bleacher Report, Spanish football expert Guillem Balague assembled a combined Barcelona-Real Madrid XI, and at this juncture, it's made up mostly of Blaugrana stars:

Indeed, the former Blaugrana boss went on to say that there is much more to a team than the money spent on it, singling out Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain for particular criticism.

"Spanish and Italian football have been a cut above the rest. The Premier League has been disappointing," said the Dutchman. "It’s been proven once again that it isn't all about money. I say that about both PSG and Manchester City, who had a lot more money to spend than Juventus."

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A study conducted by SportingIntelligence (h/t the Guardian) added some credence to Cruyff's views, as it revealed PSG, Real and City spend more money on player wages than any other sports team in the world, and two of those sides have won nothing this season.

In fairness to Real, against a foe like this Barcelona team and the XI assembled by Pep Guardiola, it's little surprise league titles have been scarce. But the very nature of Los Blancos, especially up against the Catalonians, is always to see what they can do to close the gap, hence the substantial spending.

It must be said that Barcelona are not paupers, and they too have spent big to land talents such as Neymar and Luis Suarez. But the Blaugrana have a clear ethos they've unyieldingly adhered to, which has set them apart on the domestic front. Sadly, the same cannot be said about Real Madrid.