Barcelona 2017 vs. Barcelona 2007: Which Is the Stronger XI?

A decade has passed since a dramatically tight finish to La Liga saw Real Madrid and Barcelona finish level on points, with the former just edging it for the 2006/07 title on the head-to-head record. This season could yet prove just as close, with Barca leading the table by a single point, though Madrid have a game in hand.

With that in mind, we've compared the 2017 lineup to the one used exactly 10 years ago. While Barca ran riot at the weekend with a 5-0 home win over Celta Vigo, back in 2007, it was somewhat less satisfactory: a 2-1 loss at Sevilla, with two players being sent off for the Catalan outfit.

So which side is better? 2017 with their hopes of success or 2007 with their near-miss?

We've compared both lineups as closely as possible, allowing for formation differentiations, and awarded points to each player in the individual head-to-head matchups.

GK: Marc-Andre ter Stegen vs. Victor Valdes

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Goalkeeper is a reasonably contentious battle to start with: Victor Valdes held the role for many seasons and was incredibly successful with Barcelona, but he was always favoured for reasons beyond merely goalkeeping attributes.

As Marc-Andre ter Stegen has patiently waited to show, he is a far more rounded and complete stopper than Barca have had for well over a decade, and he has the capacity (and the youthfulness) to enjoy an even longer tenure than Valdes eventually managed.

Sure, the odd mistake is there from the German, but few goalkeepers avoid that completely, and he more than makes up for it with his save rate, his excellent distribution and an iron-clad self-belief.

Ter Stegen 10-9 Valdes

DF: Gerard Pique vs. Carles Puyol

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A battle of defensive stalwarts; Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol played alongside each other for several years, but it was the curly-haired, now-retired Puyol who ruled supreme at the back of Frank Rijkaard's team in 2007.

Puyol was aggressive, combustible, snide when required and utterly determined; Pique has perhaps less of Pique's robustness in the challenge but is every bit and more the same type of team leader as well as having a superior technical skill set.

Having either defender would have been tremendous for a manager; having both, well, Barcelona are just that fortunate.

Pique 10-10 Puyol

DF: Samuel Umtiti vs. Oleguer Presas

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Samuel Umtiti may yet go on to prove an astonishingly good piece of business if he remains at Barcelona for years to come, but as a young defender with a big price tag, there's a level of expectancy attached to him that he has not yet fulfilled.

Oleguer Presas was a versatile defender who usually featured on the right, but in the 2007 fixture in question, he played in his more natural role of centre-back. A world-class talent he was not, though dependable and generally strong performances saw him make more than 100 appearances for Barcelona.

This is perhaps the head-to-head where a leap of faith in future talent is taken, but Umtiti should comfortably reach levels Oleguer never managed.

Umtiti 10-9 Oleguer

DF: Jordi Alba vs. Giovanni van Bronckhorst

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Jordi Alba isn't to everybody's taste, but he's certainly effective in his role for Barcelona and has already spent longer at the club than Giovanni van Bronckhorst managed.

Gio originally signed on loan as a midfielder before making the left-back role his own as a classy but understated source of linking buildup play.

Alba, on the other hand, is all action, with speed and penetration down the flank and an argumentative streak with it. He is as subtle as a dart to the head but extremely effective when on form.

It's a clash of styles as much as anything else, and due to inconsistencies from both, it's tough to separate them.

Alba 9-9 Gio

DF: Sergi Roberto vs. Gianluca Zambrotta

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Here we differ somewhat in roles; Sergi Roberto is a midfielder-turned-right-back, who was slotted back into a midfield role at the weekend as Barcelona reverted to a 3-4-3 system. As the regular right-back, though, it's natural we match him up against 2007's Gianluca Zambrotta.

Sergi Roberto initially impressed after switching positions, but as the team has struggled at times this year, so has he in particular. A wretched recent run has changed some viewers' perception of him, but there's still talent, tactical intelligence and determination in him that can be rediscovered.

Zambrotta was a class act as a wing-back in Italy, but his two-year Barcelona spell was marred by mistakes and inconsistency.

Both would hope for better, but with Dani Alves in between their reigns, they'll likely always be judged harshly.

Sergi Roberto 9-9 Zambrotta

MF: Sergio Busquets vs. Rafa Marquez

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This is almost a heavyweight boxing match: A World Cup winner with almost a century of caps and almost a decade of service in Barcelona's first team against one of the finest signings the club ever made, a veteran of four World Cups—captaining his nation at each one—and the non-European who has played the most games for Barca.

Sergio Busquets has long been seen as one of the world's best defensive midfielders—composed on the ball, intelligent with his passing and yet possessing a defensive acumen that makes him tough to bypass.

Marquez, however, was good in the air, assured on the deck and so tactically dependable that he could be shifted from defence to midfield whenever required. Above all else, the Mexican was utterly committed to winning, and he is one of the few players who could stop Busquets running away with this one.

Busquets 10-10 Marquez

MF: Rafinha vs. Xavi

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Some head-to-heads are a little more unfair than others, and that's the case here.

Rafinha is a perfectly serviceable midfielder, who could progress into something far bigger and better. But Xavi defined a generation, a non-stop winner who redefined what it meant to be a central midfielder.

It's not down to Rafinha's shortcomings, but this one isn't close.

Rafinha 8-10 Xavi

MF: Ivan Rakitic vs. Andres Iniesta

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Much like the Rafinha-Xavi head-to-head but perhaps with slightly less of a gap between them, Ivan Rakitic has been excellent for Barcelona—but he's no Andres Iniesta.

Indeed, Iniesta himself would usually be the link from 2007 to 2017 but for injury problems to prevent him being as heavily involved this season.

In '07, Iniesta was an unsurpassed force linking the middle and final thirds—a tremendous all-round creative talent who could dribble, find incisive passes and exploit spaces like no other.

Rakitic has been a little more brute force, and a little more likely to score goals, but he's still not in the class even at his peak that Iniesta reached—and the '16/17 season has not seen Rakitic at his peak.

Rakitic 9-10 Iniesta

FW: Leo Messi '17 vs. Leo Messi '07

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We've got one player who was in the side a decade ago and remains there now, and Barca fans have loved every minute of his career: Lionel Messi.

Ten years earlier, he was a floppy-haired, precocious young talent who drifted in off the flank more often than not, but he happened to be playing centrally for the fixture in question. Even so, it's natural to judge him against his future self, rather than have two players go head-to-head against perhaps the finest talent the world has ever seen.

Having been central, he's back out on the right, but he's a far more complete player now—a playmaker, creator and scorer of goals. In '06/07, he was still a dribble-crazy, fleet-footed No. 19 who netted at a slightly lower rate than one-in-two—which is unthinkable now.

Messi 2017 10-9 Messi 2007

FW: Luis Suarez vs. Ludovic Giuly

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Star striker against wing provider here, with Luis Suarez the current No. 9 and Ludovic Giuly an underrated part of a dangerous strikeforce.

Suarez is almost unrivalled in how much of a complete forward he is: Aggressive, clinical, skilful in one-on-one situations and with a non-stop work rate, he's a great fit for the side today and brings much more than just goals to the Barcelona team.

Giuly contributed both goals and assists, and in '06/07, he was still a regular member on the teamsheet, with his great pace down the right flank something of a precursor to Pedro's breakthrough. Still, the nod goes to the Uruguayan over the Frenchman.

Suarez 10-9 Giuly

FW: Neymar vs. Ronaldinho

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An all-Brazilian head-to-head to finish up with, seeing the enigmatic Ronaldinho against the irrepressible Neymar.

Both are faces of the club—icons for fans as much as tremendous talents on the pitch—and both bring that attractive flair, unstoppable individual skill and penchant for scoring spectacular goals that can silence a hostile crowd or get the home support on their feet.

Ronaldinho was at his very best around 2007, showing unbelievable consistency and skill to be a real match-winner; Neymar still has another gear to go before hitting his own peak, despite being an incredible talent already.

It's close, and one of the best head-to-heads imaginable, but a Ballon d'Or win shows that Ronaldinho then had the marginal edge of Neymar now.

Neymar 9-10 Ronaldinho

Overall Result

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104-103

It's a tight call, but the 2017 iteration of Barcelona takes the plaudits by a single point. Ten years ago, a single additional point would have meant the title for La Liga went the way of the Camp Nou side; a decade on, they'll hope the margins fall in their favour this time.