Who Would Win: Real Madrid 2000s XI vs. Real Madrid 2010s XI?
Real Madrid have had no shortage of world-class stars in their history.
The face of the team may have changed dramatically over the past 20 years, but success continues to roll in; from the Galacticos of the 2000s to the relentless silverware-lifting side under Zinedine Zidane, Real Madrid are the team to beat.
But combine the top players from each era, and who would fare best?
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Would those from the 2000s be a more spectacular team than the all-around ability and superstar quality of the 2010s?
We've combined the best players from each decade to give fans the chance to choose, forming two teams from the stars who featured for the Santiago Bernabeu club across those time periods.
Anyone featuring between 2000/01 and 2008/09 was eligible for the first side, and those who played between 2009/10 to 2017/18 make up the latter—and only performances for Madrid during those years count toward each side. So who makes the cut? We've selected the teams, and it's up to you to make the call on who would win.
2000s XI
GK: Iker Casillas
There's no question that Iker Casillas was not just Real Madrid's best goalkeeper but also one of their best players anywhere in the first decade of the 21st century.
His lightning reflexes, wondrous shot-stopping ability and leadership qualities made him the face of the club for a period, and he won four of his five league titles in the 2000s, as well as two of his three UEFA Champions Leagues.
Later on, there were question marks over his form and consistency but not during the 2000s; between 2002/03 and 2009/10, he missed just five league games, a phenomenal run highlighting his importance and brilliance.
RB: Michel Salgado
Spanish right-back Michel Salgado was a fixture in the side for a decade, the first choice for the role for almost the entire span of the years we're looking at for the 2000s side.
Naturally, it makes it hard to look anywhere else for a choice, but he was so consistent and reliable that it's no surprise he's in the team—managers continued to play him because he rarely let them down.
Aggressive, strong in the tackle and capable of running the flank all game long, he was solid rather than spectacular but still grew to become a more attacking-minded full-back as he went on.
CB: Fernando Hierro and Sergio Ramos
In the centre, Real Madrid and Spain have linked the past and the present nicely.
Fernando Hierro is a legend: an almost perfect player, a robust defender who was good enough on the ball to play in midfield and enough of a threat in the final third—in the air and from set pieces and long shots—to be the national team's record goalscorer for a period.
He was at his best at centre-back, organising and leading the team with the captain's armband on, and rarely was he beaten on the deck or in the air.
Alongside him, it's the present-day skipper of both Real and Spain: Sergio Ramos.
The longevity and the number of trophies he has won with both club and country highlight his quality, even if errors and inconsistency have also been a notable part of his game in some seasons.
Ramos remains one of the world's best centre-backs and is also a remarkably complete specimen.
LB: Roberto Carlos
From 1996 until 2007, Roberto Carlos covered every blade of grass down the left flank of the Santiago Bernabeu.
His phenomenal stamina, his determination to get back and do his defensive work (even if he wasn't the most refined in his approach) and his link-up play allowed the team to leave that side of the pitch to him and concentrate on overloads elsewhere.
Famed for his shooting—thunderous but erratic—as much as anything else, Roberto Carlos was a machine for Real Madrid, and few have been as watchable in the role since his heyday.
CM: Claude Makelele and Zinedine Zidane
A French duo in midfield to complement each other nicely: the holder and the schemer, the water-carrier and the genius.
One type without the other makes any midfield less of a whole, but together, these two could do everything.
Claude Makelele was part-destroyer, part-protector and disciplined, a rarity in the Real Madrid team of the time and valued far more by his team-mates than by the club hierarchy.
Zidane was nothing less than one of the world's greatest talents, impossible to knock off the ball, filled with skill and vision as much as elegance and balance and equally at home in the centre of the park or further upfield.
RW: Luis Figo
On the right, it's Portuguese maestro Luis Figo, a powerful and tall presence down the flank who still had all the speed and skill of a regular winger.
Figo was a regular provider of scoring chances for his team-mates, cutting in or going on the outside and providing intelligent balls into space rather than blindly crossing, and he had goals to his game, too.
He spent five seasons at Madrid after joining from Barcelona in 2000 and won two league titles along the way.
LW: Raul
On the left, because of Roberto Carlos dominating the entire flank by himself, we had a choice out of a list of reasonable but not long-lasting or world-class talents or opting for an extra striker thanks to Raul's versatility.
The likes of Santi Solari, Wesley Sneijder, Steve McManaman and Arjen Robben featured on the left for Madrid in the 2000s, but none were guaranteed starters over extended periods.
Raul, usually a second forward, filled the void on the flank at times because he fit the needs of the team: hardworking, excellent movement, as good at linking play as scoring goals, and selfless.
He's a must-have in this side thanks to his immense record and achievements, and considering he played on the right, left, behind the striker and as a No. 9 during his time at the Bernabeu, he wouldn't be complaining about his role here.
CF: Ronaldo and Ruud van Nistelrooy
That leaves room for two goalscorers through the centre, and Madrid fans wouldn't mind having either one of these two back in his prime: Ronaldo and Ruud van Nistelrooy.
After signing from Inter Milan in 2002, Brazilian legend Ronaldo was unstoppable during his first three seasons at the club, hitting over 80 goals in that time and proving himself among the world's finest players. Injuries took their toll thereafter, but even in his fleeting appearances he was still a serious threat and ended up with over a century of strikes for the club.
He left in 2007 and was never the same player afterward, but the memories he brought—at Inter, PSV Eindhoven and Barcelona, too—will never fade from football fans' minds.
As for Van Nistelrooy, his time at Madrid is overlooked sometimes, but he netted over 50 goals in two seasons before, similar to Ronaldo, suffering injuries that effectively ended his Madrid career early.
The Dutchman was a predator, scoring from anywhere in the box with any part of his body.
Together, they make goals.
2010s XI
GK: Keylor Navas
Casillas' demise started around 2010/11, and by 2012, he was in and out of the side. Real Madrid swapped faces and names once or twice, but Keylor Navas' arrival in 2014 spelled the end for the Spanish legend.
Now in his fourth season at the Bernabeu and third as the undisputed starter, Navas has taken over in some style, which speaks volumes for his mentality as much as his goalkeeping ability.
In the face of such history, and with rumours of replacements almost nonstop, the Costa Rican gets on with his game and offers the present-day Real Madrid side a tremendous last line of defence.
RB: Dani Carvajal
Full-back isn't a position Real Madrid chop and change too much; after Salgado, there came Alvaro Arbeloa and then Dani Carvajal.
The latter has been the dominant force on the right in recent years, improving defensively and contributing in the attack, a well-rounded player who is quiet yet effective. And without being close to the star name in the team, he always manages to have an impact.
Great delivery from out wide with a willingness to overlap and diligent defensive work, his biggest trait is that he's missed when absent.
CB: Raphael Varane and Sergio Ramos
The only member of the Real Madrid squad to feature in both teams, Ramos has spent 13 years at the club and remains the undisputed first-choice centre-back.
Since 2010, he has won two league titles, two Copa del Rey trophies, three Champions Leagues and the FIFA Club World Cup twice. Not a bad haul.
Alongside him, Raphael Varane edges out Pepe for our team.
The Frenchman was long regarded as one of the best up-and-coming centre-backs in Europe; over the past couple of seasons, he has made good on that ability by finding the consistency and aggression in his game to go with the technique, intelligence and pace he already had.
Only injuries have stopped him reaching this level already, but he's an important player for Los Blancos.
LB: Marcelo
Roberto Carlos was magic to watch and memorable, but Marcelo has eclipsed him for pure talent, consistency and importance to Real Madrid.
The Brazilian is one of the best full-backs in football, as good on the ball in midfield areas as any of his team-mates and with the vision, creativity and confidence to dribble into space, fire a cross into a dangerous area or link play on the ground.
There's little he can't do, and he's also developed a leadership streak, which makes him one of the club's captains.
DM: Xabi Alonso
Given Real Madrid are the Champions League holders—winning the past two competitions, no less—it's not a surprise our 2010s XI is made up of many of the current side, but Xabi Alonso is an outlier.
The defensive midfielder was part of Carlo Ancelotti's team that won the same trophy in 2014, though he missed the final through suspension. Even so, Alonso's stamp on the team was pivotal; he protected the back line, sprung attacks from deep and was the metronomic pass-master from the centre.
Aggressive, committed, intelligent and positionally secure, Alonso had the best blend of technique and defensive prowess in the world for a period.
He's in ahead of Casemiro, though the Brazilian is up there with the best in his position too.
CM: Luka Modric and Toni Kroos
Central midfield presents the current double act: Luka Modric and Toni Kroos.
The Croatian has everything, from the work rate and willingness to tackle back to the engine to get around the pitch all game long. Most of all, though, he has the drive to push the team upfield and the technique to be the most important link between middle and final thirds.
Without him, the team is noticeably less focused in how to transition play, and his six years at the club have yielded three Champions League trophies. That's not a coincidence.
Kroos has taken over some of Alonso's duties: keeping the team moving on the ball, spotting passes others cannot and ensuring the back line is protected.
He has benefitted from moving back into the centre, with Casemiro deepest, and the German continues to show the longevity and quality required to remain at the highest level.
RW: Gareth Bale
There were three candidates for this position: Mesut Ozil, Angel Di Maria and Gareth Bale. Ozil was better centrally for Madrid, Di Maria's best campaign came in central midfield and Bale's wing exploits for Real have been somewhat dampened by absurd expectations and the fact he's not Cristiano Ronaldo.
Simply put, Bale has been great at Real Madrid.
Injuries have stopped him being as relentless as he might have otherwise been, but Bale has contributed in a big way to league titles, Champions League finals and world-class performances.
LW: Cristiano Ronaldo
As if it could be anybody else. Since joining Real Madrid at the start of 2009/10, Ronaldo has done nothing but score goals and break records.
He has held the title of the world's best player for the past two years, has won trophies domestically and on the international scene in that time frame and switched his role from inside forward to central threat.
All the while, he performs at an elite level with a consistency only one other player on the planet can match season after season.
Ronaldo is Real Madrid's greatest goalscorer—and quite possibly their greatest-ever player.
CF: Karim Benzema
Gonzalo Higuain starred in the early part of the decade, but Karim Benzema won that particular battle to remain at the club and be the first-choice No. 9, and he has remained exactly that to this day.
The Frenchman boasts excellent hold-up play, creative movement, instinctive finishing and selflessness in linking with others; perhaps he's not the killer in the box that some would rather see, but over the years, he has played a crucial role in Ronaldo's tally being as high as it is.
Still a go-to man for Zidane, he's one of the more well-rounded strikers in the game when fit and on top form.
Final Teams
2000s XI: Casillas; Salgado, Hierro, Ramos, Roberto Carlos; Makelele, Zidane, Figo, Raul; Ronaldo and Van Nistelrooy.
2010s XI: Navas; Carvajal, Varane, Ramos, Marcelo; Alonso, Modric, Kroos; Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo and Benzema.
There you have our two Real Madrid XIs, but which team would emerge triumphant in a head-to-head game at the Santiago Bernabeu? Join the debate on B/R Football's social media accounts.
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