Gerard Piqué, the former Barcelona defender, drew comparisons between a number of the Catalan side's stars and those of Real Madrid, ahead of the eagerly awaited Clásico clash tomorrow, Sunday, in the tenth round of the Spanish league.
In a video interview with the former Mexico star Miguel Layún, Piqué weighed up the players of La Liga's two giants and picked England's Anthony Gordon, the Barcelona winger, over Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappé from a teamwork perspective. "As a team player, he (Gordon) is someone I would want to have in my team," he explained. "But if you are talking about individual quality, then I would choose Mbappé."
Read also
In numbers: Ezzalzouli tops an elite list in the Champions League
Mbappé tops the Champions League team of the week: a complete absence of Barcelona players
On Eric García (Barcelona) against Denzel Dumfries (Real), he added: "Eric García is better than Dumfries, even if he is injured, otherwise I would choose Koundé."
Asked to choose between Rodri (Barcelona) and Aurélien Tchouaméni (Real), Piqué laughed: "Fine, I will be objective this time, Rodri."
One comparison he refused to settle was Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) against Jude Bellingham (Real). "They are two different players, and in my view they should not be compared in the first place," he said.
Piqué went further in the same interview, tipping the Blaugrana to beat Los Blancos 4-1. He rates the Catalan side as the best in the world right now, well clear of their nearest rival.
Barcelona sit top of the Spanish league with 27 points, a perfect record from nine rounds. Real trail by six points in third, beaten twice already this season by Real Betis (1-0) and Atlético Madrid (2-1).