History has finally repeated itself after more than a decade and a club after Barcelona has finally won six trophies a row. The German giants, Bayern Munich, made it look all too easy as they dominated their national competitions as well as the European ones.
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Their match against the Mexican side, Tigres UANL, in the FIFA Club World Cup final, gave them their sixth consecutive trophy, a feat which had only been achieved by Barcelona in 2009.
Pep Guardiola, who had managed the Catalans to that amazing feat, was quick to congratulate Bayern Munich, on their achievement but he did throw a friendly jab at Hansi Flick.
The Spanish Mastermind who also managed the Germans for a while, suggested that the two teams should have a match to see which is truly the better side. And while in all reality, a match like this is impossible due to the age gap of the players, we can certainly speculate what would have happened if the two legendary teams were to meet.
Let’s look at each player from the starting eleven of the two teams and put them face to face against each other.
Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich) vs Victor Valdes (Barcelona)
This one is a relatively easy one. Although both the Keepers are legends of their own era, and have a pretty similar playing style, Manuel Neuer is just a class apart. The German has been monumental in Bayern’s ongoing success in the domestic league and his saves are what gave Bayern the UEFA Champions League last season.
He has revamped the way a goalkeeper is looked at and gave the term, “sweeper-keeper” a new identity. It is easy to say that without the big German between the sticks, Bayern would not have been able to complete the sextuple. While Valdes is no doubt a brilliant keeper as well, Neuer is an icon and it would be wrong not to give him the point.
Winner: Manuel Neuer.
Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich) vs Dani Alves (Barcelona)
The French right-back scored the goal against Tigres UANL to win Bayern Munich their sixth consecutive trophy however, he has not asserted himself as a Bayern legend yet. In fact, Flick preferred to play Joshua Kimmich over the French player in the UEFA Champions League final. Dani Alves on the other hand is a Barcelona legend and has been with the club through its ups and downs.
He has redefined the role of a full-back and his attacking abilities have helped out Barcelona a lot over the years. He is a legendary right back and Pavard just cannot compete with him. With 41 major trophies to his name, he is the most decorated footballer in the history of the game. Even at the age of 37, he is still playing at the top level of Brazilian league football and that in itself is a statement.
Winner: Dani Alves
Jerome Boateng (Bayern Munich) vs Carles Puyol (Barcelona)
This one has to be another point for the Catalans. While Jerome Boateng is one of the most solid defenders in the world and a Bayern legend, he has had his moments of failure. The German was also temporarily dropped in 2019 by Niko Kovac but he has done tremendously well since then to pick himself back up. A great captain and German legend but Carles Puyol has to take this one.
While Boateng is a legend for sure Puyol is a legend and a footballing icon. He is the inspiration for many upcoming center-backs and he is the eternal captain for Barcelona. The Spaniard was a brick wall that attackers could not break down and under his guidance, the young Barcelona players conquered the world. So although Boateng deserves a lot of credit, Puyol is one of the greats in footballing history who absolutely ruled the game during their era.
Winner: Carles Puyol
David Alaba (Bayern Munich) Vs Gerard Pique (Barcelona)
Both David Alaba and Gerard Pique are monumental in their team’s success but Alaba just edges this one. Pique had a brilliant Barcelona career and won a plethora of trophies with the Catalans. Currently, he is the oldest player in the Barcelona squad and he was still being selected regularly before his injury and that says something.
However, Alaba has just been too important for the German giants. Bayern would not have won the UEFA Champions League unless Alaba gave Neuer the support he needed. The left-back has the unique ability to be able to play anywhere on the defense and the midfield, which makes him a very valuable player for the club and it is a shame that he might leave at the end of the season. However, Alaba’s presence helped out the club a lot and he has been more impactful than Pique during the 2009 season and thus Alaba deserves the point.
Winner: David Alaba
Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich) vs Eric Abidal (Barcelona)
Another tough choice to make as one is a certified club legend while the other is still yet to reach his prime. However, if Davies can perform this well before even reaching his prime, it is scary to imagine just how good of a player he will be with a few years of experience behind his back. Abidal was definitely one of the greatest left-backs during his time and he strived under the guidance of Pep Guardiola however, he did miss out on the UEFA Champions League finals due to suspension.
Davies on the other hand played a huge role in Bayern’s dominance and he single-handedly ended Nelson Semedo’s stay at Barcelona. The American has great skills and brilliant speed through which he helps the attack out a lot and his performance against the Catalans in last season’s Champions League quarter-finals is enough to earn him this point.
Winner: Alphonso Davies
Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich) vs Sergio Busquets (Barcelona)
When we speak about Sergio Busquets these days, we tend to forget his contribution to the club during the days of Guardiola. The player was fundamental in Pep’s footballing philosophy and his position based, quick passing game. The tiki-taka style would not have been complete without Busquets. He even displaced Yaya Toure from the defensive midfielder role.
However, Joshua Kimmich has been just as important as for Bayern Munich. He has developed from a right back into a defensive midfielder but he still has the capability of playing his previous role. He is an underrated player who works hard for the team but is not given enough credit. Still, if we talk about a prime Sergio Busquets, he was an absolute machine and players just could not get past him. He was a generational midfielder and Kimmich is yet to reach the same heights even though he has the potential. At the end of the day, Busquets just takes this one although the German definitely has what it takes to overtake Busquets someday.
Winner : Sergio Busquets
Leon Goretzka (Bayern Munich) vs Xavi Hernandez (Barcelona)
Leon Goretzka has no doubt been fundamental in Bayern’s sextuple season but Xavi’s footballing sense and intelligence is just unparalleled. The Spanish mastermind orchestrated the midfield alongside Andreas Iniesta and Lionel Messi would never have reached the same heights without the help of Xavi. The Argentine looks up to his former teammate so much that he even wanted to bring the midfielder back to the club as the manager. Xavi managed to get 25 assists that season and is another icon in footballing history who just cannot be rivaled. Thus although Goretzka’s box-to-box presence has been beneficial for the Bavarians, there is no way he can come close to the legendary Xavi Hernandez.
Winner : Xavi Hernandez
Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich) vs Andreas Iniesta (Barcelona)
Firstly let’s get this straight that Thomas Muller is a terrific player and a very prolific goal scorer. He has over 200 career goals and over 200 career assists thus if we look at it just statistically, the German will take the point. However, when talking about the impact the player made at the club and for the game itself, Iniesta is a league above.
Although he did not provide as many assists as the German midfielder, his vision to tear apart defenses is still unmatchable. He was a complete team player and helped Barcelona come out of tricky situations. He is yet another legendary player who can be matched by very few and he was even included in the third team of the Ballon d’Or Dream team. Thus while Muller can go head to head against most midfielders in the world, he just has not been as iconic as Iniesta.
Winner: Andreas Iniesta
Serge Gnabry (Bayern Munich) vs Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
This one is a no-brainer in all honesty. While Gnabry is a rapidly improving youngster and showing us just how good the next generation of footballers can be, Lionel Messi is considered one of the, if not the greatest footballer of all time. The six-time Ballon d’Or winner can only be challenged by Cristiano Ronaldo at the moment and no other winger even comes close to the amount of individual awards that he has acquired over the years.
Gnabry is developing quite well but there is no way he can even compare to a peak Messi of 2009. Messi is still considered the best in the world and thus this one goes to Barcelona without a question.
Winner: Lionel Messi
Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich) vs Samuel Eto (Barcelona)
Two terrific strikers going head to head is definitely a show we would all want to see, and this is definitely a very tough decision to make. The striker from Cameroon had an insane season with the Catalans and scored 30 goals in 36 appearances in the La Liga which definitely helped Pep Guardiola’s team lift the cup.
It was his best goal-scoring season and he would have definitely taken the point had it not been for the fact that Lewandowski just had an unimaginable season and destroyed records to help his club win the sextuple. He scored an ungodly 55 goals all season, 34 in the league and 15 in the Champions League. The Polish striker definitely deserved the Ballon d’Or for his incredible efforts but was denied the reward as the French footballing committee decided that they would not hold the event due to the Coronavirus pandemic. This point goes to Bayern Munich.
Winner: Robert Lewandowski
Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich) vs Thierry Henry (Barcelona)
This one is one of the easiest decisions to make on this list. There is a reason as to why Thierry Henry is considered a legend at two clubs. Devilishly fast and a brilliant finishing ability made him one of the most feared center-forwards of all time. He was also very versatile in nature and played as a winger under Guardiola. He scored 26 goals that season to help the Catalans to the sextuple.
Henry has also been selected in the third team of the Ballon d’Or dream team along with the likes of Iniesta and George Best. Coman on the other hand has just not produced the same consistency and might even be replaced by Leroy Sane if he does not pick up his game.
Winner: Thierry Henry
Hansi Flick (Bayern Munich) vs Pep Guardiola (Barcelona)
Hansi Flick has made a name for himself after he won the treble with Bayern Munich and has cemented his legacy after matching Guardiola’s record. However, we must keep in mind that he was only supposed to be an interim after the departure of Niko Kovac. Guardiola on the other hand revolutionized football with his quick passing tiki-taka football.
Barcelona were just untouchable for the first few seasons under Guardiola. He even helped out Bayern Munich, winning the domestic league every season with the German giants. Finally, Guardiola has kept his form and revolutionized football yet again with Manchester City. Thus, in my opinion, Flick has shown his worth with Bayern Munich but Guardiola has changed the entire game twice, once with Barcelona and one with City and thus it will be a crime not to give the point to Pep.
Winner: Pep Guardiola
FINAL SCORE: Bayern Munich 4 – 8 Barcelona. Would you like to see a charity match between 2009 Barca and 2021 Bayern?