El Clasico - Battle of the Boots! - 28/11/09
The first 'El Clasico' of the season takes place this weekend as Real Madrid travel to Barcelona. Arguably one of the biggest rivalries in world football, 'El Clasico' will showcase football superstars Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Kaka, Xavi, Xabi Alonso and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Ahead of this mighty clash, the SoccerBible brings you the essential statistics and boot info...
We've selected eight key players from Barcelona and Real Madrid, and compared the player statistics in the Primera Division this season. Each of the players we've compared play similar roles for their respective sides, and just to make it a bit more interesting we've paired players who are wearing the same football boots brand...
A face-off between two creative players wearing adidas football boots, but Kaka and Lionel Messi have different styles of play which is reflected in their boot choice. They have played a similar amount of La Liga games this season, but up to this point we can see Messi has had the bigger impact.
Both Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic play in the Nike Vapor Superfly football boots, which offer lightweight speed performance. And as their statistics show they are both prolific goal scorers, which their fans will be hoping continues for 'El Clasico'.
Xavi and Xabi Alonso are the playmaking midfielders for their team; they set the tempo of play and are crucial to linking up the attacking players. Both are pretty evenly matched statistically and both wear an adidas football boot, but interestingly Xavi prefers the Predator technology to assist his passing and shooting.
These two players wear their club badges with pride, and passionately represent their team. Sergio Ramos and Carles Puyol wear different Nike football boots, and we can see Ramos likes to get forward and have a shot, while Puyol is more composed and concedes less fouls.
The eyes of football fans around the world will be on this weekend's 'El Clasico', and these superstar footballers are the ones who need to deliver a performance. BUT WHICH TEAM DO YOU THINK WILL COME OUT ON TOP, AND WHICH PLAYERS WILL STEAL THE SHOW?!
