Greatest La Liga XI Ever

Since I did a greatest ever Premier League XI, I guess it's only fair I did one for La Liga. Sorry that there are only Real Madrid and Barcelona players in this.

GK - Iker Casillas - The best goalkeeper ever produced possibly. Casillas was brought in at the tender age of 19 in the biggest stage of them all - a Champions League final in Paris in 2000. But he was more than ready for it and since then Iker has gone from strength to strength - a true football legend and great Spaniard.

LB - Jose Antonio Camacho - One of the classiest left backs ever to play for Real Madrid. A tough, no-nonsense defender, Camacho, who eventually went on to coach Spain at the 2002 World Cup, won an astounding 9 La Liga titles with Real Madrid.

CB - Carles Puyol - One of the great centre backs of the game. Puyol has come to symbolize the leadership of Barcelona, the engine room and platform for Barca's great attacking midfielders to work from. Puyol himself is not bad going forward to attack.

CB - Fernando Hierro - A great defensive midfielder and centre back in one. Was a key element in defence for Real Madrid for so long but more than matched the more illustrious names in the squad when going forward. A superb striker of the ball.

RB - Miguel Noguera - Being first-choice right back for Real Madrid for 8 years is quite a mean feat - achieved thanks to 5 league titles in the 1980s. There have been plenty of other good and exciting right backs at both Barca and Real but none quite as successful as Noguera.

DM - Pep Guardiola - Bayern's current manager was a superb defensive midfielder for Barca as a player and probably one of the best ever. A very intelligent player whose presence was missed until the arrival of Sergio Busquets.

CM - Xavi - The best midfielder in the world period. Xavi is one of the most fabulous passers in the world and has just lasted so long - yet looks like he could keep going and going which is good for the Catalans.

CM - Alfredo di Stefano - One of the greatest players ever to feature for Real Madrid. Argentine born di Stefano featured for Real Madrid in the glory days of the 1950s. di Stefano's name is now associated with Real Madrid just like the Pope and the Vatican.

AM - Johann Cruyff - What more can be said about Holland's greatest football export? A player whose all round abilities meant he was great going back and up the field, i.e. total football - of course, it was his skill up the field that really made him a star.

FW - Lionel Messi - The best forward ever produced by Barcelona's academy, Argentina's Lionel Messi was brought to Spain at a young age and nurtured at La Masia into the best player in the world.

FW - Ferenc Puskas - The greatest forward Real Madrid has ever had. Hungarian Puskas was a star in his day and is still cherished by his home country.

SUBS -
GK - Antoni Ramallets - Barca's great keeper of the 1940s
DF - Jose Santamaria - Uncompromising defender who played for Real Madrid
MF - Zinedine Zidane - Zizou!
FW - Cristiano Ronaldo - Definitely now a Bernabeu great

Ronaldo once again wonders what he must do to start in the Greatest La Liga XI ever