Name six players who have played for at least two of the following four English clubs: Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Man United (The Big Four, you could say…)

AND

Real Madrid or Barcelona

Email us for the answers… contact@footballsup.com

The next in our series of genuine ‘genius’ moments – Guti’s assist in Real Madrid’s 3-1 victory over Deportivo last night. Just brilliant.

The awareness, skill, and chutzpah to pull that off are just breathtaking. And don’t underestimate Benzema’s appreciation of the situation, without which the whole thing would have been rather embarrassing…

Real Madrid secured a swashbuckling 5-2 away win against FC Zurich in their last Champions League game, with world record signing Cristiano Ronaldo scoring two trademark freekicks. But their defensive frailties were again evident, despite coach Manuel Pellegrini playing them down. Can this hastily assembled team of superstars actually win the thing?

Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Karim Benzema, Xabi Alonso, Raul Albiol, Alvaro Negredo, Alvaro Arbeloa and Esteban Granero are an incredible roll call of signings, and the quality of personnel is not in doubt. What is questionable is whether they will gel, whether they will work together, whether all these disparate individuals can blend together in the cauldron of the Bernabeu. And not over time – now, immediately, this season. There is little doubt Pellegrino will be swiftly relieved of his duties if this huge investment does not pay some sort of dividend.

Real’s biggest challengers both domestically and in Europe are Guardiola’s Barcelona. After an unprecedented treble last season it is a huge ask for them to push on – or even equal – those achievements. Especially after losing Samuel Eto’o. Whether Real can triumph over Barca over an entire season remains to be seen. Interesting also how the Spanish League has now become all about the ‘Big Two’ – there was a 20/1 bar on another side winning the title this year. It’s like being in Scotland…

Considering that, there is a (R)eal chance they could compete for La Liga. They have the players who can steamroll the likes of Almeria and Xerex on a regular basis, and realistically it could come down to their head to heads with Barca.

The Champions League, however, is a very different animal. They will be competing with the world’s best teams on a regular basis, and will have to come through a group, quarters, and semis, not to mention the final. And it’s started already, only two games into the Primera League season (admittedly with Real flying high after two wins)

Can a newly assembled team achieve that? Can individual superstars chucked together beat the likes of Man Utd, Bayern Munich, AC Milan, Inter, Chelsea… and of course Barcelona? Will Kaka, Benzema, Ronaldo et al have enough to break down the world’s best defences? More pertinently, will Real’s notoriously and evidently shakey defence have enough to repel the advances of the world’s best strikers?

Again, only time will tell. And with the quality of player they have, you cannot write them off. But Real is not where my money would be.

Arsene Wenger has refused to rule out a move to Real Madrid, and has called the possible presidency of Florentine Perez ‘Interesting’. After the severe grilling he apparently received last Thursday from the Arsenal shareholders, who could blame him? Yes, they have gone four seasons without a trophy, but he has transformed the club, made them solvent, and, despite his recent barren spell, successful.

If the gratitude he receives is, in his own words, ‘being made to feel like I’ve killed someone’, it’s unsurprising that other options look ‘interesting’.

However, for someone who prides themselves on solid foundations and a view to the long term, Real, with their penchant for sacking managers willy-nilly, seems an odd choice. They would certainly not tolerate four seasons without silverware, however nice the football they played. Wenger would certainly need assurances before making any sort of move.

At the time of writing, Manchester United are three-fifths of the way towards the unprecedented ‘quintuple’. So it is no surprise to see that United players now make up the bookies’ top four favourites for Footballer of the Year.

Our pick for the award is Ryan Giggs, who recently celebrated the amazing eighteen-year anniversary of his first team debut. Giggs is not alone in enjoying something of an Indian summer, as a handful of legendary players strive to prove the theory that, while form is temporary, class is permanent.

Here are four of our favourites…

1.    Ryan Giggs (Manchester United)

A mercurial winger for most of his career, Giggs has remodelled himself in recent times in a more flexible midfield role. As the most decorated footballer of his time, he clearly has the big-game mentality, so it is no wonder he is still one of the first names on Sir Alex’s team sheet for the really important matches. Giggs certainly inspired all around him with a superb individual display in the 3-0 annihilation of one-time title rivals Chelsea.

Still capable of the old wing-wizardry, as his recent jinking run and finish against West Ham proved.

2.    Raul Gonzalez (Real Madrid)

The original ‘Galactico’, Raul was banging in goals at the Bernabeu long before the club began their insatiable pursuit of superstar footballers. One might argue that his true value was overshadowed in the era of Zidane, Figo, Beckham et al. But following a change of tack in Real’s transfer dealings (they now only sign Dutchmen), Raul’s light is shining brighter than ever.

Recent evidence – breaking Di Stefano’s club goal scoring record, and two goals of sublime, almost impudent quality in the 6-1 stuffing of Real Betis.

3.    Alessandro Del Piero (Juventus)

The Old Lady’s favourite son has been Juve’s figurehead ever since the 1996 European Cup winning side disbanded. Despite an already stellar career for club and country, he is getting better with age. At the age of 33, he scored a personal best 21 goals in Serie A to win his first Capocannonieri. That stunning form has continued into this season. Del Piero has arguably been the 08/09 Champions League’s MVP to date, having scored three times in wins over Real Madrid. The Italian received a standing ovation from the Bernabeu fans following his spectacular brace in a 2-0 win – and they know a player when they see one.

4.    Paul Scholes (Manchester United)

The creative central hub of what many deem the identikit midfield four (Beckham, Giggs, Scholes & Keane), Paul Scholes has been a consistent performer for United well into his thirties.

Since his game was never based on pace, and certainly not about tackling, he has not lost much with his advancing years. Yet even in a league increasingly dominated by physical power, he is living proof that intelligent passing is still a powerful weapon. And, as Ferguson recently revealed, he can hit a urinating teammate flush on the head with unerring accuracy from 60 yards – now that is class!

While these players are undoubted legends of the game, all four have at some point been considered ‘past their best’. Is there a trend that links their apparent renaissances?

They have lived their entire careers in what we might call ‘the modern era’ of football. This covers the revamping of the European Cup into the juggernaut that is the UEFA Champions League. For Giggs and Scholes, it also encompasses the onset of the Premiership, supported and promoted by Rupert Murdoch’s Sky TV revolution.

The high profile nature of this period has created a greater professionalism and all these players have been superb professionals, on and off the field, rarely occupying the front pages of the newspapers.

They have all also been one-club men (the pernickety will point out that Del Piero started out at Padova as a teenager), which in the Bosman era is an admirable feat. This stability has helped these players to grace the highest level for the best part of two decades.

As we enter the business end of the 08/09 Champions League, it will come as no surprise if messrs Giggs, Raul, Del Piero & Scholes are writing yet more headlines.