Real Madrid legend picks Barcelona star Lamine Yamal over Cristiano Ronaldo | OneFootball

Real Madrid and Barcelona’s starts to the new season could not be more starkly apart, for the form the Catalans and the Merengues have been in has been at polar opposite ends of the spectrum.

While Los Blancos have not been poor in terms of results, they have played too passively and have already lost two games this season. Considering how they splashed the cash in the summer, it is indeed a poor start.

Barcelona, meanwhile, have been flying under Hansi Flick and appear virtually unstoppable at the moment.

Raphinha has been carrying the Catalans’ attack playing as a number nine and has enjoyed a stunning start to the season. Meanwhile, Lamine Yamal has also started off brilliantly and continues to be a difference maker for them.

Marcelo’s surprising choices

Real Madrid legend Marcelo was asked a start, drop, bench question in a recent interaction on Barcelona’s social media account.

Raphinha has been in sensational form. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

The three players he was asked to choose between were his former teammate and Real Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo, Barcelona’s young sensation Lamine Yamal and the team’s captain Raphinha.

In what comes as a shocker, the former Real Madrid player dropped the club legend and his former teammate Ronaldo without a second thought, keeping the Barcelona duo for the two remaining spots.

Of them, he chose to bench Lamine Yamal and start Raphinha in his ideal world. While the selection is sensible from a current form standpoint, it does still come as a surprising decision.

Marcelo’s picks are surprising. (Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)

Having left Real Madrid in 2022, the player joined Olympiacos before signing for Fluminense in February 2023. He then remained a free agent as of late 2024 and officially decided to hang up his boots in early 2025.

While the context of his picks has not been provided, it is likely that the former defender was asked to pick players purely based on their current run of form and level of performance.

Given his age, Ronaldo has after all not been able to operate remotely close to the level he showcased in his prime, and comparing him with Barcelona’s current generation of superstars comes across as disrespectful.

Source: The Touchline