Would Zinedine Zidane’s Real Madrid Beat a Best XI of Recently Sold Players?

Real Madrid’s transfer activity this summer was notable only because it was far less, and worth far less, than usual—they only signed Alvaro Morata, and they only sold Jese from their regular first-team squad.

It has proved to be good business so far, with Morata impressing until his recent injury and Jese still not settling into a regular role at his new club, Paris Saint-Germain. But there have been accusations in the past that Real Madrid’s transfer business is more concerned with names, branding and commercial viability than actual on-pitch growth and success.

Is that true, though? With regards to outgoing players, there have been some big-name departures—but are Madrid worse off without them? To compare, we’ve formed a best XI of stars sold by Real Madrid over the past six years, dating back to 2011/12 to keep it relevant—that’s the season Raphael Varane and Fabio Coentrao, both current squad members, joined Los Blancos, with Luka Modric soon after.

Could the sold players beat the current best XI that Zinedine Zidane can field? 

Goalkeeper: Iker Casillas

No prizes for guessing the No. 1. Spanish legend Iker Casillas departed for FC Porto in 2015, and despite not always enjoying the best of times initially (and certainly not reaching his previous ceiling), it’s apparent that he is happier, more consistent and less vilified by the fans.

Casillas was a Madrid hero whose time at the club ended badly, but he’s still a good goalkeeper in terms of European standards. He might struggle to keep out the BBC attack—many do—but that’s also down to those in front of him.

Keylor Navas, Real’s current No. 1, is the better of the two now though.

Defence: Lass Diarra, Ezequiel Garay, Ricardo Carvalho, Alvaro Arbeloa

It’s a little makeshift, as Real haven’t tended to sell on too many defenders in recent times—Pepe, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo and Varane are all some of the club’s long-term projects. Even so, there’s enough to form a good back four.

Garay, now of Valencia, and Carvalho provide experience, aggression and aerial dominance. That would be the envy of many clubs in Spain now, even with Carvalho an elder statesman at 38; just a few months ago, he was part of Portugal’s successful Euro 2016 squad and a first choice at Monaco.

Lass, now at Marseille, is out of …

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