Barcelona and Real Madrid currently have 9 world-class stars in their squad!

Both Barcelona and Real Madrid are among the greatest teams in the history of football, and the famous "Spanish national derby" between the two sides rarely disappoints. The two sides have won 52 La Liga titles, and the matches between them often feature some of the world's best players.

The clash between Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the 2010s will live on in the memory of the two stars now, and while the two stars have long since left their respective teams, the rest of the players have taken up the mantle of "world-class" and become superstars of Spain's two biggest teams.

So, who is the deserving "world-class" star in these two teams today?

Real Madrid's world-class players:

Vinicius Júnior, Jude Bellingham, Luka Modric, Federico Valverde, Antonio Rudiger, Thibaut Courtois

Real Madrid have been blessed with players in every position, but no one embodies the title of world-class player better than Vinicius Júnior and Jude Bellingham. Once upon a time, fans questioned the former's abilities, but Vinicius Júnior has left the doubters speechless. Now, he has established himself as one of the best wingers in world football, and under Carlo Ancelotti he has become the heart of Real Madrid's attack, reaching double figures in both 2023/24 and 2022/23.

At the same time, Jude Bellingham has wasted little time in showing his quality since moving to Real Madrid from Borussia Dortmund. Despite his young age and new circumstances, Jude Bellingham has scored 16 goals for his new team, which is a testament to his quality. Dridge remains one of the best midfielders in world football, and Federico Valverde is a jack-of-all-trades player who can play in multiple positions.

Real Madrid's backline is also impressive. Antonio Rudiger may be a debatable option for some, but his performances against Manchester City in the 2023/24 Champions League showed what he can do. Antonio Rudiger took the initiative in both legs against Manchester City and is undoubtedly one of the best centre-backs in world football today.

A special mention must also be made to Thibaut Courtois, whose status at the Bernabeu has not diminished despite the Belgian's ongoing injury sideline, missing most of the season and undergoing surgery in March, shows how much Real Madrid miss him.

Barcelona's world-class players:

Lewandowski, Cancelo, Ter Stegen

Gone are the days when the majority of Barcelona's first team players qualified to be called world-class players. Today, only three players can make it to the top of the world, but a few players, such as Frenkie de Jong and Pedri, could claim the title at some point in their careers.

Starting with the strikers, not many would deny that Lewandowski is one of the deadliest finishers of all time. The Polish striker has played for Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga and has shone in La Liga during his time at Camp Nou. In the 2022/23 season, he scored 23 goals for Barcelona in La Liga, and this season his tally has dropped significantly (13 in 28 games), but his legend has kept him among the world's best strikers.

Cancelo, meanwhile, is more questionable in his performances, but few can match him when it comes to attacking full-backs. The City loanee is capable of playing at left-back or right-back and is dangerous on either side of the pitch. When he tore through the Premier League defence a few seasons ago, few would have denied that he was a world-class star.

The last player in the Barcelona squad to achieve world-class status was goalkeeper Ter Stegen. Although the German international has made some mistakes in his career, he is still a top goalkeeper compared to his peers, one of the top three goalkeepers in the world today. The former goalkeeper has recorded 171 clean sheets since joining Barcelona in 2014 and has built his own legend at Camp Nou over the past decade, while also enhancing his reputation in world football.