Premier League vs La Liga All Star XI – Who’s In, Who Wins?

The Premier League and La Liga are widely regarded as the best two leagues in Europe, but who would come out on top if an all-star league XI played each other?

Rules: The player must currently be contracted to a club in that division. Selection is based on form within the last couple of seasons but past reputation can be used in certain circumstances. For example, a player who is currently injured or recently returned from long term injury, his past form and reputation can come into effect. Any formation goes! Here are my teams.

Premier League All Stars:

Hart – England’s No.1 and an outstanding goalkeeper. There are some great young keepers in the Premier League such as Szczesny and Krul, and some more experienced heads like Reina and Cech, but Hart just edges them in my opinion.

Sagna – A difficult choice here as there isn’t really one stand out performer at right back, Walker has been excellent for Spurs this season but i’ve gone with Arsenal’s Bacary Sagna due to his consistency. Solid right back who’s strong in the air, and excellent with the ball at his feet.

Vidic – Unlucky to see his season cut short through injury, but when fit Vidic is a rock at the back. Great leader as well as player, and is a goal threat at the other end.

Kompany – For all the millions City have spent in recent seasons, arguably their best buy has been Kompany. Superb in the air and reads the game well, he quietly gets the job done. John Terry, Thomas Vermaelen, Ledley King, Rio Ferdinand and Martin Skrtel all pushed him close.

Cole – Not been his best season, but the same can be said for many of the Chelsea squad. However, still one of the finest left backs in the world and just edges Evra.

Bale – The only player to force his way in to the La Liga dominated UEFA team of the year this season, Bale had a blistering first 6 months to the season and despite tailing off in recent weeks, the Welshman is devastating on the wing.

Gerrard – Has been out for much of the season through injury but there is little doubt Stevie G is still right up there amongst the best in the business when fit. His hat trick against Everton showed he’s still got it and he would have to be in my team.

Y. Toure – A very difficult position to fill, but i’ve gone with Toure to play alongside Gerrard. I could have gone with a more defensive-minded midfielder like Scott Parker but it’s hard to leave out the Ivorian power-house. He could play as a defensive mid as he did at Barcelona or join in the attacks like he’s done for City this season.

Silva – Another who has seen his form dip slightly in the second half of the season, but Silva is unplayable at times when in full flow. A genius with the ball at his feet.

Rooney – Another excellent season for United and Rooney is pushing RVP for the golden boot with 21 goals in 24 games. No way you could leave this lad out the team.

Van Persie – An easy choice. The clear favourite to be player of the season after bagging an incredible 26 goals in 29 league games so far this season, while he has also laid-on 10 assists for his Arsenal team mates. Just shows what he can do when he stays fully fit.

La Liga All Stars:

Casillas – Consistently voted as the best keeper on the planet, Iker Casillas was an easy choice in goal.

Alves – At times the Brazilian is frustrating to watch with his play-acting and going down to easily, but he’s still a fine player. Alves has got bags of pace and an eye for goal.

Pique – Flourished since he moved back to Spain from United, Pique has grown into a fine defender and has been a rock at the back for a Barca side that’s conceded just 22 league goals this season.

Ramos – The Spaniard has a disgraceful disciplinary record but when he actually manages to stay on the field, he’s an excellent player. Ramos also gets his fair share of goals.

Marcelo – A difficult position to fill, but the Brazilian just edges Eric Abidal at left back. Marcelo is full of pace and although there are question marks over his defensive capabilities, he’s exciting to watch going forward.

Alonso – The linch-pin of the team and will protect the back four well and there are few better passers than Alonso.

Xavi – An obvious choice. Along with his team-mate Iniesta, Xavi is widely regarded as the best midfielder/play maker in the world. Exceptional on the ball and the Premier League XI will do well to get the ball off him and his Spanish team-mates in midfield.

Iniesta – As mentioned above, Iniesta is right up there as one of the best in the world in his position. Impossible to leave him out.

Messi – What can you say about this fella? In 27 appearances this season he has scored 35 goals and got 10 assists, and he recently broke Barcelona’s all-time goal-scoring record. All aged just 24-years-old. Incredible. Best player in the world, bar none.

Ronaldo – He’s been incredibly unlucky to be fair. During most other era’s he would be regarded as the best player in the world, but unfortunately he’s seen his career over-shadowed by Lionnel Messi. Like his rival, Ronaldo has netted an incredible 35 goals this season and got 8 assists during his 28 league games so far.

Falcao – Perhaps a controversial choice with all the attacking talent available but i had to select a player outside of the ‘Big Two’ and there are few better centre forwards than Falcao. He only joined Atletico Madrid in the summer but has settled well and bagged 19 goals in 25 games for a struggling Madrid side.

Here’s how the players would line up:

So there you have it. Those are my two teams and on paper, you’d have to say the La Liga side is superior. It’s not surprising given the fact the team has Ronaldo, Messi, Xavi and Iniesta in it, those four are arguably the four finest players on the planet! Of course the La Liga side is heavily influenced by Barcelona and Real Madrid, but that’s to be expected given how dominant those two are.

But with Rooney and van Persie in the side, up against a very attack-minded La Liga defence, i can see the Premier League XI causing problems as well. The only problem would be getting the ball from the opposition long enough to get attacks going!

Prediction: Premier League 1-3 La Liga.

What would your teams be and who would come out on top? Let us know in the comments section below…

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