Liverpool win 7-4 when it comes to a combined XI of the Champions League finalists

Michael Graham
27 May 2022

Virgil Van Dijk - Karim Benzema - Trent Alexander Arnold - Combined Liverpool Real Madrid team

What would a combined super-team made up of the Real Madrid and Liverpool Champions League final squads look like? How many Real Madrid players would actually get into it?

The 2021/22 Champions League final between Real Madrid and Liverpool could be one for the ages given the talent on show.

What would a super-team made up of the combined squads look like, though? How many Real Madrid players would actually get into it?

The answer, perhaps predictably, is not many.

Goalkeeper - Alisson Becker

Goalkeeper is definitely one of the tougher decisions to make here, with both Liverpool and Real Madrid boasting genuine elite quality between the sticks.

In fairness to Thibaut Courtois, he has won more honours than Alisson Becker and succeeded at multiple top clubs, and that makes him hard to ignore.

The one major honour he is missing, though, is the Champions League, which Alisson has. Ultimately it comes down to which one you'd choose in your team today, and the Brazilian is just that little bit better.

Right-back - Trent Alexander-Arnold

The Trent Alexander-Arnold debates seem never-ending. Some consider him to be the best right-back the Premier League has ever seen and the best in the world today. Others will have you believe he is not even England's best option in that position.

One thing I think we can all agree on, though, is that he is a better right-back than Dani Carvajal.

That is no slight on the Spaniard, who is obviously a fine player. It simply boils down to the fact that Alexander-Arnold, whether he is the best in the world or not, influences games in a way few full-backs have ever done before.

Centre-back - Virgil van Dijk

This one's a no-brainer.

I don't think many would suggest we are living through a golden era of central defenders. In fact, it often feels like it is becoming a bit of a lost art in world football.

None of that should take anything away from Van Dijk, though. He is probably the best out there at the moment and would have been up there in any era.

Centre-back - David Alaba

There was no shortage of options for this position, with the likes of Ibrahima Konate, Joel Matip, Eder Militao and Nacho Fernandez all worthy options.

Ultimately, though, sometimes you just have to go with pedigree, and Alaba has that in abundance.

The Austrian won the lot with Bayern Munich before moving to Real Madrid and he has picked up right where he left off. Him offering the natural balance of being left-footed is just an added bonus.

Left-back - Andy Robertson

There was a genuine pedigree option here as well with Marcelo, but the Brazilian has faded into the background at the Bernabeu this season after a stunning career. Frenchman Ferland Mendy has stepped into the breach and done okay, but he is no Andy Robertson.

Robertson has long been established as a regular supplier of goals at Liverpool and he is defensively sound too. That's the dream for any full-back in the modern game.

Midfield - Jordan Henderson

Jordan Henderson, simply put, is a quite savagely underrated footballer. In Paris he will make history as the first Englishman to captain a club in three European Cup or Champions League finals.

Following Steven Gerrard as captain of Liverpool was going to be tough for anyone, but when Henderson got his hands on the FA Cup this season, he completed his own personal set of major trophies with the club.

Henderson isn't always the most eye-catching or exciting player, but he's as consistent as they come and one of the best leaders in Premier League history.

Again, there is that much talent within the Real Madrid midfield ranks that you could make the case for anyone getting in here ahead of Henderson. That said, he is still in his peak, unlike Toni Kroos, and his achievements speak for themselves.

Midfield - Luka Modric

If you're putting together a fantasy team and Luka Modric is in the pool of players from which you can pick, you're going to pick him. I don't care if he's 36 years old now, he remains brilliant to an almost obscene degree.

That ball from Modric! 😱

Unbelievable!

Chelsea held their lead for a matter of minutes... It's now 4-4 on aggregate! #UCL pic.twitter.com/vOi8K6Vf9z
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) April 12, 2022

Modric is one of the greatest ball manipulators of all time and his sumptuous outside-of-the-boot assist in the Champions League quarter-final against Chelsea this season demonstrated he still has it in abundance.

For all Modric has achieved in his career, though, including an actual Ballon d'Or, perhaps his most impressive feat is that even Harry Redknapp didn't manage to ruin him.

Midfield - Thiago Alcantara

With so much quality down the flanks in this combined team, you are going to want a quality quarterback who can spray crossfield passes around and make the pitch as wide as possible.

Fortunately, arguably the best quarterback-style central midfielder in the world is available to us, so in you come Thiago.

The Spaniard completes an ageing midfield trio, but he has never relied upon a great deal of athleticism for his brilliance so the years have only made him better.

Left wing - Vinicius Junior

Some may say that Sadio Mane is the obvious choice here, but as brilliant as the Senegalese star continues to be, you just can't ignore what Vinicius Junior has produced this season.

Vinicius Junior has kicked on several levels this season, scoring 21 goals and 20 assists in his 51 matches for Real Madrid. He has more La Liga goals than Mane has Premier League ones and from fewer minutes.

While Mane has the edge on Champions League goals in 2021/22, Vini Jr has more goal involvements.

It's a tight call, but you have to give it to the Brazilian.

Centre-forward - Karim Benzema

With Real Madrid losing the 'galactico' financial edge in the transfer market to the likes of Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, they needed one of their existing stars to step up and Karim Benzema has - big time.

The 34-year-old has an incredible 44 goals and 15 assists to his name this season from just 45 games. That translates to him being involved in a goal scored every 64 minutes he has been on a football pitch this season.

Off all the amazing talent from both teams, Benzema was the first name on the teamsheet for this combined XI, and that really is saying something.

Right wing - Mohamed Salah

It feels like Mohamed Salah has gone slightly off the boil recently with just one goal in his last five appearances, although his minutes have dropped too because of injury.

He still won (well, shared) the Premier League golden boot this season and has 31 goals to his name in all competitions. Sometimes it is easy to forget that he does all this from a wide position.

Anyway, Salah really doesn't need his spot here justified, does he? He's brilliant. The end.