Video: Here is what would happen if Barcelona and Real Madrid played in the Premier League

What’s the story?

It is an undeniable fact that both Barcelona and Real Madrid dominate the Spanish league over all their other competitors. However, critics have long argued that this mastery would be seriously challenged if the two teams were to play in the Premier League – a league known for its gruelling style of football. YouTuber JoseManu decided to test it out himself and put the two clubs in the Premier League for three seasons on FIFA 17.

Previously…

Earlier, YouTuber “Hepic” did something similar on FIFA 17 when he placed Celtic and Rangers in the Premier League over 11 seasons. The results were quite interesting as Celtic never finished above 10^th in the league and even suffered relegation once.

Rangers, on the other hand, finished last in the first season and, upon their return in the third year, were relegated after which they never qualified for the top-tier league again. Needless to say, an experiment with the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid would definitely prove to be nail-biting.

Details

Here is how the experiment panned out

It was a heartbreaking conclusion for Barcelona after they finished second to Manchester United based solely on goal difference. Real Madrid began their tryst with the Premier League with a comparatively humiliating 7^th position on the table, two points behind West Ham.

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo scored 12 goals apiece and Watford’s Nordin Amrabat took the Golden Boot with 20 goals.

One transfer from Real Madrid eventually turned out to be quite costly for the team

Barcelona’s heartbreak the previous season was mirrored in Los Blancos’ performance in the following one. After selling Isco to Tottenham Hotspur in the summer transfer window, the decision proved costly for Madrid as they finished second in the league, three points behind Spurs who were champions.

In comparison, Barcelona’s downfall was glaring as they placed 11^th on the points table, two points behind 10^th placed Leicester City. They won the FA Cup, though.

Barcelona finally find their ground and end up dominating English football for the season

The drama heightened in the third season as Zidane decided to sell Toni Kroos to Chelsea in a deal worth €76.5 million. Whether or not this directly impacted Madrid’s form is unknown but Barcelona, coming back from their dismal position in the previous season, go on to win the league. As if that was not enough, they also win the Euro League after defeating Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0 in the final.

Real Madrid suffered a slight setback as they end up finishing fourth, a point behind Manchester City.

Impact

Apart from the fact that this might cause an overall increase in ratings of certain Premier League players, this experiment proved to be a not-so-definitive story of how Barcelona and Real Madrid would fare in the league.

Author’s Take

Over the past few years, players like Felipe Luiz and Angel Di Maria have succumbed to the more gruelling pattern of the Premier League that often tends to favour defensive strategies in its games.

Similarly, players like Sergio Aguero and Alexis Sanchez have not let this change in pattern affect their formidable form. The premise of this FIFA 17 experience is, thus, quite interesting in light of the many debates surrounding the difficulty of the two leagues.