Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Which La Liga Team Has Better Trio on Roster?

By Damon Salvadore First Posted: Apr 22, 2015 03:16 PM EDT

Real Madrid and Barcelona are once again the top two teams in the Spanish Premier League this season.

Barcelona sits in first place with 78 points, and Real Madrid in second place with 76 points. In addition to dominating La Liga once again, both Real Madrid and Barcelona are still alive in the 2015 Champions League tournament for the chance to be named best soccer club in Europe.

One of the primary reasons these two clubs are dominating so much is because they each have a dynamic set of three players who have guided them to victories. Having an elite duo on the roster is great, but you just can't beat having triplets.

Barcelona is in first place thanks to the South American trio of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez. Many soccer experts had their doubts on whether or not this experiment would initially work. Well, there's no longer any doubt at all. Messi is arguably the greatest player in the world, Neymar is a rising young star who will only get better, and Suarez is simply on fire over the last month.

Messi, Neymar and Suarez have a combined 64 La Liga goals this season out of the 89 goals for Barcelona. There's no doubt that Messi is the best passer in the world, and he can still finish at the net as good as anyone. When it's all said and done, he may go down as the single greatest player in soccer history. Combined with the Brazilian striker that is Neymar, Messi is basically unguardable.

Messi is the emperor of Barcelona, but even he can't win without his storm troopers. Neymar is just 23 years old, and he is the face of Brazilian soccer. Messi has exceptional dribbling skills, but he could improve on his passing, which he will. To make things near impossible against Barcelona, Suarez has been on a hot streak over the last month. The 28-year-old Uruguayan has scored five goals in his last five La Liga games, and he brings a physical presence.

Messi, Neymar and Suarez are all under the age of 29.

But, Real Madrid still has their say as well. While Barcelona has an incredible South American trio on their roster, Real Madrid has the phenomenal European triplets on theirs.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema were in first place in the La Liga standings for the majority of the season, but an El Clasico loss in Week 28 changed that. While Messi, Neymar and Suarez are dominating the soccer world in both the Champions League and the Spanish Premier League, this Real Madrid trio has more combined goals than Barcelona's triplets.

Ronaldo, Benzema and Bale have a combined 67 goals this La Liga season, three more than Messi, Neymar and Suarez. The primary reason for this is Ronaldo, who has an incredible league-leading 39 goals this season. Bale has been under a lot of criticism from Real Madrid fans, but he's still producing. Benzema, who is currently injured, has been a solid passer this season with nine assists.