Bayern Munich were crowned in the Club World Cup and beat Tigres, capturing the sextete, just like a few years ago, Guardiola reached with Barcelona
Bayern Munich became the second team in history to win the sextet, they managed to conquer Barcelona in 2009 under the leadership of Pep Guardiola, who congratulated Munich and went viral on social networks by challenging Bayern to play a match for the “seventh” title.
Without a doubt Barcelona in 2009, a squad in which Mexican Rafael Márquez was present but unavailable at key moments in the sextete due to injuries, was a team that delighted millions of fans around the world. For its part, in Munich’s current roster there are some of the best footballers in the world, the highlight being Poland’s Robert Lewandowski.
Due to the controversy created by Pep Guardiola, ESPN Digital we compared Barcelona and Bayern who won the sixth to get a clearer picture of which team would have won the game for the “seventh” title.
GOALKEEPER
Manuel Neuer | Bayern Munich
He is the captain of Munich and one of the main references of the team. The presence of the German goalkeeper was key for Bayern to win the sextete by playing 80 games in that period and missing only three games.
Victor Valdes | Barcelona
Valdés was Guardiola’s starting goalkeeper in LaLiga, the Champions League and the Club World Cup. However, despite the great level that Víctor showed, he was unable to take away ownership of Iker Casillas in the Spanish national team.
DEFENSIVE
Benjamin Pavard | Bayern Munich
Pavard, world champion with France in Russia 2018, missed the Champions League final because he was not in full physical condition after sustaining an injury days earlier. Benjamin has battled for the starting position this season and was part of the line-up that beat Tigres in the Club World Cup Final.
Dani Alves | Barcelona
The Brazilian arrived at Barcelona in 2008 and became a protagonist for Barcelona in the year of the sextet. Currently a player from São Paulo, Alves established himself as one of the best fullbacks in Barcelona history and also positioned himself as one of the best partners Messi has had in the culé squad.
Jérôme Boateng | Bayern Munich
The 32-year-old German is playing his tenth season with Bayern Munich and during this time he has established himself as one of the best center-backs in the institution’s history. At 1.90 meters tall, Boateng is a defender who often has the upper hand over rivals and has been key to Munich’s successes locally and internationally.
Carles Puyol | Barcelona
Puyol is one of the most important players in Barcelona history, a team in which he has developed throughout his professional career. In the squad of the sextete, Carles was the main leader and was key for Pep Guardiola to sign the best season for the Catalan team.
David Alaba | Bayern Munich
The Austrian was trained in Munich’s youth categories and has been a part of the first team for 10 years. Alaba, who has been linked to Real Madrid, has shined as a center-back, but also stood out for his outstanding performance as he qualified as a winger or midfielder, a position he held in the match against Tigres.
Gerard Piqué | Barcelona
The Catalan center-back has been a part of the Barcelona first team for over 12 years, which he reached in the sextete campaign and although not fixated on the star eleven, Piqué entered the Champions League final and played he also in the Club World Cup final. . Gerard is currently one of the references of the culé team.
Alphonso Davies | Bayern Munich
The Canadian arrived at Bayern in the summer of 2019 and quickly became Hans-Dieter Flick’s first choice. The 20-year-old is becoming one of the best full-backs in Europe and could become one of the main targets of the richest clubs on the old continent.
Eric Abidal | Barcelona
The former French national team player arrived in Barcelona a year before Guardiola took over the reins of the first team. Abidal, who spent six years in Barcelona, missed the Champions League final in 2009 but was present at the World Cup for clubs.
MIDFIELD
Thiago Alcantara | Bayern Munich
Alcántara, who left Munich after winning the Champions League to join Liverpool, has to be considered a key player in the sextet thanks to the level he demonstrated in the 2019/20 season. The Spaniard was one of the best midfielders in Europe last season, so the Reds didn’t hesitate to sign him.
Xavi Hernández | Barcelona
The former Spanish player is considered one of the best midfielders in the history of world football. Xavi, who left Barcelona in 2015, was one of the most prominent actors in Pep Guardiola’s project.
Joshua Kimmich | Bayern Munich
Kimmich has positioned himself as one of Bayern’s top players and has achieved this thanks to his ability to function in a variety of positions. For example, Joshua started in the last Champions League final as a winger and against Tigres as a midfielder, his natural position.
Andrés Iniesta | Barcelona
The ‘Fantasmita’ is one of the players most loved by the Barcelona fans thanks to the dedication he showed when wearing the culé shirt and especially for his extraordinary quality. Like Alves and Xavi, Iniesta was one of Messi’s best partners.
Thomas Müller | Bayern Munich
The Bavarian footballer has been shining in the Bayern Munich shirt for over 10 years and in recent seasons he has dedicated himself to supplying balls to Robert Lewandowski. Despite being one of Munich’s “veterans”, Müller is only 31 years old, so Bayern fans are sure to enjoy his quality for years to come.
Sergio Busquets | Barcelona
Formed in the culé pit, Busques rose to the first team thanks to Pep Guardiola and quickly won the quarterback’s trust. In its first campaign. Busquest established himself as a regular member of the sextet’s star lineup and remains an important man for Ronald Koeman today.
ATTACK
Serge Gnabry | Bayern Múnich
Qualified as the third midfielder in the Club World Cup Final, the 25-year-old German stands out for his defensive qualities, but above all for his ability to create danger when attacking. In particular, Gnabry’s natural position is on the far right.
Thierry Henry | Barcelona
The former French player arrived in Barcelona a year before Guardiola’s appointment as first-team coach and although the Frenchman was under Pep for only two years, Henry played a fundamental role in the season of the sextete by being a starter in all competitions that the club played during that period.
Kingsley Coman | Bayern Munich
The 24-year-old Frenchman is playing his fourth season with Bayern and is unshakable from the starting schedule both in the current season and in the last season. Like Müller and Gnabry, Coman has become a specialist in providing balls to ‘Lewa’.
Lionel Messi | Barcelona
The Argentinian is considered by many to be the best player in history and has been Barcelona’s most important figure since making his first team debut in 2005. The ‘Pulga’ is experiencing its most controversial campaign as a culé as it is widely rumored to be last season at Barcelona.
Robert Lewandowski | Bayern Munich
The Pole has positioned himself as one of the best forwards in the world and his scoring nose was very important in Munich’s best season. In the sextete’s campaign, Robert scored 84 goals, numbers that helped him win FIFA The Best prize as the best player of 2020.
Samuel Eto’o | Barcelona
Like Lewandowski, the Cameroonian striker was a goal specialist and during the 2008-09 season, his last as a culé player, Eto’o scored 30 impressive goals in LaLiga alone. Samuel was not part of the sextet when he left the team in the summer of 2009, but a year later he won the treble again in Italy with Inter Milan.
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
Pep Guardiola | Barcelona
The current Manchester City manager is certainly the best coach to have sat on the Barcelona bench. In the 2008-09 campaign, Guardiola won 42 games and lost only seven. Pep has positioned himself as one of the most successful coaches of all time, although he hasn’t won the Champions League since 2011.
Hans-Dieter Flick | Bayern Munich
The Bavarian took over the reins of Munich’s first team in November 2019 and became the architect of the sextet. In 68 games in charge of Munich, Flick posted a whopping 58 wins, five draws and only five losses. Hans-Dieter undoubtedly soon became a historic Bayern coach.