Spain top scorer legend David Villa believes today’s El Clasico could be a story of two Brazilian wingers, with Raphinha and Vinicius Jr facing off at Camp Nou.
Speaking about Barcelona’s second-highest goalscorer, Raphinha, Villa said: ‘He’s one of Barcelona’s top players right now. They’ve always depended on direct wingers and he’s been a great signing. I saw him a lot in Leeds because I’m friends with Rodrigo [Moreno] and Jack Harrison, so I’m not surprised.
‘We look at his goals and assists, but he gives so much more. I played on the left wing for Barcelona and I know that to be a winger there you have to work hard to make room for others.’
And on Raphinha’s compatriot Vinicius, Villa said the 22-year-old will only get better. The 19-goal forward was the big benefactor this season in Real Madrid’s failure to sign Kylian Mbappé last summer.
Asked if Vinicius was now at Mbappé’s level, Villa said: ‘I don’t like to compare players; he is a little different from Mbappé, although both can play in the same position on the field. But he pushed a lot this season. I love the straightforward style he has.
David Villa scored 48 goals in 119 appearances for Barcelona in a three-year spell at the club
Villa praised Brazilian striker Raphinha, who is Barca’s second-highest goalscorer this season
“I think football is gradually losing that type of player who plays on the wing and tries to face people. There are not as many as before and Vinicius is one of them. It’s great to watch him play and always want to face people and go for the signature or the goal.
“And I think that regardless of Mbappé not arriving last summer, Vinicius would have pressed this season. He is maturing as a player, which is natural because he is playing regularly and has a lot of skill.’
Villa scored twice on his Clasico debut in 2010 as Pep Guardiola’s side beat José Mourinho’s side 5-0. The game was played after a war of words between the two coaches.
He recalled: ‘It was special because it was my first. It was something I always dreamed of playing a game as big as that. But it was also special because there was nothing between the two teams at that time and because of everything that happened around that battle between Guardiola and Mourinho.
‘It was a game where we didn’t know what was going to happen because the teams were very close, so imagine how it would be to score two goals and for the result. And we ended up winning the championship. It was one of the best days of my career and I will never forget it.’
Villa claimed that Vinicius Jr was a different player to Kylian Mbappé, although both can play in similar positions
Pep Guardiola (L) and José Mourinho (R) faced a tense rivalry at the helm of Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively
This season, the backdrop is even more controversial, with Barcelona’s chief referee pay scandal likely to alter normal pre-match niceties with the presidents not having lunch together before the game.
Villa said: ‘I don’t think the players will be affected. Pressure is constant at these clubs and you need to know how to deal with it. They know how to isolate themselves when football starts.
Barcelona go into Sunday’s game with a nine-point lead and just 13 games to play. Villa said: ‘Madrid can always recover an advantage like they’ve done before, but if they don’t win the game on Sunday there will be less time to do that and they won’t have the direct game.’
His former Barcelona teammate Xavi has led the side to 11 1-0 wins so far this season – more than any other manager in Europe and there have been complaints from Barça purists that their squad has not always been thrilled.
Villa said he would love to play with Luka Modric for the ‘assists’ the Croatian would provide
Villa scored 49 goals in 98 games for Spain and helped them win the 2010 World Cup
‘Whoever lifts the championship is the one who wins the most games and there’s more than one way to do that,’ said Villa. ‘I wouldn’t say that all ways of winning are justified, but winning is what matters and there are many ways to do that.’
Villa also praised Barcelona’s young midfielders Pedri and Gavi – who he compared to Xavi and Andrés Iniesta.
Villa said: ‘They [Pedri and Gavi] they are two of the best midfielders in the world at the moment and there are similarities with Xavi and Andrés Iniesta.
‘It is true that these two set the bar very high and we have to be patient, but the fact is that Gavi and Pedri reached the first team and the first team in Spain much earlier and Xavi and Iniesta did. And they have reached the point where they are two of the best midfielders in the world, aged 20 and 18, when they are still developing as players.
‘At their age I was still playing in the second division. It’s not easy being Barcelona’s first choice when you’re only 18, 19 or 20. That’s why we have to support Ansu Fati because he is still very young and he had serious injuries that affected him while he was so young’.
Villa also chose Rodrygo Goes as a striker he would have liked to play alongside
Asked by Sportsmail which player from each team he would have liked to play with throughout his career, Villa chose Pedri – who remains a big doubt for today’s game – and a Real Madrid midfielder at the other end of his career .
Villa said: ‘I would be selfish and pick someone who gives me a lot of assists. Then it would be Pedri from Barcelona. He is the closest to Iniesta who has given me the most assists. I’m sure that with Pedri by my side I would have a lot of good passes, a lot of chances to score goals.
‘And for a Real Madrid player it would be Modric for the same reason, for the assists. But Rodrygo Goes, when he plays on the wings, is a player who scores a lot of goals, but also likes to give assists. So, for selfish reasons, I would choose these three.’
The praise for Rodrygo was unexpected.
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