Barcelona has won the doublet, but the possibility of Madrid winning the European Cup has opened a global debate

Winning the League and the Cup in the same season is a milestone of great difficulty, and history attests to this, since Barcelona has achieved this feat 8 times and Real Madrid has done it only in 4 opportunities. However, winning the UEFA Champions League is also a challenge of extreme difficulty for any European club, and as proof of this is the record: Real Madrid has won 12 trophies in its history and Barcelona has only won 5.

Leer en español: ¿Es más importante ganar la Champions que un doblete?

Barcelona have won the two local cups this season, and if the white club wins the European cup on May 26 would be a situation that has occurred only twice (1998 and 2016), so it has opened a debate World: Is it more important to win the Champions or the two local titles?

"The League is more difficult than winning the Champions League, I've said it all my life" Zinedine Zidane

Only the team with more regularity wins the doublet

To achieve the League and Cup championship means to have such a compact team that is capable of maintaining a high level of competition for many months. In the League, players have to face each and every one of the rivals in a double match, and they must demonstrate a regularity that guarantees to retain the title at the end of the season. In the Cup, players do not have to face all the competitors, but they must measure themselves against clubs of different categories whose enthusiasm for winning the glory is so great that the demand multiplies.

Many Barcelona’s fans, and even Real Madrid’s fans, value winning a two local cups over the Champions League due to the difficulty of a League. "The League is more difficult than winning the Champions League, I've said it all my life," said Zinedine Zidane, Real Madrid coach.

One of the great defenders of the doublet above the Champions is the renowned FC Barcelona Pep Guardiola, considered the most successful coach in the history of Barcelona. "The League is the most important competition of the year. The one that has more 'glamor' is the Champions League, but the best is the League", Guardiola said in 2011.

"We know how complicated it is to win this League. That's why we have to value it and celebrate it properly with all the people" Lionel Messi

Guardiola, who is now coach of Manchester City in England, continues to defend local competitions above the Champions League. "The domestic championship is always difficult. There is a game every three days, and that shows how good you are in eleven months. It is always the most difficult tournament to win", said the Catalan coach last February.

Lionel Messi and Luís Suárez, who have just won the two local cups with Barcelona, ​​defend the prestige represented by winning the League and the Cup in the same season. "It is not easy to get the double and the Cup anyone would want to win", said the Uruguayan. While Messi, aware perhaps of how important it would be for Real Madrid to win the Champions League, asked to rate the league title. "We know how complicated it is to win this League. That is why we have to value it and celebrate it properly with all the people, "said the Argentine.

Champions: The best in the continent

The UEFA Champions League is the best club competition in the world, and the clubs that participate in it are the best in each of the leagues of the old continent. While it is true that not all clubs face each other, the club that reaches the final must demonstrate its superiority to any type of opponent and game.

Winning the European Cup is so difficult that in 62 editions of the competition, there are up to 22 different winners, and the highest winning club has only 12 trophies.

Those who defend the importance of the Champions over the local titles are mostly Real Madrid fans, although there are some Barcelona’s fans that support this theory. "The Champions is the biggest thing a club can achieve but it's difficult. Winning the two local titles is fine but the Champions League is better", said Dutchman Patrick Kluivert, former player and legend of FC Barcelona.

Also read: For the first time since 2013 there will be no Argentines in the Champions final

The debate is not new, since in 2016 the situation was similar. "If we win the Champions League it is much more than a double," said Cristiano Ronaldo before playing the Champions League final against Atlético Madrid and knowing that Barcelona was the doublet champion.

Another Real Madrid fan that puts the Champions above all is the captain of the club, Sergio Ramos. "Barça has done a great year, has won two titles, winning the Cup and the League has merit even more. Winning the Champions has that plus that is equivalent to those two or even more", said the Spanish central.

In short, the champion of the League and the Cup show their great regularity winning most matches and against any opponent (especially the less favorites). However, the Champions League rewards the club that wins the most difficult matches and the most important against equal or superior opponents.

The importance and difficulty of the UEFA Champions League is more important than local titles. It is undeniable that Barcelona have made an exemplary season, because they can win the league undefeated for the first time in the history of the competition and they won the Copa del Rey with great hierarchy. However, Real Madrid can achieve the milestone of winning the UEFA Champions League for the third time in a row, something that has not happened in the competition more than 40 years ago. It is further proof that a continental tournament can never be outdone in importance by local competitions.

Latin American Post | Javier Aldana
Translated from " ¿Es más importante ganar la Champions que un doblete?"