Who are the greatest African players to represent the two Spanish giants?
Getty Images10Alex Song
Song transferred, at the height of his powers, to Catalonia to join Barcelona from Arsenal.
The box-to-box midfielder was indispensable for Arsene Wenger's Gunners, but it never quite worked out for Song in La Liga, and he subsequently returned to England on loan at West Ham United.
He's currently playing in Djibouti following spells with Sion and Rubin Kazan, and it's safe to say that his career hasn't lived up to the early promise of his pre-Barca years.
AdvertisementClive Brunskill/ALLSPORT9Emmanuel Amuneke
During his playing career, the former Tanzania coach was a glittering wideman who enjoyed dismal fortune at Barcelona, where injuries completely shattered his career in Catalonia.
The 1994 African Footballer of the Year scored twice in the Nations Cup final that year as Nigeria defeated Zambia, and also clinched honours in Portugal, Egypt and in his homeland.
Yet despite a clutch of honours won with Barca, it’s tempting to beg the question, what might Amuneke have become had injuries not taken their toll?
Getty8Emmanuel Adebayor
Adebayor has been a fan favourite at almost every club he has played at, but he is also known for his controversial nature and at times it has overshadowed his excellence at some European giants.
He made 143 appearances for Arsenal managing 62 goals, of which 30 came in the 2007/08 season, which remains his finest campaign.
His brilliance flickered at Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, but he never truly looked the part during a brief loan spell with Real in 2011.
He's currently a free agent after leaving Paraguayan giants Olimpia.
Denis Doyle/Getty Images7Mahamadou Diarra
Diarra doesn’t always get the credit he deserves for the consistent excellence he brought to the table at Real Madrid during his time at the Bernabeu.
Between 2002 and 2008 the Mali international won six consecutive league titles with Olympique Lyonnais and then Real, helping the Spanish giants to end a four-year trophy drought with their championship triumph in 2006.
Finally, largely thanks to Diarra’s positioning, awareness and sharp tackling, had a long overdue replacement for Claude Makelele.