The fact that James Rodriguez can't buy a match with Real Madrid due mainly to the intense competition in the squad speaks volumes of the skill of the 23 players Zinedine Zidane coaches. But is this the best Real Madrid squad in the past 20 years?

It's hard to pick one specific season to compare this team against in terms of talent. If we focus on media impact, it is likely that the 2003-2004 group takes the prize over any other. The famed Galacticos squad, who looked untouchable for three quarters of the season only to end up in flames, had so many outstanding players that, even if it failed to deliver, is probably the best benchmark.

So let's compare the two squads, 2003 vs. 2016. For this exercise, we'll use the following starting lineups and a five-man bench, based on the players most used by Carlos Queiroz and Zidane respectively:

2003 (4-4-2): Iker Casillas; Michel Salgado, Ivan Helguera, Francisco Pavon, Roberto Carlos; Luis Figo, David Beckham, Esteban Cambiasso, Zidane; Raul, Ronaldo. Bench: Cesar Sanchez, Raul Bravo, Santiago Solari, Guti, Javier Portillo.

2016 (4-3-3): Keylor Navas; Dani Carvajal, Raphael Varane, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo; Casemiro, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric; Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo. Bench: Kiko Casilla, Pepe, Mateo Kovacic, Isco, Lucas Vazquez.

Goalkeepers

Navas is top level, and Casilla a fantastic replacement, but Casillas was at the peak of his form in 2003, and we already know that, however you feel about the Spaniard, he's one of the best keepers of all time. On the bench, many would say that Cesar is as consistent as Navas or Casilla.

Verdict: Advantage 2003

Centre-backs

The weakest part of the 2003 starting lineup was its centre-backs. Pavon never quite lived up to the hype of Florentino Perez's "Zidanes y Pavones" policy, while Helguera, at age 29, wasn't as impressive as he'd been in previous seasons. Even with their inconsistencies, Ramos and Varane would leave any keeper a lot more relaxed than the 2003 duo.

Verdict: Huge advantage 2016

Full-backs

Roberto Carlos, one of the best left-backs ever, would single-handedly win this for the 2003 team. Even with his ability to break open defences, Marcelo still looks up to his compatriot and follows his example. On the right, Salgado's bad rep due to some ill-advised decision-making and hard fouls hides how consistent he was for a decade, and at age 27, he was in top form for this side. Carvajal's present is bright and the future is extremely promising, but he lacks the experience the Galician already had.

Verdict: Slight advantage 2003

Zinedine Zidane and David Beckham made up one of the greatest midfields of all time in Real Madrid's 2003-04 team. GERARD JULIEN/AFP/Getty Images

Midfielders

The formations are different. Zidane uses the young Casemiro, with Kroos and Modric in more free roles, while Queiroz preferred a double pivot with Cambiasso and Beckham, adding a certain Figo and some bloke named Zidane on the wings. Even if defensively, the 2003 side missed the irreplaceable Claude Makelele, those fake wingers, able to drift inside when required, tip the balance. Kroos and Modric are phenomenal, but we are talking two of the best players of all time.

Verdict: Advantage 2003

Forwards

This looks simple enough. The 2003-04 season marked the beginning of Raul's midcareer decline, as he struggled to surpass the 20-goal barrier for the first time since 1998. His renaissance would come in 2008. Given this, the scoring of the 2003 squad depended almost solely on the Brazilian Ronaldo, one of the most gifted strikers of all time. He was far from his 1998 peak, but was still very intimidating. However, the Portuguese Ronaldo, Bale and Benzema, all of them in decent or top shape, look more unpredictable and harder to defend than the one-two punch that Raul and Ronaldo offered.

Verdict: Advantage 2016

Bench

This is probably the most obvious difference between football in the early-'00s and its current version. The 2016 bench is so much deeper than the 2003 one that it seems almost unfair. For the purposes of this article, it was almost difficult to find five decent players for the 2003 team, while there were eight quite competitive candidates for the 2016 one (i.e., Alvaro Morata and James Rodriguez did not make the cut).

Verdict: Overwhelming advantage 2016

Summary

If both teams played each other for a single match, the amount of talent in both sides would make it almost impossible to predict a result. The starting lineups are extremely strong and could defeat any team over 90 minutes. That said, the 2016 side would have more elements to stay consistent for a full season, change formations and react to injuries or tactical variations from opponents. The 2003 team looked bound to win the Treble, but their lack of depth cost them dearly at the end of that term. They lost the Copa del Rey final, the semifinals of the Champions League and their last five La Liga matches in a row.

Verdict: Advantage 2016