City's defense cost four times as much as Real Madrid's
Pep Guardiola's newly-formed back four are all top-dollar signings but Real Madrid's cost just 25% that of the Premier League side's.
Real Madrid's second preseason game takes place in the early hours of Thursday morning (CET) against Manchester City. Pep Guardiola's side will be trying out many of their newer players and with City investing heavily in his defense this preseason, all eyes will be on his new look back line in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Guardiola has added Kyle Walker, Benjamin Mendy and Danilo recently to rejuvenate his full-back positions. Walker and Mendy are considered favourites to be in the first choice eleven with John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi making up the centre of the defense.
Aside from Otamendi, all three are Guardiola signings and all three are world record signings. Stones arrived last summer for €55.6 million and was the most expensive defender ever at the time. That was beaten recently when Walker signed for Spurs for €57 million and that fee was usurped by Mendy's arrival just a few days later for €57.5 million. Along with Otamendi, who city signed for €45 million from Valencia, the Citizens' defense cost the princly sum of €215.1 million.
This makes them the most costly defense ever assembled but they are not yet the most efficient. Real Madrid's back four set los Blancos back €50 million. Sergio Ramos was the most expensive at €27 million while Marcelo and Carvajal, arguably the best full-back combo in the world were €6.5 million a pop and Varane was €10 million.
Real Madrid's back four scored 16 goals last season and City's scored just two. Pep Guardiola has been given free reign to improve his squad and on Thursday morning in Los Angeles, we might get to see the two sets of defenders face off for bragging rights.
