Real v Barca: teams of the century

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"I've got an idea," I said to my colleague the morning after Barcelona's 5-1 thumping of Shakhtar Donestk in the Champions League semi-final first leg. "When Barca and Real Madrid reach the semis, let's do a Greatest XIs blog. That'll get the punters talking."
We came up with only two problems: firstly, that it might look a bit silly to include players from the days of yore like Alfredo di Stefano and Ladislao Kubala alongside a picture (top right) of the blogger looking about 14-years-old; and secondly, have you seen how many world-class players have represented these teams down the years?
In the end, it was quite simple. We decided to take the entire last millennium out of the equation and pretend the world began in 2000. At least, I consoled myself while I crossed out the names of Diego Maradona and Michael Laudrup, 99% of you taking part in this debate will have seen the contenders in action.
So, what better way to celebrate four Clasicos in 18 days - with the second installment the Spanish Cup final on Wednesday in Valencia - than to choose your favourite Real Madrid and Barcelona teams from the past 11-and-a-bit years?

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Tantawi meets with Palestinian President

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صورة
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Egypt economy recovering, wants Europe debt relief

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Industry says opening of banks boosted economy * IMF says recovery depends on tourism rebound By Tom Pfeiffer CAIRO, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Egypt would like European Union states to cancel its debts to them but has not made a formal request, the EU's local delegation said, as Egypt's economy showed signs of recovery from weeks of political turmoil. The government has slashed its growth forecast after 18 days of street protests across the country unseated President Hosni Mubarak, scaring off tourists, hitting inward investment and sparking a wave of strikes in banks, industry and government. The economy was worth an estimated $217 billion last year and it relies heavily on foreign investment, tourism and fees from the Suez Canal. A government statistics agency estimates the uprising cost the economy at least $1.7 billion. A spokeswoman for the European Union delegation in Cairo said European Union Ambassador Marco Franco met Finan...
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