Barcelona vs Real Madrid. Messi vs Ronaldo. MSN vs BBC. Yamal vs Mbappé? 2017 was the last time we saw the prestigious Messi, Suarez, and Neymar front line face off with Bale, Benzema, and Cristiano Ronaldo, and will we ever have anything that comes close to this?

The GOAT talk and argument in recent history is always Messi or Ronaldo. Even non-soccer fans have heard of or seen highlights of the great time Barcelona faced off with Real Madrid, either at Camp Nou or at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, and it was a great time in the soccer world to see the two best players, and arguably the two best front lines, going head to head twice a season in La Liga, if not more.

That time has since ended, which started with Neymar leaving and heading off to Paris-Saint Germain, which would end the MSN era of soccer in Spain. The final time these legendary trios played head to head was on December 23, 2017. Now Messi and Suárez are at Inter Miami, and Neymar is at Santos, while Ronaldo plays for Al Nassr, Benzema is with Al Ittihad, and Bale is retired.

Since that time, there hasn’t been anything nearly the same as watching the Barcelona’s and the Real Madrid’s of old go head to head, but two stars in the game do now play for these teams, but is the comparison nearly the same, and will the matchup get the eyes it once did?

Lamine Yamal is a brilliant young star for Barcelona, who was in the final of the Ballon d’Or voting, while on the other side, Real Madrid has Kylian Mbappé. Are these two players incredible top talents in world football, yes. Is it right to compare them to the matchup previously mentioned, no.

The MSN vs BBC matchup left a lasting impact on everyone who surrounded themselves with world football. Thinking back to playing FIFA from around 2014 to 2017, that was the pinnacle of who most people would play as, no questions asked. Now is it time to try to thrust these new talents where these colors into the pressure of trying to live up to that?

“El Classicos are huge no matter when in the season,” said La Liga expert Noah Holloway. “With new talent emerging from both Madrid and Barcelona, we all want to see who will be the new face of these clubs. Messi and Ronaldo left a legacy so huge it seems impossible to replicate, yet we all keep hoping these new players can do that, whereas I believe that era is so unique we shouldn’t try to push these expectations on these kids so early in their career. Who knows, maybe their play-style and ability will become the new standard. Only time will tell.”

The present shouldn’t be defined by the incredible scenes of the past, and that will then allow the future of the rivalry to see new stars emerge. Compare the new stars against each other, don’t try to compare them with the best to ever do it.