Will the new-look Real Madrid reclaim the Premira Liga title from Barcelona in the new Spanish season?
Sir Alex Ferguson believes the English Premier League is still at the top of the pile, but events over the last few months has left Spanish football in a strong position to contest that claim ahead of this weekend's big kick-off in La Liga.
Following hot on the heels of the national team's success at Euro 2008, Barcelona last season swept all aside to become the first team from Spain and only the fifth club in history to win their domestic double and the European Cup in the same campaign.
That established Barca as the undisputed top dogs in Europe, not just due to the trophies they won but also because of the thrilling football they produced under new coach Pep Guardiola.
But it is not just on the field where Spanish football has been making waves, with Real Madrid barely out of the headlines this summer as they embarked on their remarkable spending spree.
Clearly not wanting to be left in the shadows by the record-breaking achievements of their arch rivals up at the Nou Camp, Madrid set about re-writing the history books themselves by splashing out over 250million euros on new talent since Florentino Perez returned to the presidency in June.
World player of the year Cristiano Ronaldo, costing a world-record 94million euros, was the jewel in the crown, but the signings of fellow 'Galacticos' Kaka, Karim Benzema and Xabi Alonso also made huge statements about the pulling power of Madrid, not to mention their financial might during a time when most clubs have been tightening their purse strings.
As was the case during Perez's previous tenure in charge when Madrid forked out big money on the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Ronaldo and David Beckham, the Spanish giants again showed this summer that they have no rivals - including the cash-rich Premier League clubs - when it comes to getting their man.
Barca have also not baulked at paying out big money for top talent either, bringing in Zlatan Ibrahimovic in a deal that saw Inter Milan pocket 46million euros plus prolific Cameroon hitman Samuel Eto'o in exchange for the Swede.
And with the likes of Ibrahimovic, Ronaldo and Kaka joining a league that already boasts the talents of Lionel Messi, Xavi, Dani Alves, David Villa and Sergio Aguero, it is easy to see why some have suggested that the Primera Division is now the top league in the world.
Ronaldo is certainly of that mind, saying in the wake of his move from Ferguson's Manchester United: "The Premier League is a very good competition, but I think that the Spanish league is going to have a little more quality because of the players that are arriving.
"Both leagues are going to be very good, but I think that with Florentino Perez's signings the Spanish league is superior to the English. It's going to be a magnificent competition in Spain this year."
Ferguson's argument, that the Premier League is still the toughest in Europe, still holds some sway though, because with Madrid and Barca spending big this summer, the gap between those two and rest in Spain could be bigger than ever.
Last season, champions Barca finished nine points clear of second-placed Madrid, who in turn were eight points above Sevilla in third - and that despite that fact that Madrid lost each of their last five games while the Andalusian side picked up 13 points from a possible 15 in the same period.
And while the big two have been splashing out huge amounts, clubs such as Sevilla, Atletico Madrid, Villarreal and Valencia have spent their summers fighting off attention for their star names whilst making comparatively modest additions to their squads.
Despite that though, Villarreal midfielder Robert Pires does not believe La Liga will just be a two-horse race this season.
"This year there will be competition to win titles, because all of the teams have reinforced well," said Pires, whose own side's star signing has been Brazil striker Nilmar for a club-record fee believed to be around 11million euros.
"The bench will help us a lot and this isn't something we've had in other years. It's a big squad and everyone can show that they deserve to be in the XI."
Atletico are perhaps the biggest threats to Madrid and Barca, having so far kept hold of their prolific strike duo of Diego Forlan and Aguero as well as strengthening their much-maligned defence, while Sevilla have been boosted by the arrival of Alvaro Negredo from Madrid.
Valencia can also look forward to the new campaign with renewed enthusiasm after seemingly managing to keep hold of their highly-rated trio of Villa, David Silva and Juan Mata.
So, with that in mind, plus the fact that seven of the players voted into the top 10 of the FIFA world player of the year awards for 2008 will ply their trade in Spain this season, expectations are rightfully high of what could be a special year in La Liga.
However, only time will tell whether all the wonderful individual talent that the league now undoubtedly boasts can result in a more open title race, or whether it will further highlight the difference between the haves and have nots.
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