New Delhi: Three league titles, two Champions League trophies, one Copa del Rey, three Spanish Supercopas, two UEFA Super Cup titles and one FIFA Club World Cup.
Some players and managers go an entire career without winning even one trophy. Pep Guardiola and his Barcelona side have amassed 12 in a little over three spectacular seasons, firmly establishing themselves as the best side in the world at present, and even one of the greatest of all time. What's more, they are still going strong. The season proper hasn't even started yet, and their reinforced squad has already picked up two trophies - The signs are ominous for their rivals.
Yet, the one man who has managed to temporarily halt the Barcelona juggernaut in the past three seasons is Jose Mourinho. It was his Inter Milan side that pulled off a shock win in the Champions League semi-final last season before dethroning Barcelona to win the title. Last season - his first in Real's dug-out - he managed to win the Copa del Rey final against the same side, even as Barca took the bigger honours. With money never an issue at the Bernabeu, Real have also added to their squad. Meanwhile, significantly, director general Jorge Valdano - with whom Mourinho was at war for most of last season - has gone, giving Mourinho more power than any other manager under president Florentino Perez.
If anyone can stop Barcelona from winning their fourth league title in a row (equalling Johan Cruyff's club record), it is Mourinho's Real. But can it be done?
The new signings - left-sided Portuguese international Fabio Coentrao, Turkish internationals Nuri Sahin and Hamit Altintop, Spanish striker Jose Callejon and French starlet Raphael Varane - will give Mourinho more options tactically. Madrid already have an expensively-assembled impressive team, including last year's league topscorer Cristiano Ronaldo, Xabi Alonso, Gonzalo Higuain and Sergio Ramos. Meanwhile, young talents like Angel Di Maria, Mesut Ozil and Karim Benzema will be expected to step up.
Real can also take hope from Barcelona's relative dip in form in the second half of last season. And, over the two legs of the Supercopa this month, Madrid impressed with their pace and sharpness, suggesting that they are getting closer to their arch rivals.
Yet, despite a shorter pre-season and not yet in top gear, Barcelona still beat Madrid 5-4. Lionel Messi, still only 24, continues to amaze and baffle opposition. And, perhaps in acknowledgment of last season's weaknesses, Barcelona too have brought in new players. Finally back 'home', Cesc Fabregas may not find a place in the starting line-up but he can play a key role off the bench, just as he does in the Spanish national team. Guardiola was fortunate in terms of injuries last season, but Fabregas and the emerging Thiago Alcantara - yet another product of Barca's La Masia youth development centre - will offer cover in the midfield. Chilean winger Alexis Sanchez also adds depth to the squad.
It is easy to say that, given the vast gulf between the top two and the rest of the teams in the La Liga, the two El Clasicos may well decide the fate of the title. However, Madrid dropped points against the likes of Mallorca, Levante, Osasuna and Deportivo La Coruna last season, which ultimately proved crucial.
In 2008-09, Barcelona finished with 87 points, nine more than Real. The gap was only three points in 2009-10, while last season, it was four. But in each of the last three seasons, Barca have been top for 28, 30 and 24 weeks respectively. No opposition team has ever had possession for the majority of the game against them. They have won convincingly.
Barcelona have often proved to be Mourinho's nemesis, but this is his biggest challenge yet - to take the title from a Barca side that has raised the bar so high. And, from his increasingly antagonistic statements and capricious histrionics, it seems the pressure is telling. The eye-poke incident was a new low, even for the usually-controversial manager. If Real are to edge out Barca, they will have to be at the top of their game throughout the season, the coach included, and hope that the law of averages catches up with the Catalans. However, such is the greatness of this Barcelona side, even that may not prove to be enough!
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