FORMER Real Madrid manager Juande Ramos believes despite all the spending at Santiago Bernabeu, bitter rivals Barcelona are still better because they are a team.

Real have spent nearly a quarter of a billion euros so far on players like Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo, Raul Albiol and soon Karim Benzema while Barca have not yet signed anyone this summer.

In an interview with Radio Marca, Ramos was asked whether he believes Real are now better than the treble-winning Barca.

“On an individual level and with regard to players I would say so but Barca have the advantage of being a team and Real do not have that yet. One must see what happens. Now is the time to put them in the shaker and see if the cocktail is good,” said Ramos, who was also a former Tottenham manager.

“All the managers like to have the best players in the world though, it is a luxury and a wonder, and you do not have to impact as many things with players at this level.”

Ramos has been replaced at Real by former Villarreal boss Manuel Pellegrini and he admits he was surprised how it happened.

“In all the surveys that were done, in Marca and others, I was always first, but the curious thing is that overnight they took me off the surveys,” he said.

What about the future?

“It’s hard to find a team to like after Real but I have had offers. All from outside, all good teams, but for various reasons I didn’t think it was the time to go,” he said.

Meanwhile, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has predicted an exciting Primera Liga next season but does not believe Barca have to fear Real.

Even though in the past Zapatero has said he does not follow football that much, it is no secret he is a Barca fan. And he told Radio Nacional his team need not worry about the signings made by Real as “Barca is Barca!”

“We will see if anything comes of the David Villa deal, which is something I read this morning (yesterday). In any case, we will have an exciting league,” he told Radio Nacional.

Asked if he would congratulate Real on their signings, Zapatero assured he would do so “more for Kaka”.

“I have to confess I like Kaka more than Ronaldo, but it is true that Kaka, Ronaldo...this morning (yesterday) I woke and heard about Benzema too...It will be very interesting,” he said.

Zapatero also commented on the success of Spanish football lately and how he gets asked about it wherever he goes.

“In recent months, on all the international trips I do, they always speak to me about Spanish football, about the players, about Barca,” he said.

“Spanish football is becoming such a force in the world and we have to be aware of that. In my last trip to Africa all the references to Barca were of admiration and it helps to talk about at the meetings. Primera Liga will be very interesting.”