Barcelona and Real Madrid often take their rivalry beyond the football pitch, and one of their more popular battlefields is the transfer market.

Year after year, the two clubs will go head to head trying to outdo each other in the summer transfer window as they look to lure the best players in the world to their playground to strengthen their teams, establish their economic might and show off their pulling power. Sometimes they would fight directly for the same player, other times proceeding with their own calculated or impulsive plans.

It’s no different this summer as both titans continue to reinforce and re-shape their squads. While Barcelona have spent approximately €70.5 million on three players, Madrid have splashed out roughly €77 million for six new arrivals.

But which of the two clubs made the better choices in the transfer window?

BARCELONA

DAVID VILLA
Age: 28
Position: Forward
Transfer Fee: €40 million

Do Barcelona need him? If there was any one player suited for any one club, it would be Villa at Barca. After Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s struggle at the Camp Nou last season, the Blaugrana needed a new, reliable world class hitman. And there’s no better option for the Catalan behemoths than the Spanish international. Fans may even forget he’s a new signing a few months from now judging by the way he has effortlessly settled into the team.

Will he succeed? It’s hard to see ‘El Guaje’ fail at the Camp Nou. His style of football fits perfectly into Barca’s philosophy and not only that, he has been given his preferred position playing out wide on the left in a three-pronged attack. Villa won’t even need to score lots of goals by the end of the season as long as he dazzles fans with his collaboration with Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Lionel Messi.

Worth the transfer fee? The only question mark is the price tag in relation to his age. €40 million alone for a striker who has guaranteed at least 20 goals a season for the last nine successive seasons ever since he became a professional footballer is an astute investment, but at 28, he is now right at his peak and a decline is traditionally expected in three to four years’ time, especially for a forward like Villa who relies on speed and skill.

ADRIANO
Age: 25
Position: Defence/Midfield
Transfer Fee: €9.5 million + €4m

Do Barcelona need him? The Brazilian jack of all trades is the kind of player that every coach would love to have: one man who can effectively and comfortably cover up to five positions on the pitch. The fact that Barca can boast a world class superstar in every position but have little in terms of squad depth makes Adriano’s arrival all the more necessary.

Will he succeed? As long as Barca’s ten key outfielders remain healthy and disciplined, Adriano will most likely only make cameo appearances off the bench. But it’s when it gets to the point of the season where a combination of injuries and suspensions start ravaging the squad that Adriano’s true worth will be seen.

Worth the transfer fee? At €9.5 million (with an additional €4m in bonuses), it’s a small figure to pay for someone who can play virtually anywhere across midfield, and in either flank in defence, even though he may not be a guaranteed starter. Such is the value of a versatile player like Adriano that he has potentially saved Barca up to €30m that they would’ve needed to spend to bring in two or three additional players to cover various positions that Adriano can fill on his own.

JAVIER MASCHERANO
Age: 26
Position: Defensive Midfield
Transfer Fee: €21 million

Do Barcelona need him? The simple answer is yes. The departures of Yaya Toure and Rafa Marquez left Guardiola with little options in defensive midfield, with only Sergio Busquets and Seydou Keita available to take on that role. Even then, Busquets is still young and prone to mistakes – despite commendable performances over the last two seasons – while Keita isn’t your conventional midfield enforcer. Mascherano, on the other hand, will give Barca the stability and security in front of defence.

Will he succeed? Mascherano is in an uneviable position. While he may have secured his “chance of a lifetime” move to the Camp Nou, he now has the daunting task of learning the Barcelona school of football in quick time. And that will determine whether or not he succeeds in his first season: his ability to gel swiftly with Xavi, Iniesta and co.

Worth the transfer fee? €21 million seems a reasonable price for someone who is only 26, who is the captain of the Argentina national team, and one who is regarded as one of the best defensive midfielders in the world today. But whether he is really worth the money and the fuss depends on how much he will actually play. The Argentine has admitted that he doesn’t see himself as an automatic starter considering the wealth of talent he will have to compete with.

REAL MADRID

SERGIO CANALES
Age: 19
Position: Attacking Midfield
Transfer Fee: €5 million

Do Real Madrid need him? One of the few players that Madrid and Barca reportedly fought over briefly. But Los Blancos made it very clear very early on that they wanted Canales. And the Cantabrian fits into the Casa Blanca transfer agenda this summer: a Spanish international with the U-19 side, a budding star of the future, and someone who can replace Guti.

Will he succeed? Canales is very much a prospect for the future, but that hasn’t stopped Jose Mourinho from putting his faith in the 19-year-old and making him an instant first team regular throughout the pre-season. If Mou continues to put his trust in the teenager and help him develop, there’s no reason why he can’t succeed, if not this season then in a few years’ time.

Worth the transfer fee? If Canales really can develop into Madrid and Spain’s next big megastar, then his €5 million fee will be seen as a virtual free transfer years from now.

ANGEL DI MARIA
Age: 22
Position: Winger (Left)
Transfer Fee: €25 million + €11m

Do Real Madrid need him? Madrid’s main limitation in attack last season against tough opposition was their distinct lack of width. Jose Mourinho observed as much when he first arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu and quickly rectified the weakness by requesting a winger. In Di Maria, Los Blancos have found a very traditional wide-man with a penchant for scoring goals.

Will he succeed? Di Maria will have one of the toughest jobs in the team. Playing on the opposite side of the wing to Cristiano Ronaldo, the Argentine is unlikely to see much of the ball if all of Madrid’s attacking forays go through CR7. And Di Maria isn’t the kind of footballer who brashly seeks out the ball from his team-mates, often choosing instead to wait for the ball to come to him. He will have to be more assertive if he is to succeed.

Worth the transfer fee? Madrid’s most expensive signing this summer. It pales in comparison to the lavish spending of last summer, but €25m with a potential increase to €36m in incentives is still a sizeable investment. However, Di Maria is just 22 years old with a lot of room to improve, and Madrid definitely struck a bargain considering he had a €40m buy-out clause with Benfica.

PEDRO LEON
Age: 23
Position: Winger (Right)
Transfer Fee: €10 million

Do Real Madrid need him? Like Di Maria, Pedro Leon was signed from Getafe to give Jose Mourinho more width and an extra attacking dimension. He is seen only as a squad player and very much behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Di Maria in the winger pecking order, but he is a good back-up to have.

Will he succeed? Whether or not Pedro Leon will succeed at the Bernabeu could depend on his mental strength as he may need to keep himself motivated if there comes a time when he is consigned to a bench role for long periods, but still be able to jump straight into action and impress the coach when he is given the chance.

Worth the transfer fee? The 23-year-old had a sensational season with Getafe last term and many would consider his €10m price tag a bargain, even though he may spend the first season as a bit-part player.

SAMI KHEDIRA
Age: 23
Position: Midfield
Transfer Fee: €14 million

Do Real Madrid need him? With Mahamadou Diarra, Lass Diarra and Fernando Gago’s future all in doubt earlier in the summer, the ‘White House’ needed to invest in a new midfielder who could accompany Xabi Alonso. The likes of Bastian Schweinsteiger and Steven Gerrard were both linked to the capital, but Sami was the most feasible in terms of his price and age.

Will he succeed? Based on Khedira’s performances in the pre-season and in the opening La Liga game of the season, it’s clear that the German still has some way to go to hit a cohesive stride with the team. The good news for Madrid fans, though, is that Sami is always willing to help out in attack, which will always endear him to the Bernabeu faithful. The bad news is that he may be a little too willing to help out in attack.

Worth the transfer fee? Many a critic believe that the €14m signing will be spending most of his time on the bench and will eventually be shipped out and become a forgotten man. What is certain is that he will have his chance to impress as Gago, Diarra and Lass are never consistent enough to hold down a first team place for long periods.

RICARDO CARVALHO
Age: 32
Position: Centre-Back
Transfer Fee: €8 million

Do Real Madrid need him? There was no question that Madrid always needed a new defender, whether a right-back that would see Sergio Ramos pushed to the heart of defence or an outright new centre-back purchase. Milan’s Thiago Silva was too expensive and the never wanted to join to begin with, leaving Carvalho as the only viable option. And how wise a move it proved to be as three of Madrid’s centre-backs are out with injuries at this early stage of the season.

Will he succeed? This really is one of those cases where only time will tell whether or not his tenure at Madrid is a success. Fabio Cannavaro, Christoph Metzelder, Jonathan Woodgate and Walter Samuel have all flopped in various degrees throughout their Bernabeu careers, yet Raul Albiol, Pepe and Ezequiel Garay have done well so far. It’s such a temperamental role to take on that Carvalho could make a match-winning tackle and not be recognised for his heroics, yet make one small mistake and be castigated for the rest of the season.

Worth the transfer fee? ‘Riccy’ was an instant alternative for Mourinho when Madrid fail to land right-back Maicon from Inter. €8 million for a 32-year-old does sound steep, considering he has only signed a two-year contract and that may well be his maximum stay. But it’s his experience and his relationship with Mourinho - who he has worked with at Porto and Chelsea - that is worth the €8m.

MESUT OEZIL
Age: 21
Position: Attacking midfield
Transfer Fee: €15 million

Do Real Madrid need him? Madrid shelved their plans to sign Oezil for 2011 and pushed his arrival to this summer once the club learned that Kaka will be sidelined for the rest of 2010. But there are two questions that need to be asked: Was Canales, Rafa van der Vaart, and Esteban Granero not sufficient replacements for Los Blancos? Would the German even have settled in to his new team before Kaka returns to full action?

Will he succeed? Based on his superlative performances for Germany at the 2010 World Cup, there’s no doubt that Oezil has all the talent and potential in the world. But it’s a completely different environment at the Bernabeu and his first hurdle will be to win the battle for a first-team place. If he can achieve that and command a regular starting berth, his next task will be to thrill the demanding Madrid fans and press every week.

Worth the transfer fee? €15 million for one of the most promising attacking talents and one of the young stars of the 2010 World Cup is a steal and a half. However, his contract with former employers Werder Bremen would’ve expired in the summer of 2011 where he would be available for free.