You could say that at that time Barcelona was the king of the clubs in La Liga, especially in the 2014-2015 season. Because in that season the players from Barcelona really had greatness in all areas. Big examples like
- Messi
- L, suarez
- Xavi
- Dani Alves
- Jordi Alba
- Sergio Busquets
- Iniesta
- Ivan Rakitic
- Neymar
- Ter Stegen
So it is not surprising that at that time Barcelona was always at the top and made very brilliant achievements. Because the quality of the players is also very sufficient to be able to compete with other clubs. But all of this does require very large costs.
And in the 2014-2015 season, Real Madrid was no less great than Barcelona. Because that year Real Madrid also had many very quality players. In fact, in that year there were still many names of Real Madrid footballers who are still known to the public today. Examples like
- Casillas
- Modric
- Gareth Bale
- Pepe
- C. Ronaldo
- Benzema
- Dimaria
- Isco
- Marcelo
So in essence, that year there were many players from Barcelona and Real Madrid who had very high quality. Even now, it is still very difficult to find talents like them.
Source:
Many of the players you compiled as very talented and played for Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively made very great effort to make it what it is today. One thing I want to draw your attention to is that these players were signed from many different clubs at very high prices then, hence why they were excellent amidst the competition within and outside the team.
Currently what Barcelona is going through is not because they don't have creative players, they want to use the once they have grown at home while managing their finances. Same for Real Madrid also, else they would have made an instant swoop for Mbappe, although it's still not late, but his fees will have increased when they come back to sign him.
Girona and the other clubs have more than maintained a consistent calibre of players while improving on their tactics and style of play.
Yes, these players do have extraordinary talent. They all managed to make history while in their respective teams (Madrid & Barca). Even though he is quite old, his skills and achievements still persist to this day. So it is proven that they are very great football players and it is natural that they are expensive.
Maybe now Madrid and Barca will definitely have difficulty getting great players like them.
However, I agree with you, currently Madrid and Barca are trying other strategies. That is, not by buying expensive and great players. However, Madrid and Barca want to try to produce talented players at a cost that is not too large. Even though it requires a slightly longer process, the end result will definitely be very good too. So it just takes time and patience to get results.
And the current Girona is actually a very good example. The reason is, the price of the players is not too expensive, but they are able to provide a very epic game and managed to occupy first place in the La Liga standings for a while. Honestly, I am amazed by Girona, because in their first season entering the main vision of La Liga (2022-2023), Girona was able to finish in 10th place. And now they have succeeded in being at the top. So the point is that even cheap players, if developed, can become a very sharp spearhead. Because as far as I know, Girona's player prices are cheaper than Madrid and Barca.