No Ronaldo, Kaka or Xabi Alonso: Royston Drenthe's bizarre dream 5-a-side team | OneFootball

Tall, fast, and technically gifted with both feet. There are multiple reasons why anyone would want Cristiano Ronaldo on their dream five-a-side team.

But those were apparently not enough for his former Real Madrid teammate Royston Drenthe, who went down a different route and included former Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley instead when naming a side made up of players he had lined up alongside in his own career.

GiveMeSport VIDEO OF THE DAY

Play Video

The Dutchman joined Los Blancos in 2007 from Feyenoord and would spend nearly five years on the books of the Spanish club.

Admittedly, he spent two of those years on loan at Hercules CF and Everton, but Drenthe still represented Madrid on 65 occasions.

During that time, he played with some of the biggest stars in the game.

Three Real Madrid players make Drenthe's five-a-side team but no Cristiano Ronaldo

And sitting down with Ladbrokes Fanzone, the former Everton man picked out a few players for his five-a-side dream team.

You would expect, given some of the stars whom Drenthe got the chance to play with while in the Spanish capital, that Real alumni would dominate the team.

And indeed they do, with three players making the cut.

Starting with his goalkeeper and defence, Drenthe opts for two Madrid icons.

“The first name in there, without a doubt, is Pepe,” he said, as per The Sun.

“The guy is crazy, man. He's someone you want on your team when you're playing in those small games, for sure. You don't want to be playing against him!”

Granted, while a case could be made for Sergio Ramos, once considered by many as one of the finest defenders in the world, Pepe is no bad option either.

He was a key part of that Madrid defence alongside the Spaniard, and his aggressive style of play would be perfectly suited to a game of five-a-side in a cage.

His goalkeeper, unsurprisingly, was Iker Casillas.

“Obviously he's one of the best goalkeepers we've ever seen, but he was so comfortable on the ball, too," Drenthe said, "he's perfect for five-a-side.”

But his next choices are very surprising.

Up front, he decided to go with another Madrid man, but not with a five-time Ballon d'Or winner in Ronaldo who joined two seasons after Drenthe.

“I'm putting myself in there, in midfield, and Robinho up-front," he said. "That was unbelievable and, again, this style of football just suits him perfectly. He's straight in there for me.”

The pair spent one season together in Spain, with the Brazilian departing for Manchester City in 2008.

And while Ronaldo’s omission might be considered shocking, Drenthe’s decision to include Barkley is even more staggering.

“And then I'd have someone from Everton alongside me in midfield... I'd go with Ross Barkley,” he said.

“I loved playing with Ross; I loved everything about him on and off the pitch. He was so strong, quick and technically gifted. But he was such a nice guy, too.

“I was quite young while I was at Everton, but I think Ross was still just 18. Even at that age, though, we could all see how special he was going to be.

“It's a shame things haven't quite worked out for him but, my God, what a player he was. He's making my five-a-side team, for sure."

Bit of a shock to the system, especially seeing how badly Barkley struggled at Chelsea and how Drenthe also played with some incredible midfielders like Kaka and Xabi Alonso to name but a few.