Which is better? The Real Madrid line-up with an average age of 31 or of 21.6?

Eduardo Camavinga's arrival at Real Madrid has only further emphasised the contrast in Carlo Ancelotti's squad. Los Blancos have a mix of youth and experience, meaning the Italian could field separate XIs with a difference in average age of around 10 years.

On the one hand, Ancelotti could opt for a starting XI with an average age of 31 years old, or another with an average age of 21.6 years old.

This mix can be seen any given weekend in Real Madrid's XI this season, with players of all ages being named in the team from the off.

Real Madrid's old XI

The line-up with the average age of 31 would be composed of: Thibaut Courtois; Dani Carvajal, David Alaba, Marcelo; Casemiro, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric; Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, Eden Hazard.

Real Madrid's young XI

Then, the young XI would be as follows: Andriy Lunin; Marvin Park, Jesus Vallejo, Eder Militao, Miguel Gutierrez; Antonio Blanco, Eduardo Camavinga, Fede Valverde; Marco Asensio, Rodrygo, Vinicius.

Here, we're now going to talk through each of the positions and the contrast in ages that Ancelotti has in each area of the pitch.

In goal

Thibaut Courtois is the undisputed first-choice goalkeeper at 29 and is enjoying arguably the best form of his career with Real Madrid. Under contract until 2026, there's little to suggest that he won't continue to dominate in goal. Backing him up is 22-year-old Andriy Lunin, who signed at 18.

In defence

Ancelotti could line up with Dani Carvajal (29), David Alaba (29), Nacho (31) and Marcelo (33) as his back four, but there's a completely different back line that he could name as well. That one could include 23-year-old Eder Militao and 20-year-old Miguel Gutierrez, as well as Jesus Vallejo (24) and Marvin Park (21).

The midfield

The most extreme case of Real Madrid's two faces comes in midfield. Camavinga, at 18, is the youngest in the squad, but Toni Kroos (31), Luka Modric (36) and Casemiro (29) are the regulars. The Frenchman could be paired with Antonio Blanco (21) and Fede Valverde (23) to take the midfield's average age down by 12 years.

The attack

Karim Benzema (33), Gareth Bale (32) and Eden Hazard (30) are likely to be regulars this season, averaging 31.6 years of age, though Vinicius (21), Rodrygo (20) and Marco Asensio (25) could be named in an attack with an average age of just 22.