Champions League: Man City, 2 Other Clubs Rated ‘Best Clubs’ Ahead of Real Madrid After Leipzig Game

• Real Madrid have been told they are no longer elite
• This comes after their UCL game against RB Leipzig
• Madrid only managed to scrape through to the last 8

Real Madrid is presently considered to be a long way short of being among the best clubs in Europe, according to former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher.

Carragher, now a prominent football pundit following his retirement from playing, made this assessment based on Madrid's lacklustre performance against RB Leipzig in their recent Champions League matches.

Real Madrid labours against Leipzig

The Spanish giants struggled in both legs of their round of 16 clash and narrowly managed to advance to the quarterfinals with a slim 2-1 aggregate victory, per Eurosport.

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Despite boasting a competition record of 14 European titles, Madrid found themselves outclassed by a relatively inexperienced Leipzig side, lacking the same level of European pedigree as their illustrious rivals.

There is the belief that if Leipzig had been more clinical in front of goal, the outcome could have been different.

Conversely, Madrid's lacklustre display in the round of 16 can partly be attributed to their numerous injuries, particularly in defence.

Carragher rules out Madrid from Europe's elite

Comparing Los Blancos's performance to that of other top European clubs, the Liverpool legend ranks reigning champions Manchester City, current Serie A leaders Inter Milan, and Arsenal, who have been in fine scoring form, ahead of Carlo Ancelotti's men.

"I do feel they’re a long way short of certainly Manchester City, and maybe Inter Milan and Arsenal,” Carragher said as quoted by LaLiga Extra.

He added: “I don’t think they’re up there when it comes to the best teams in Europe right now."

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Harry Kane calls Carragher a 'liar'

In a related publication on Carragher, Sports Brief previously noted that the former England defender had claimed to his colleagues at CBS Sports that he had conversed with Harry Kane before Bayern Munich's second-leg encounter with Lazio.

Kane responded straightforwardly, indicating that while he was indeed friends with Carragher, he had not engaged in any pre-match conversation before his two-goal display against the Italians.

Defeated and honest, Carragher confessed that he simply wanted to appear 'cool' to his audience.

Carragher predicts EPL winner

Still on Jamie Carragher, Sports Brief reported that the former Liverpool icon has weighed in on the race for this season's Premier League title.

Liverpool, Manchester City, and Arsenal are all contenders, with just two points separating the top three teams.

While Carragher had previously hinted that Liverpool could emerge victorious in the title race, the competition remains tight.