The sound was the wheels near coming off the Bayern Munich bus. Literally. Franck Ribery had sensed their mid-season trip to Saudi Arabia needed a bit of mayhem so, as the squad sat waiting outside their hotel, he jumped into the driver's seat of the team coach… and, within a matter of mere seconds and metres, crashed it into a street sign. He hopped out to the cackles of his teammates, if not their bosses.

It wasn't all slapstick though. There was also time for the sacred. Just before Bayern left Jeddah, Ribery and his fellow practising Muslim, Turkish defender Hamit Altintop, visited Mecca. When they stepped onto the squad's other transport, the team plane, it was on a very different wavelength and in the white robes of the pilgrim.

Two sides of an interesting personality, both of which will undoubtedly contribute to the biggest decision of Ribery's career so far. Where next? The circus of Real Madrid or the seriousness of, oh, anywhere else?

The much more introverted David Villa reveals no such quirks to his character. And perhaps for that reason has already made his choice. He just won't tell anyone outside his immediate circle. After heading Spain to victory against Iraq on Wednesday, Villa explained "I only have one decision. My agent already knows what that is and he is working towards it."

Most – in Madrid anyway – assume that's to go to the Bernabeu. Much like it is assumed Ribery would favour a move to Real. Their reasoning may yet prove irrelevant though. Because, just as both Villa and Ribery have to make a choice, so potentially do Real. Despite all the boasts of €300m budgets, the club have already spent half of it and the remainder must still be raised through player sales rather than pragmatism on the part of friendly banks. Then there's the rest of the squad outside the attack to think about so – as Jorge Valdano's haggles with Valencia revealed – Real mightn't even be in a position to purchase one new Galactico at those prices let alone two. The club with supposedly limitless ambition may have to show limitless patience. Florentino Perez said as much when he explained "the operation is a question of time". Until then though there's a wait and the worry of someone else coming in.

And neither is short of suitors. The very opposite in fact. Unlike both Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka, Ribery and Villa are the only players in Europe this summer for whom each of the most powerful clubs at present – Real, Barcelona, Manchester United and Chelsea – are prepared to enter an auction. By the end of the 2009-10 campaign, wherever either ends up and with doubts over both Kaka's long-term fitness and Ronaldo's sense of reality, the question might be why Real didn't go for the duo first.

Kaka himself was in no doubt. And that was way before he had anyone else's agenda to adhere to. Back in October he stated "the player with whom I would most like to play is Villa". The man Kaka is effectively succeeding for Real in both position and prestige however, Zinedine Zidane, has always appreciated Ribery above all. And in his 'special advisory role' to Perez has consistently said so despite a supposed deal with Manchester United that would see Real back off Ribery so long as they get Ronaldo. During the 2006 World Cup, Zidane described Ribery as "the jewel in French football".

Both, in any case, are the two most sparkling players in the market. And the reasons are 24-carat. Ribery and Villa epitomise the modern attacking footballer. Universalists, they remain specialists in individual areas but supreme in so many others.

Villa, for example, is most famous for his goals. Career-wise, he is one of Europe's most prolific strikers (see below) and that in one of Europe's toughest leagues. Not only that, he is the continent's most prolific international striker with an average of one goal every 1.5 games. He would be the world's were it not for the ease of opposition Emmanuel Adebayor faces for Togo (1.1). Villa has also become Spain's second top scorer of all time behind Raul. That in just four short years since his debut.

Moreover, Villa has scored every type of goal in every type of system. Tap-ins, sleek finishes, 30-yard blockbusters and curling free-kicks alongside either one or two other strikers and from both through-balls and long punts. He may lack the potential for out-of-nothing devastation Fernando Torres possesses but, as anyone who watched them closely together at Euro 2008 would testify, Villa is the more complete Spanish striker with more dimensions to his game. To his marksmanship he adds a mercury quality in both movement and touch, slipping past defenders with a pleasing fluency. It's seen him play right across the front-line and even midfield.

Much like Ribery. The French playmaker moves with more blunt force but that has added to his greatest attribute, the ability to puncture huge holes in defences at pace and create openings. Yet Ribery also possesses an often-unacknowledged poise. As one of his former youth coaches at Lille explained, "Franck analyses three times faster than others. He has all the problems worked out while others are still pondering." That can be seen in his finishing – where his average of a goal every two games last season was comparable to Ronaldo's – and his dribbling, where he can emerge from the most obstructed avenues with the ease of few in football.

For all that, there is of course a clear reason why Real went for Ronaldo and Kaka first. Modern footballers both Ribery and Villa may be but modern superstars they are not. Both eschew the sort of marketability and media profiles Real's economic model is to be built on. Villa for the reserved nature that has seen him refuse the sort of media championing others enjoy – "If people want to talk about me great, if they don't fine. I'm not doing it for them" – Ribery, to be bluntly superficial about it, for the scars he sees as his "trademark". As one German writer put it, Ribery cares so little for his image he has never been seen with hair gel or any discernable hairstyle at all. But aside from a reputation as a practical joker, he also leads quite a humble lifestyle thanks to his marriage in 2002 and subsequent conversion to Islam.

Yet while Villa and Ribery possess very different personalities, they share many more parallels than their current market value. Both had to overcome serious childhood injury: Villa a break to his femur doctors feared would leave him disabled, Ribery the infamous car-crash. Both were then rejected early on and almost gave up football, their fathers encouraged them by showing the alternative route. Villa was brought down the mines, Ribery out to help with road construction.

Their backgrounds have always bolstered them since, as both are proponents of regional dialects. Ribery speaks the northern mix of French and Flemish that is 'Ch'ti', Villa features in ads to promote Asturian. Fittingly then, both endured circuitous routes around their countries in their steady rises. And as the stats prove (see panels), both have almost reached the peak having come from the very periphery. All either needs now are the platforms to confirm their places. This summer, they'll get them. And quite possibly the same one on the Bernabeu pitch. But not necessarily.

Villa, admittedly, is much closer to a move there having long ago agreed personal terms. Perez however angered Valencia in his approach and there remains the possibility Villa's current club will simply refuse a deal. On Friday their president Manuel Llorente suddenly announced that after all the "toying" Villa is "not for sale" only to immediately add, "If there is an offer that is scandalously scandalous we will consider it." That would leave an opening for Barcelona, the club whose tactics best suit his talents. In a recent interview Villa gave an indication Real may not be that final choice as he enthused "I like Barcelona's style. It's a joy to play with their little guys."

Barca have also irritated Valencia though as they have sought to include the highly-rated Mata in any deal. So despite Villa's preference to stay in La Liga, his club may yet funnel him towards ludicrous English offers for all their protestations.

Chelsea certainly require a recruitment of that stature and his movement would greatly suit Manchester United. Arguably more than Ribery. Alex Ferguson, however, issued a rare statement on a transfer target during the week by exclaiming "Ribery is fantastic. Always moving and incredible energy, he would have no problem playing in England." With yesterday's announcement that Carlos Tevez will definitely leave Old Trafford – probably to join Roque Santa Cruz at Manchester City – Ferguson will now need to be even more bullish about Ribery and possibly even compatriot Karim Benzema. The undercurrents from United's dealings with Real, though, are that Ferguson's side already have an agreement in place with Ribery. Zidane's recent pushes reveal, however, that Real are not as resigned to letting him go as had been assumed while Bayern's chairman Karl-Heinz Rumenigge admitted Chelsea and Barcelona had offered bids alongside United's.

Only the details of Chelsea's initial €40m offer have so far been outlined although sources in Spain indicate Barcelona have identified Ribery as their key summer signing alongside Javier Mascherano and either Villa or Zlatan Ibrahimovic to keep the side evolving, and are determined to get him. Whatever happens, this one looks set to run as long as the Ronaldo saga and possibly get as rancorous.

For their part, Villa and Ribery have only met on a stage that befits their status once: in the 2006 World Cup second round when both scored but Ribery prevailed. They are set to meet across the sports pages several times this summer. And possibly on the same pitch again at the end of it.

David Villa

Club: Valencia
Value: €50m
Last season: 40 games, 31 goals
What he gives you: Goals. A lot of goals. But also go. Villa has played right across the front line as well as the left-wing and adds a real fluency of touch to his finishing. Almost as much a number-10 as a number-nine, he is the complete striker.

Forward march
Throughout his career, David Villa has always proven a relentless scorer. To the extent that, among the world's marquee marksmen today, he is the fourth most prolific. His stats, however, would surely be higher had he played in the Dutch or German league as opposed to the Spanish all his career.

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar - Games: 265, Goals: 179, Scores Every Game: 1.48
Ruud van Nistelrooy - Games: 501, Goals: 317, Scores Every Game: 1.58
Samuel Eto'o - Games: 399, Goals: 203, Scores Every Game: 1.96
David Villa - Games: 407, Goals: 204, Scores Every Game: 1.98
Luca Toni - Games: 434, Goals: 219, Scores Every Game: 1.98
Thierry Henry - Games: 619, Goals: 302, Scores Every Game: 2.04
Pippo Inzaghi - Games: 572, Goals: 278, Scores Every Game: 2.05
Dimitar Berbatov - Games: 405, Goals: 187, Scores Every Game: 2.16
Zlatan Ibrahimovic - Games: 348, Goals: 154, Scores Every Game: 2.25
Karim Benzema - Games: 149, Goals: 66, Scores Every Game: 2.26

Frank Ribery

Club: Bayern Munich
Value: €55m and rising
Last season: 36 games, 14 goals

What he gives you Energy, acceleration and attitude. Ribery's work rate is beyond reproach but he adds a sense of wonder to it. Few in the game, other than perhaps Leo Messi or Kaka, can weave around defenders with such pace and he often finishes his runs with precision in either passing or finishing.

Magic moments
Since Ribery joined Bayern Munich two years ago, he has statistically proven to be the fifth most productive creator in Europe's top leagues. Among players who, nominally at least, started as attacking midfielders in that two-season spell, only four of the most famous have been directly involved in more goals.

Leo Messi - Games: 89, Goals: 54, Assists: 29, Scores or sets up a goal every games: 1.07
Cristiano Ronaldo - Games: 99, Goals: 67, Assists: 16, Scores or sets up a goal every games: 1.19
Steven Gerrard - Games: 92, Goals: 44, Assists: 28, Scores or sets up a goal every games: 1.28
Kaka - Games: 75, Goals: 36, Assists: 22, Scores or sets up a goal every games: 1.29
Franck Ribery - Games: 63, Goals: 25, Assists: 20, Scores or sets up a goal every games: 1.4
Frank Lampard - Games: 94, Goals: 36, Assists: 30, Scores or sets up a goal every games: 1.42
Sergio Aguero - Games: 89, Goals: 42, Assists: 19, Scores or sets up a goal every games: 1.46
Wayne Rooney - Games: 89, Goals: 35, Assists: 26, Scores or sets up a goal every games: 1.46
Cesc Fabregas - Games: 76, Goals: 16, Assists: 36, Scores or sets up a goal every games: 1.46
Zvjezdan Misimovic - Games: 65, Games: 16, Assists: 27, Scores or sets up a goal every games: 1.51

mdelaney@tribune.ie