Real Madrid, a crumbling empire…
4 years ago, Real Madrid boasted an array of talent, tagged the galacticos. Zidane, Ronaldo, Beckham and Figo were unstoppable. However Real Madrid’s failure to make a major summer signing has highlighted a shift in power.
Real Madrid have achieved global status as the World’s most successful Club team. Real Madrid have won an absurd 57 trophies and have won the European Champions League a record breaking 9 times. However, the club in recent years have been much less successful, as the balance of power has shifted from Spain to England. This was reflected last season in the UEFA Champions League. Manchester United and Chelsea were the finalists while Real Madrid were knocked out by Roma in the first knockout phase. Although Real Madrid have enjoyed recent domestic success, they have been criticised for their boring playing style which is usually not associated with Real Madrid.
Their domestic success and European failure has just confirmed that the standard of La Liga has dropped in recent seasons. A mediocre Real Madrid last season won La Liga comfortably and this showed that the quality of La Liga has decreased in recent years. The question is why?
The reason English football is experiencing a dominant period over Spanish football is because English clubs have much more funds than Spanish clubs. Spanish clubs may generate more revenue but the owners of top English clubs provide almost unlimited transfer budgets which Spanish clubs cannot compete with. Abu Dhabi taking over Manchester City is just one example.
Robinho was certainly an influential player for "Los Merengues" last season contributing 15 goals. However he moved to Manchester City for a record breaking £32.6 million in the summer transfer window. Real Madrid are losing their appeal and pulling power. They are losing players and failing to bring in world class players. They trailed Cristiano Ronaldo all summer, but with no end product. They turned instead to Rafael Van de Vaart. Not exactly the player Real Madrid fans had on their wish lists.
Real Madrid is a dying force in European football, it will always be considered one of the world’s most successful teams, but for how long can it stay competitive with the English clubs. Is it all downhill from here or will they make a comeback? Personally, unless the pulling power of the Premiership weakens I cannot see Real Madrid having a sustainable future!
By Matt Allen
TF90M Update: Matt will be providing a regular update on the goings on in Spanish football. So keep checking back to see all the latest news, as well as browsing through our collection of exclusive interviews and other articles.
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Comments (13)
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The issue with Real Madrid is that they have suffered on the field as a result of their financial success, and perhaps Chelsea supporters should take note of this. The recent policy of los galáticos embarked by the sale of training grounds at the turn of century wiped off the debts that Real had, but the imbalance of this galactic team combined with the turmoil in the upper echelons of the Madrid team caused its recent doldrum. The recent lull in transfer really does no harm to the club as it tries to gain stability, and to not sale Robinho - who can no longer see eye to eye with Calderon - would be a mistake, especially with a willing payer loitering.
As to the league, the potential remains just so high, but like the national team its potential was not realised. Barcelona's ability, and indeed its lead in the league, was discarded half way through last season. Valencia's spell at the top went with Rafa, and the surprise package of Seville became Villareal. The former two clubs' downfall can almost certainly be said to be caused by the volatile board.
The league's priority is in fact not to compete with the English: it does not need to, it is already glitzy enough. In fact it needs more competition at the top, especially with the demise of Valencia. The league needs that competitive edge to add more spice.
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As to the league, the potential remains just so high, but like the national team its potential was not realised. Barcelona's ability, and indeed its lead in the league, was discarded half way through last season. Valencia's spell at the top went with Rafa, and the surprise package of Seville became Villareal. The former two clubs' downfall can almost certainly be said to be caused by the volatile board.
The league's priority is in fact not to compete with the English: it does not need to, it is already glitzy enough. In fact it needs more competition at the top, especially with the demise of Valencia. The league needs that competitive edge to add more spice.
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Thanks very much for your excellent points, please drop us an email here at TF90M as you certainly sound like you know what you're talking about! I totally agree that money can't always buy success, and issues surrounding money can cause more problems than rewards as seen with clubs such as Leeds in England. This could definitely cause problems when Abramovich decides to leave Chelsea. However Madrid as a club do have a policy of purchasing the best players as seen with their extravagent signings in Zidane and Figo, this though has since changed. Many Madrid fans wanted C.Ronaldo although this move didn't happen, promoting their decrease in pulling power.
About the league though, surely it is competitive with challenges from more than just the two big sides, some could argue it is more competitive than England with more mid-table teams able to push on. The problem that is being stated though is that apart from Barca's win a few years ago, Spanish sides haven't excelled in the Champions League recently. And to say their aim is not to compete with the EPL is partly fair, although with more and more top name players being attracted to England, how long will it be before the star players elect to follow the money and move to incredibly rich clubs like Chelsea, and now even Man City.
I agree the Spanish league has quality, though as the article points out could this soon change due to more investment in the EPL than Spain?
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I agree the Spanish league has quality, though as the article points out could this soon change due to more investment in the EPL than Spain?
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Real not signing Cristiano Ronaldo doesnt show a decrease in their pulling power...Real did all they can to sign Cristiano Ronaldo but man utd were never going to sell
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Jugadores como David Villa and David Silva son bueno pero el director Emery es mas joven para el equipo grande como Valencia
La Liga 2008/09:
1. Valencia
2. Real Madrid
3. Barcalona
VIVA ESPANA
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:woohoo:
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