The New Galácticos

In The Beginning…..

At the turn of the century in 2000, Florentino Pérez took over as the President of Real Madrid CF on the wave of a promise to erase the club’s sizable debt and to make significant moves in the transfer market – all part of his master plan to help Real regain their perch at the top of not just Spanish football, but European football. The dominance envisioned was along the lines of the first generation of “Galácticos” in the 1950s, when star players like Alfredo Di Stéfano, Ferenc Puskás, Raymond Kopa, Jose Santamaria and Francisco Gento were all brought in by then-president Santiago Bernabéu Yeste. The results of that first experiment were simultaneously astonishing, unprecedented, and immediate: 12 La Liga titles and 6 European Cups (5 in a row from 1955 onwards) followed in the 17 years after Di Stéfano’s signing.

When Pérez assumed the Presidency, the first major move completed that summer was when reigning European Footballer of the Year Luís Figo joined the club for a world record fee just shy of 50 million Euros. Even more sensational than the news that Figo had signed was where he was moving from, as he became one of the most high-profile players to make the move from hated rivals Barcelona. This transfer coup made Perez an instant hit with Madridistas, and over the next 3 summers, the following players were also purchased: Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, and David Beckham, who all joined established local players like Iker Casillas and Raúl and previous transfer Roberto Carlos. By the season opener in 2003, the lineup was an awe-inspiring assemblage of footballing talent.

This approach paid instant dividends, as Real won two league titles and their 9th Champions’ League (former European Cup) title in the first 2 years of Perez’ club presidency. From a business standpoint, the model of spending big to increase revenue also seemed to work, and by 2006, Real had become the world’s richest club based on revenue.

However, success on the pitch proved to be much harder to come by after the initial honeymoon period, even as other star players were signed, with Fabio Cannavaro, Robinho, Julio Baptista, and Sergio Ramos headlining the club’s major transfer activity. Shockingly, Vicente del Bosque was sacked as club manager even after leading the team to the earlier Galácticos success. Other big-name players also opted to leave, as they felt that too much attention was focused on providing playing opportunities for the superstars, even when they were out of form. Money also became an issue for some of these players, who felt they deserved better wages on a par with what was being given to the Galácticos. Claude Makélélé, one of the best defensive midfielders in the world at the time, was perhaps the most high-profile example, and his departure left a gaping hole in Real’s lineup that none of the players, for all their attacking talent, could fill.

del Bosque’s sacking began a period of managerial instability at the club, and Real Madrid remarkably went through 4 different managers and directors of football in the 4 seasons following that sacking. Eventually, things came to a head and Perez resigned as club president in February of 2006.

Perez Returns: A New Galacticos Era Begins

Perez returned as president in 2009, and once again, the club went on a spending spree, with Kaká, Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Xabi Alonso all making the move to Madrid. Success was not as immediate this time, as it took until 2012 before Real won the La Liga title under Perez’ second presidency, but they have since followed that up with another Champions’ League title and 2 Copa del Rey titles.

Players such as Gareth Bale, Luka Modric, Sami Khedira, Fábio Coentrão, Mesut Özil (since departed), and Ángel di María have been added to the mix, while young players like Jesé, Nacho Fernández, Alvaro Arbeloa, and Daniel Carvajal have earned first-team status after rising through the ranks of the Real youth system, sometimes after making loan or transfer moves and then brought back to Madrid. Other young players have also been bought on the basis of potential to be groomed as future stars at Madrid, namely Isco, Asier Illarramendi, and Raphaël Varane.

The 2014-15 season offers a lot of promise for Los Merengues, as post-World Cup transfer news has included two sensational signings in Toni Kroos and James Rodríguez. Fans everywhere will definitely have plenty of reason to be excited for the new season, even as rumors of Khedira (to Arsenal/the Premiership) and di Maria (to PSG) transferring out continue to be circulated among the media.

Consider that the following could be a potential starting lineup this coming season:

As Carlo Ancelotti begins his second season at manager, he will be counted on to build on the 2 cup successes of last season and guide the club to their 33rd La Liga title. Patience is not generally something Perez has been known for, and failure to win the league this season would make it a third season in a row without finishing atop the Spanish league. That 3-year title drought would be almost an eternity to Perez and would surely be seen as an unacceptable finish, given the embarrassment of riches that has been spent (more than a quarter-billion Euros in the last 2 seasons alone) to build this lineup. Where attention was previously focused on the attacking side of the ball in bringing talent to Madrid, this squad has a lot more balance, and there will really be very few excuses for Ancelotti if this squad is unable to bring glory days back to the club.

(Featured image: EPA/Hugo Ortuno and EPA/ZIPI)