Since the era of Real Madrid illustrious president Santiago Bernabeu Yeste who led the club between 1943-1978, Real Madrid have always singed the best players in the world. He embarked on an ambitious strategy of signing world-class players from abroad, the most prominent of them being the signing of Alfredo Di Stéfano, and built the world’s first truly multinational sides. Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has kept the madridismo spirit, in his first stint as president, his strategy was known as that of Zidanes y Pavones – in which superstars would play alongside the Canteranos, but the players were soon popularly referred to as Galácticos. Most of the Galácticos were in their prime at the time they arrived at the club so instant success was achieved. The Ninth European crown was secured in 2002 but this strategy did not last as the superstars were on a decline within a short period. Coaches were replaced to bring in fresh ideas, players were brought in to consolidate the team but the project failed ultimately. Florentino resigned in February 2006 acknowledging that the team needed a new direction.
Florentino returned as president in June 2009 and continued his Galácticos pursuit with a different strategy this time. Many of the stars brought in were younger and were about to get into the peak phase of their careers at Real Madrid. Cristiano Ronaldo was the leader of the new Galácticos era. The former Manchester United winger arrived at a world record fee in 2009 and went on to become the club’s all-time leading scorer before moving to Juventus this summer after nine successful years in Madrid. Karim Benzema, Kaka, Xabi Alonso, Raul Albiol were part of the early birds in the new project. Angel Di Maria, Mesut Ozil, Sami Khedira all arrived at the start of Jose Mourinho stint in 2010. Isco, Toni Kroos, Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez joined Los Merengues during Carlo Ancelotti’s reign. The nucleus of this team won La Decima and three additional UEFA Champions League trophies for the club.
After Kyiv victory, Zinedine Zidane and Cristiano Ronaldo decided to leave the club for various reasons. Perhaps, the French coach and the Portuguese star believed it was time for Real Madrid to open a new chapter. A number of key players including club captain Sergio Ramos and Vice-captain Marcelo have hit age 30 and above which means a rebuilding phase is required at the club in other to keep being successful in Spain and Europe. After the successful double campaign of 2016/17 season, Real Madrid look to have changed strategy once more. With top European clubs being able to dig deep financially, it appears Real Madrid do not have the financial strength to compete at that level or the club has chosen to embark on a new drive – focus on the future by signing the brightest youngsters available. Theo Hernandez and Dani Ceballos arrived last season after the successful litmus test using Marco Asensio as a case study. This season, Alvaro Odriozola, Vinicius Junior and Andriy Lunin have signed for the club. During Lunin’s presentation yesterday, Florentino Perez said “Little by little we are laying the foundations of our team’s present and future. We want to incorporate the young talent that will shape the future, players who aspire to the maximum. After the last big titles, we will continue to be loyal to our way of understanding this sport that has given us so much success. Our club has built its myth and its legend on the basis that no one ever surrenders and we must always aspire to everything”.
Could the new found treasure from American, Arab, Chinese, etc investors/owners in several top European clubs be surpassing the reach of the Spanish construction magnate leading him to remodel his strategy? Florentino has shown throughout his tenure that he adapts quickly to changes and has the ability to move with current reality. He has switched strategies between his first and second stint in office as president of Real Madrid. The modern day game in Europe means top teams need quality players with good management in order to be guaranteed success. Money is playing a vital role in acquiring and keeping the best players.
Real Madrid are embarking on a fresh start under Julen Lopetegui. The former La Roja coach has been saddled with the responsibility of building a new Real Madrid with focus on blooding the stars of the future in today’s this team as well as keeping the winning momentum on. This is a huge task for Lopetegui who has won Euro u-19 and u-21 titles with Spain as silverware. Does he have what he takes? Can he successfully manage the expectation of fans after the successful era created by Zidane? He has the opportunity to open his Madrid trophy cabinet in the middle of August when Real Madrid face city rivals Atletico Madrid in the 2018 UEFA Super Cup game.