JUNE 13 — It’s a marriage made in the tackiest Las Vegas-themed chapel in Hell.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Florentino Perez. Two men, one philosophy. That God created the world so it could revolve around their outrageously bloated egos. And those who still have a smattering of love for football will pray the marriage ends in tears.
Prayers that may well be answered.
There’s no doubting Ronaldo’s match-winning genius or the lengths to which Perez will go to steal the biggest names in world football. But there are huge doubts about whether the Galactico system is anything more than a discredited ideology that’s way past its bribe-by date.
Perez got lucky first time around with Zidane, Figo, and (the Brazilian) Ronaldo. When he tried to replace that axis with the likes of David Beckham, Michael Owen and Robinho, he failed miserably. Hence his resignation.
His mistakes were so glaring you questioned whether he was a football man at all. Or just a show man.
He sacked twice Champions League-winning coach Vicente del Bosque because he failed to win a third one. Carlos Queiroz replaced him and was ordered to sell Claude Makelele after he asked for parity with the highest-earners.
This is what Perez said of the best defensive midfield player in the world at the time: “We will not miss Makelele. His technique is average, he lacks the speed and skill to take the ball past opponents, and 90 per cent of his distribution either goes backwards or sideways.”
When given the choice between Beckham or Ronaldinho he opted for the face that could launch a thousand shirts. As one of Perez’s bag-carriers said: “Ronaldinho is so ugly he’d sink you as a brand. Between him and Beckham, I’d go for Beckham a hundred times.” Yeah, me too.
Unlike Herbert Chapman (the innovative Arsenal manager of the 1930s) or Rinus Michels (of France), Perez didn’t fashion a revolutionary style of football from the talent at his disposal. He simply amassed a huge overdraft and seduced the best players available into his travelling circus.
Traditional skills like management, defending, bonding, trust and patience were disposed of. The six coaches he went through had no say in transfers and his Galacticos had no say in opting out of any games or punishing global tours.
Audi, Coca-Cola and adidas, the sponsors now funding the current cash-fest, will demand the same of Kaka, Ronaldo & Co. And it will drain the life out of them.
Cut through the hype and Ronaldo has joined a club with no defence, a new manager who was moderately successful at Villarreal but is now a dictator’s puppet, an entire squad not knowing whether they’re being moved on and superstars thrown together on marketing grounds.
In the business end of last season Real were thrashed 6-2 by Barcelona and 4-0 by Liverpool because their defence was like a sieve with nothing in front of it but a colander.
Perez’s solution to close the gap on the most brilliant Barcelona squad ever assembled? Buy Kaka and Ronaldo and go for Villa, Silva and Alonso. Spot the defender.
When last elected president in 2000, Perez inherited a Champions League-winning side and built his all-conquering Galacticos over a three-year period. This time he promises to overtake Barcelona in one season. Can you see it? Me neither.
What I can see on the final game of next season are the white hankies being waved and the noses being held, as the latest Perez Globetrotters traipse off the Bernabeu pitch having comfortably lost La Liga to Barcelona.
The same Barcelona who, the following week, will take on an English side in the Champions League Final. In the Bernabeu.
On the day of the match, Perez will be in hiding from the world and its debt-collectors. And El Winker will be sulking on a Californian beach, diving off rocks into the arms of Lindsay Lohan. His agent saying all is not well with his head.
Well they can’t stop you dreaming can they?
Ronaldo has joined a club with a manager who is now a dictator’s puppet and superstars thrown together on marketing grounds. – Daily Mirror
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Real Madrid??? They are in the "second" best league in the world and not even the champions of it. What a shame!