Galáctico
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2008) |
Galáctico (or superstar) is a term used to describe an expensive world-famous football player, having either positive or negative connotations. The term came into use to describe the policy pursued in the first tenure of Florentino Pérez's presidency at Real Madrid, where he purchased at least one galáctico in the summer of every year. The plural Galácticos has been used to describe both the transfer policy, the Madrid side during Perez's presidency, and the players bought under it.
The term itself carries both positive and negative meanings. Initially, the term was used to emphasise the greatness of signing superstar players and the construction of a world class team. Later the term attracted a more negative connotation; 'galactico' becoming synonymous with prima donna and used as a term to deride the transfer policy and side built under it, following media perception that the policy at Real had failed to deliver expected levels of success.
Contents |
[edit] First Galactico Era
The first 'Galactico' era is considered to be synonymous with the presidency of Florentino Perez between 2001–2006, or from the signing by Real of Luís Figo to the departure of David Beckham at the end of 2007.
[edit] The Galácticos
The principal Galácticos were:
Luís Figo (£38.7m from FC Barcelona) - joined in 2000
Zinedine Zidane (£46m from Juventus) - joined in 2001
Ronaldo (£26m from Inter Milan) - joined in 2002
David Beckham (£25m from Manchester United) - joined in 2003
In addition, Michael Owen (£8m plus Antonio Núñez from Liverpool F.C. - joined in 2004) is considered by some to be a Galactico. However his transfer was not in the same league, money wise or in terms of his initial importance to the team (he figured mostly as a substitute).
Several other players were often considered to be a part of the Galácticos legacy due to their influence on the team during that period despite either being signed previously to the reign of Perez or being graduates of the Madrid youth system, these often included:
Raúl - Graduate of youth system- Iker Casillas - Graduate of youth system
- Roberto Carlos - Signed pre-Perez
Some post-Perez signings (such as Robinho in 2005) were also considered to be Galácticos at the time of their signing, however the description has constricted in the intervening years, partly due to the change in presidency and partly due to the failure of more recent big signings.
[edit] Perez becomes President
Though Real Madrid had already won two European Cups (1998, 2000) under the presidency of Lorenzo Sanz, Sanz lost his re-election bid to Florentino Pérez. Pérez had won, partly by promising expensive new signings and an agressive new transfer policy, in particular to sign Luís Figo from rivals F.C. Barcelona.
Perez sold Real's then training ground Ciudad Deportiva for 480m euros; this allowed Real to clear their debts, build a replacement training complex (at a fraction of the cost) and have significant funds for investment in the playing side. The deal was later investigated by the EU on competition grounds on the prompting of several unnamed clubs - no charges were brought.
After the purchase of Figo, for a world record transfer fee, Pérez sought to buy at least one world-class superstar player (a galáctico) each summer during the transfer season. The "Galáctico" policy was initially called Zidanes y Pavones. It was broken a year later by the purchase of Zidane from Juventus F.C.. The name Zidanes y Pavones came from Zidane and Francisco Pavón, a youth product from Real Madrid - the idea was to sign one major superstar per year and promoted youth players from within.
[edit] Initial Success
Immediate success followed, with Real winning La Liga in 2000–01 and 2002–03 and claiming the UEFA Champions League in 2001–02 with Zidane scoring the winning goal in the final. After winning the 2002–03 La Liga title, Real Madrid added another galactico - David Beckham from Manchester United, with Ronaldo joining in 2002.
The galácticos policy resulted in increased financial success based on the exploitation of the club's high marketing potential around the world, especially in Asia. Its economic model led it to finally overtake perennial leader Manchester United as the world's richest club by revenue in 2005–06.
Real were expected to continue their level of dominance in the domestic and European game after 2002, with the signings of Beckham and Ronaldo expected to strengthen the team. However, following seasons would see limited success on the pitch, with Real failing to win any trophy for next three seasons after their 2003 league title. In the same period, rivals FC Barcelona won the 2006 UEFA Champions League and succesive La Liga titles, with Real failing to progress in European football or attain domestic success.
[edit] Perceived Failure
Several reasons have been proposed in the media for the percieved failure of the galactico policy:
- A lack of interest in defensive talent harmed the team, as potential transfers were overlooked because Pérez did not want to pay large wages to defensive players. Claude Makélélé departed the team shortly after the signing of David Beckham when the club refused to raise his relatively low salary - despite being widely considered as one of the best defensive midfielders in the world and a key to the team. Negotiations to sign Patrick Vieira from Arsenal F.C. in 2004 failed for similar reasons. The defensive players signed by Perez during this period, namely Walter Samuel, Thomas Gravesen, Cicinho, Carlos Diogo and Pablo García all flopped while playing for the club. Even, Sergio Ramos who joined Real Madrid for €27 million in the summer of 2005 from Sevilla failed to shine until Florentino Pérez's departure in 2006. Francisco Pavón, the poster boy for Zidanes y Pavones policy, never lived up to expectation and left the club in 2007.
- The shock sacking of coach Vicente del Bosque, twice Champions League winner and shortly after Real's 29th league championship in the 2002–03 season. It was widely believed that there was a political split, with Del Bosque and his players (Fernando Hierro, Fernando Morientes, Steve McManaman and Claude Makélélé) on one side, and Perez on the other. Three of the aforementioned players had backed a significant wage raise for Makélélé and all of them left the club shortly after del Bosque. More importantly, Del Bosque was able to balance the many different modern player egos in the star studded team, considering that several Galacticos were competing for the same position and had their playing time reduced. Consequently, the superstar players placed together failed to form a cohesive footballing unit - having a large number of very talented, renowned individual footballers did not effectively translate into a great footballing team.
- Lack of stability and interference by Perez. A week after the arrival of Manchester United player David Beckham, Carlos Queiroz who was an assistant manager at Manchester United, replaced the exiting Vicente Del Bosque. Quiereoz was allegedly forced to pick the star players, regardless of form or performance on the pitch and having limited into tactical decisions. Quieroz was sacked after only one trophyless season in 2003–04, with Real suffering in subsequent years from high turnover in non-playing staff, with four managers and four directors of football in the four years following Del Bosque's sacking in 2003.
- The 'galacticos' policy meant that players were picked not according to form, but rather according to their reputation. The aim was to collect the best players in the world. There were also allegations that some, in particular Beckham, were picked because of their marketing potential off the pitch. This ultimately led to what Steve McManaman later described in his autobiography as the "Disneyfication of Real Madrid".
- Signings for non-footballing (marketing) reasons. David Beckham, a natural right winger, joined the club in 2003 partly due to Beckham's huge popularity in Asia when Real Madrid already owned another right winger, Luis Figo, meaning that one or the other was forcded to play out of position in many games (Beckham in central-defensive midfield or Figo on the left wing). One director was, reportedly, quoted saying that Beckham was signed for his good looks and Ronaldinho who joined FC Barcelona the same summer was too "ugly" to play for Real Madrid. Shortly after Beckham joined the club, the team began a summer tour in Asia and the United States cashing on Beckham's worldwide appeal. Some compared the tour with the first visit of the Beatles to the US in 1964. Ronaldinho would lead the resurgence of FC Barcelona while Real Madrid failed to win any trophy for three straight seasons.
- Poor transfer decisions. Though Real Madrid owned 50% of Samuel Eto'o's contract with RCD Mallorca since 1998 and had first preference over his signing if he chose to leave RCD Mallorca, Florentino Pérez sold their rights to Eto'o in 2004, arguing that Madrid already had the best two strikers in the league (Ronaldo and Raúl) and that there was no place for another non-European Union player. Eto'o himself also ruled out a move back to Real Madrid thinking that he being a forward would be a surplus at Real Madrid. Yet, Real Madrid signed another forward, Michael Owen the same summer. Eto'o would help F.C. Barcelona to the 2004–05, 2005–06 and 2008–09 La Liga titles as well as the 2005–06 and 2008–09 UEFA Champions League. Meanwhile, Michael Owen, the alternative signing to Eto'o, left after one season after failing to ensure a starting berth for Madrid.
[edit] End of the First Era
The decline in the team's on-field performance had seemingly hit a nadir in the 2005–06 season, exiting in the UEFA Champions League to Arsenal F.C. in the round of 16 without scoring a goal in either leg. Florentino Pérez resigned on February 27, 2006.
The final season of the galactico era is considered to be the 2006–07 season under Fabio Capello, with Capello dropping several of the (previously perrenially selected) galacticos - notably David Beckham - for periods of the season (It should be noted that Beckham was returned to the team during the second half of the season and considered by many to be one of their better performers at the time). The final end of the first galactico era is considered the departure of Beckham to join MLS side LA Galaxy after the 2006–07 season (a move agreed before his return to the first team). He was the last of the big four to move on, with Luis Figo having joined Inter Milan two seasons prior while Zidane retired after the 2006 FIFA World Cup and Ronaldo moving to AC Milan half a season before Beckham's departure.
[edit] The Second Galácticos
The 2008–09 season saw Real eclipsed by rivals FC Barcelona, who completed The Treble including beating Real to win La Liga by a wide margin of 9 points. Real were humbled in the Champions League 1st knockout round by English club Liverpool FC - 2nd placed finishers in the Premier League the season before suffering a 1–0 loss at the Bernabeu and a 4–0 drubbing at Anfield. The defeat marked a 5th succesive season of early Champions League exits, with Real not making the quarter-finals since 2004. The team was widely derided in the press. Manager Bernd Schuster was sacked midway through the 2008–09 season, with the team perceptably in decline - a decline that continued under replacement Juande Ramos.
In addition, Real president Ramón Calderón resigned in January 2009 after corruption allegations, and having failed to secure notable transfer targets for the club.
The resignation of Calderón resulted in a presidential election in mid-2009, returning Florentino Perez to the presidency. Perez again pledged to go on a spending spree to return the club to European and domestic competitiveness, notably with his vocal claims of an attempt to sign A.C. Milan's Kaká. Just 24 hours after his appointment, Manuel Pellegrini was unveiled as Juande Ramos's replacement as manager. After much speculation linking him to the club, Kaka was duly signed for a world record fee of £57m on 9 June 2009.On 11 June, Manchester United revealed they had accepted a shock offer of £80m - a new world transfer record - for Cristiano Ronaldo. United gave Real until June 30 to complete the deal. On 26 June Real Madrid and Manchester United signed the final agreement for the transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo, which became effective on July 1. That same day it was confirmed that Lyon had accepted an offer from Madrid for Karim Benzema.
The principal Galácticos are currently:
- Kaká (£68.5 from A.C. Milan) - joined in 2009[1]
- Cristiano Ronaldo (£80m from Manchester United) - joined in 2009[2]
- Karim Benzema (£30m from Olympique Lyonnais) - joined in 2009[3]
- Raúl Albiol (€15 from Valencia CF) - joined in 2009
[edit] Related Websites
Galacticos Era : The author gives a brief overview of the Galacticos Era
[edit] References
|
|||||||||||||||||
