Real Madrid: Season 2009-10 Preview
Tuesday, August 25, 2009 @ 6:20 PM
The Galacticos are back! Love them or hate them, there’s simply no way to avoid their presence as the eyes of the world will be set on the latest batch of superstars from the Spanish capital. Goal.com’s KS Leong assesses their upcoming campaign…
Real Madrid spent the entirety of the 2008-09 season in Barcelona’s shadow. Not only did Los Merengues have to endure a shambolic mess in the boardroom, they had to put up with the unprecedented treble success of eternal enemies Barcelona.
But ironically, it is the glorious Catalan triumph that has spurred the ‘White House’ to undergo an unparalleled revolution as they look to ensure that they will never have to suffer such ignominy ever again. And the place to start was, of course, the shopping window.
Summer Market
President Florentino Perez transformed football transfers when he took control of Madrid for the first time back in 2000, and now, nine years later, he has completely changed the face of market once again, although most will argue that it has had a negative effect on the world game.
Never has a club been so audacious, ambitious and extravagant in rebuilding a squad in one single summer. And never has a club spent over €250 million in a space of just two months, an average of €30 million a week. Fans and readers need no reminder how much Senor Perez splashed out to acquire Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo. But for Madridistas, how much was spent is irrelevant. It’s the fact that the construction tycoon delivered what he had promised… and then some.
However, the market is not all about buying, and unlike most other clubs, it is selling off their players that has been the major issue this summer. Fringe players such as Javi Garcia, Javier Saviola, Alvaro Negredo and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar have already left, as have veterans Michel Salgado, Fabio Cannavaro and Gabriel Heinze, but the club are still scrambling desperately to off-load either Rafael van der Vaart or Wesley Sneijder to boost their transfer income closer to the €60m mark.
Read the rest of the article here