The Lure of Real Madrid

Otis Driftwood

Ive been thinking about this for the last few weeks and would be interested to hear others thoughts on it.

Just what is it that makes Madrid such an attractive destination for the vast majority of players today?
Kaka and Ronaldo both stated the only team they would have left their respective clubs for is Madrid.
Benzema rejected United for Madrid.
Ribery said Madrid is the only team he will join if or when he leaves Munich.

Maybe in times past it was money,ie the first Galactico era,but with alot of teams able to match or exceed the wages Madrid are paying in 2009 there has to be something else.

Is it the history of the club,multiple European Cups,league titles etc?

Is it the glamour of playing in Madrid that players want?
I mean London,Liverpool or Manchester arent really known as glamourous cities.Italian cities like Milan are synonomous with style but the Italian game is pretty much fooked financially.

Could it be something as simple as the climate?

Im pretty stumped myself and from what I make of it its partly because of the clubs history and partly because of the glamour of playing for Madrid.

Any thoughts welcomed.

abelard

I reckon to some extent it's a combination of all of the above.

I imagine there's quite a bit of "marketing" to it too though. I suspect Real Madrid is very cleverly marketed to players in terms of style, glamour, lifestyle, success etc. to make it seem more desireable than it could possibly be.

All IMO though of course.

mike65

Its TAX! In England you pay 50%, in Spain you don't.

Max Power1

IMO its a combination of the historic club, capable of challenging for domestic and european honors, plays attractive football and pays competitive wages. And good location.

Its TAX! In England you pay 50%, in Spain you don't.

Also - this!

eddiehead

mike65 wrote: »

Its TAX! In England you pay 50%, in Spain you don't.

So then why not Barca? Even though they are European champions and were the better side on paper before the Summer at least.

mike65

Cos Real are throwing money about like snuff at a wedding.

JPA

Well, from an historical perspective Real Madrid are probably the biggest club on the planet. (Are they most successful as well?)
They are THE club of the Iberian peninsula and surrounds for many (not all) and they have great support across South America.
Playing for Real is seen as being the pinnacle of club football.
Of course the huge wages of today help.

Maybe here in Ireland and Northern Europe, Liverpool, Man United, Ajax and Bayern Munich are the historically biggest and most attractive teams but for Southern Europe and South America Raal are THE team.

CHD

Its the Jerseys.

Seaneh

For Ronaldo and Kaka it was just "Real" they always said that they wanted to play for Real at some stage (well, in Kaka's case it was if he ever left Milan Real would be the only team).

People in who support english teams dont seem to get the fact that in south america and most of southern Europe people grow supporting one of two teams, Real and A.C. Milan (aswell as whatever local side they support).

Seaneh

CHD wrote: »

Its the Jerseys.

They are always really nice aren't they?

eirebhoy

I think Madrid and Barca would be much of a muchness for a player. The weather and the lifestyle of Spain would be a lot more attractive than Manchester or London for most Europeans and South Americans.

rossie1977

well its not the bloody climate anyway especially between november and march, when i was there in february it was colder in madrid than in ireland, it got well below freezing some nights, if it was anything to do with climate players would be flocking to tenerife where it rarely goes below 20 degrees even in february

dsmythy

mike65 wrote: »

Its TAX! In England you pay 50%, in Spain you don't.

Nail on head. England and Spain are the two leagues to play in. At the moment all English teams will have trouble because of the extra money they have to pay their players to cover the supertax on the rich compared to Spain. Once the player's agent picks up on this and if you are among the best in the world and you're going to Spain, you go to Real Madrid or Barcelona, the two most successful teams in Spain.

eddiehead wrote: »

So then why not Barca? Even though they are European champions and were the better side on paper before the Summer at least.

Barcelona just simply don't appear to be looking to sign players compared to Madrid. They already know they are the yardstick being European Champions so i guess don't see the need for a huge overhaul. If they aren't looking then the players aren't going to come.

rossie1977

nedtheshed wrote: »

Is it the glamour of playing in Madrid that players want?
I mean London,Liverpool or Manchester arent really known as glamourous cities.

this depends on your definition of glamour, london alongside new york are the only two alpha++ cities on earth http://www.diserio.com/gawc-world-cities.html

SectionF

Because they get to play in a better footballing league.

dsmythy

rossie1977 wrote: »

this depends on your definition of glamour, london alongside new york are the only two alpha++ cities on earth http://www.diserio.com/gawc-world-cities.html

Dublin 'Alpha-' ? I expected worse. So can we draw players into our relatively "glamourous" city :pac:

gustavo

It's the prestige IMO

stovelid

Their history makes them attractive to South American footballers brought up under juntas.

Otis Driftwood

mike65 wrote: »

Cos Real are throwing money about like snuff at a wedding.

In fairness,look at Man City,they can out bid and outpay any club in the world,thats a fact but who has gone there that has a big name in world football - Robinho cos he wanted out of Madrid and it was his only option,Tevez cos Fergie didnt love him enough,thats it.

If it was purely for money Kaka would have joined last January.

projectmayhem

I would have said it's prestige, some glitz & glamour (that comes under marketing imo) as well as climate. Wages don't matter as most European clubs can pay those wages these days. It also helps that people like Zidane go around trying to get players to go to Real (he's been snooping around Ribery for ages now, thank god he's staying at Munich for at least 1 more season though)...

stovelid

nedtheshed wrote: »

In fairness,look at Man City,they can out bid and outpay any club in the world,thats a fact but who has gone there that has a big name in world football - Robinho cos he wanted out of Madrid and it was his only option,Tevez cos Fergie didnt love him enough,thats it.

If it was purely for money Kaka would have joined last January.

It's not just the money, but the prestige, history, lifestyle and tax arrangements are very persuasive when offered with mega-wages.

Otis Driftwood

stovelid wrote: »

It's not just the money, but the prestige, history, lifestyle and tax arrangements are very persuasive when offered with mega-wages.

Emmm,thats the point Im making.

stovelid

nedtheshed wrote: »

Emmm,thats the point Im making.

Sorry. Your OP seemed to be posing the question.

Clearly there are tons of rich clubs who will pay big wages, but in addition to being loaded and having all the lifestyle/history/tradition benefits already outlined, Madrid are currently the team most prepared to assemble as many top players as possible (unlike other mega-clubs) in the one team so each player that signs up makes it more and more attractive as a destination.

Otis Driftwood

stovelid wrote: »

Madrid are currently the team most prepared to assemble as many top players as possible (unlike other mega-clubs) in the one team so each player that signs up makes it more and more attractive as a destination.

Hmmm,very intersting way of looking at it and when you think about it,it does make alot of sense.

Boggles

60-80,000 People showing up for your signing.

Cold Hard Cash is about 80% of it though.

Unlike other clubs they can offer the cash and also a shot at instant success.

stovelid

nedtheshed wrote: »

Hmmm,very intersting way of looking at it and when you think about it,it does make alot of sense.

I think so.

Basically, could it be the quantity?

1. You sign Kaka: the club already looks more attractive to potential recruits.

2. Even the rich clubs usually leave it at that and flesh it out with a few cheaper signings, but you then buy Ronaldo and the club looks even more attractive to recruits.

Repeat for Benzema, and an attempted purchase of Riberry and Alonso.

Basically, not only do you have the riches, history, lifestyle and tradition, but you are basically offer the safest bet for being the best.

Otis Driftwood

Boggles wrote: »

Cold Hard Cash is about 80% of it though.

I really dont think this has anything (well,maybe a very small amount of it) to do with it.

As Ive said,if it was all about money then Kaka would have joined Man City in January for 100 odd million.
Likewise Ronaldo.If he was looking for money only he could have went to City because you are damn sure if United had started a bidding war then City would have thrown their hat in the ring.

City could afford to pay him £400-500,000 per week.(the kind of figures that were been bandied around for Kaka in January)as well as bonuses,imaging etc.

I think Stovelid summed it up pretty well.

Glico Man

I'll have to throw the press and newspapers into the mix as well. They can certainly screw up a players career after a bad game or two.

Poor ol' Diego Forlan was castigated by the English press and now he's on the radars of clubs like Inter and Barça and all it took was a move to Spain.

CHD

aaronh007 wrote: »

I'll have to throw the press and newspapers into the mix as well. They can certainly screw up a players career after a bad game or two.

Poor ol' Diego Forlan was castigated by the English press and now he's on the radars of clubs like Inter and Barça and all it took was a move to Spain.

Alls it took was playing against bad defences full of pansy's.

Bob the Seducer

The reputation of being General Franco's team probably doesn't do them many favours with Basque and Catalan players....

I'd say most of their appeal is down to money, the last Galacticos team was hardly a runaway success but they still managed to attract Zidane, Beckham and Figo.
The difference between Madrid and City is Madrid are perennial top two finishers in Spain, while City aren't even certain to qualify for the Europa League let alone break the top 4. Kaka wasn't willing to give up Champions League football because it would damage his brand (that and his adidas sponsorship deal) Ronaldo has been saying for years he wanted to play for Real Madrid.

At the end of the day though, it's the money that Real are willing to pay that makes the deals happen, otherwise Kaka would still be at Milan and Ronaldo would be at United.

JPA

It's a bit disrespectful to say that it's all about money when they are a team that have won the European cup 9 times.

And I don't even like them.

kinaldo

Madrid has everything to offer, their appeal is infinite...

beautiful country

fantastic city

amazing weather

millions of Spanish women !

playing for the most successful club of all time (3 of their 9 European Cups all in recent memory too)

playing in front of an average attendance of roughly 80,000 at the magnificent Bernabeu stadium

(which also happens to be located in the heart of one the most exclusive districts of the city)

regular CL football, with ambition and potential to win it

playing alongside some of the all time greats (currently that would be Raúl)

getting handsomely paid

............

Doubt there are many clubs that could even come close to ticking all those boxes.

Coillte_Bhoy

Maybe they are all secret fascists and want to play for Franco's X1.

Boggles

nedtheshed wrote: »

I really dont think this has anything (well,maybe a very small amount of it) to do with it.

As Ive said,if it was all about money then Kaka would have joined Man City in January for 100 odd million.
Likewise Ronaldo.If he was looking for money only he could have went to City because you are damn sure if United had started a bidding war then City would have thrown their hat in the ring.

City could afford to pay him £400-500,000 per week.(the kind of figures that were been bandied around for Kaka in January)as well as bonuses,imaging etc.

I think Stovelid summed it up pretty well.

Money + the chance to play at a level City can't offer (yet).

Mr. Presentable

It is the world's biggest, most famous club. That's mostly it.

raven136

why cant football fans in Ireland and England and especially liverpool and united ones(im one)not accept that Madrid are and always have been more famous and more attractive.When is the last time world players at the peak of their powers joined and English club?Torres was suspected of having gone of the boil and a poor goal ratio a few years back.
It cant all be money that attracted Puskas,Di Stefano,Ronaldo,Zidane,Figo,gento,Hugo Sanchez,
Its the 9 european cups,its the huge stadium,the passion,the famous white jersey and the prestige.

Bubs101

Chance to be part of one of history's (potentially) greatest teams

MisterAnarchy

raven136 wrote: »

why cant football fans in Ireland and England and especially liverpool and united ones(im one)not accept that Madrid are and always have been more famous and more attractive.

Barca and Real have far more charm,charisma ,lure and prestige .
These are club's where playing good football is a prerequisite.
Its not enough just to win,you must win with style.The fans demand it.
The league is based on playing good football.
Football in these cities is a religion ,its more than a sport.

SectionF

raven136 wrote: »

why cant football fans in Ireland and England and especially liverpool and united ones(im one)not accept that Madrid are and always have been more famous and more attractive.

English fans' perspective naturally is clouded by national chauvinism, or patriotism -- call it what you will. Hard to fathom why a football fan in a third country would be similarly afflicted.

Pro. F

This thread is a good read.

I think that some of the things mentioned are prerequisits - money, glamour/history, weather and culture, champions league footy and a good chance of success in the near future. Thinking about all of those factors it seems all of the English teams are ruled out - they either offer top wages (net) OR glamour/history. The Italian teams don't look likely to do well in the CL so that's them gone. So that leaves Barca and Real. Real are the ones in the market for new players so it makes sense that everybody now says they want to go to them. Kaka and Ronaldo have always talked about Real but Ribery and Benzema used to talk about a few teams.

Another thing, and more important imo, is the location and language. Most of the players that we're talking about share the language (Portuguese, Spanish and Italian are pretty much interchangeable). Benzema and Ribery don't share the language but still it's much closer to home for them than England.

Yet another thing is the football. Never mind the quality whats really going to be important to the players is how violent the football is. There are far less hard tackles in Spanish football then there are in England or even Italy. I lived in Spain for a while and I have to say i've never seen a nation of softies like them, both on and off the pitch.

In the end, imo, it's more strange that we ever see players from that region or sharing that language (in the case of south americans) playing in England.

LuckyLloyd

Liverpool fans are keenly aware of five European cups, the likes of Dalglish, Hanson and Barnes in their heyday, and two decades of crushing opposition consistently.

Utd fans are keenly aware of three European cups, the likes of the Busby babes and George Best in their heyday, and close on two decades of crushing opposition consistently.

Chelsea fans are keenly aware of how competitive they have been in European competition over the last decade, think London has absolutely anything you would want a city to offer, and believe that they have the money and platform to crush opposition for the next two decades.

etc, etc...

---

Football fans aren't the most rational or objective bunch.

---

So, fans of English clubs decide they are the greatest. That Madrid have nothing better to offer. They scream about how Madrid are a badly run club, with a dubious ethical and financial structure. And they conclude that if a player chooses Madrid over their English club, it must be the money.

Being unable to consider things from a perspective other than your own is nothing new.

Christiano Ronaldo was born in Madeira.
Karim Benzema was born in Lyon.
Kaka was born in Brasilia.

Madrid is closer to those places than Manchester. It isn't about money. It comes down to the fact that they think Madrid is the 'biggest' club in the world, and a 'bigger' club than the one you support. Playing for Madrid is likely to be the fulfillment of their childhood dream. Accept it.

Pro. F

SectionF wrote: »

English fans' perspective naturally is clouded by national chauvinism, or patriotism -- call it what you will. Hard to fathom why a football fan in a third country would be similarly afflicted.

Jesus christ, do you ever give it a rest? Did some irish supporter of an english team kill your family or something?

You seem to bring your bitterness into every thread you can, it's pathetic.

Edit: PS plenty of Irish people support a foreign club, so some of them have a biased view of how important their club/league is. Can you deal with that? Can you cope with Irish people supporting a foreign club?

3hn2givr7mx1sc

As said before it's the team to play for if your from southern Europe and South America.

The history.

The weather.

The iconic status a lot of players seem to get when they play for Réal.

SectionF

Pro. F wrote: »

Edit: PS plenty of Irish people support a foreign club, so some of them have a biased view of how important their club/league is. Can you deal with that? Can you cope with Irish people supporting a foreign club?

Yes, I can. Since I've been a Leeds fan for as long as I can remember. Can you deal with that?

TheBigLebowski

There are all bullshit reasons to join Real. Everyone knows they just want the chance to play Rovers tomorrow night:D

Pro. F

SectionF wrote: »

Yes, I can. Since I've been a Leeds fan for as long as I can remember. Can you deal with that?

obviously i don't have a problem with that. Still doesn't explain why you're questioning why other people support a foreign club all the time.

SectionF

Pro. F wrote: »

obviously i don't have a problem with that. Still doesn't explain why you're questioning why other people support a foreign club all the time.

I don't question why people support foreign clubs. I think it would be remiss as a football fan to ignore EPL or British football generally.

But I do question why Irish people should have loyalty to them above Irish clubs. So often, we are told that Irish football is rubbish compared to British. But this comparison mysteriously vanishes when Spanish football, which is infinitely better and more stylish, as demonstrated in this year's CL final, enters the equation.

I don't want to divert the thread, but here, as so often elsewhere, the question throws up the absurdities of our football culture in Ireland, and I was commenting on the particular observation that there is a resistance to seeing Spanish football as superior. That resistance is natural for English fans, but is harder to fathom when it comes to other nationalities.

Mr Alan

SectionF wrote: »

But I do question why Irish people should have loyalty to them above Irish clubs.

jesus, thats a good point!? never thought of it like that :rolleyes:

SectionF wrote: »

But this comparison mysteriously vanishes when Spanish football, which is infinitely better and more stylish, as demonstrated in this year's CL final, enters the equation.

Did you see the second best team in Spain get destroyed 5-0 in the CL last year by the second best team in England?

Saying La Liga is infinitely better because of one match is a little silly tbh.

SectionF wrote: »

I don't want to divert the thread, but here, as so often elsewhere, the question throws up the absurdities of our football culture in Ireland

The only thing absurd about football culture in Ireland is people like you who feel the need to lecture people about the football they choose to follow when in reality its **** all to do with you.

Pro. F

I wouldn't be able to express it any better than Al did there, so I'll just say that I'm in 100% agreement with all that he said.

Kudos Al, great post.

jesus_thats_gre

kinaldo wrote: »

playing for the most successful club of all time (3 of their 9 European Cups all in recent memory too)

Have always wondered whether the fact that they won the tournament in each of the first 5 year of the tournamnet reduces the value of the achievement - personally think it does:

1955-56 Real Madrid
1956-57 Real Madrid
1957-58 Real Madrid
1958-59 Real Madrid
1959-60 Real Madrid
1960-61 Benfica
1961-62 Benfica
1962-63 Milan
1963-64 Internazionale
1964-65 Internazionale
1965-66 Real Madrid
1966-67 Celtic
1967-68 Manchester U
1968-69 Milan
1969-70 Feyenoord
1970-71 Ajax
1971-72 Ajax
1972-73 Ajax
1973-74 Bayern Munich
1974-75 Bayern Munich
1975-76 Bayern Munich
1976-77 Liverpool
1977-78 Liverpool
1978-79 Nottingham F
1979-80 Nottingham F
1980-81 Liverpool
1981-82 Aston Villa
1982-83 Hamburg
1983-84 Liverpool
1984-85 Juventus
1985-86 Steaua Buch.
1986-87 Porto
1987-88 PSV E'hoven
1988-89 Milan
1989-90 Milan
1990-91 Red Star B.
1991-92 Barcelona
1992-93 Marseille
1993-94 Milan
1994-95 Ajax
1995-96 Juventus
1996-97 B. Dortmund
1997-98 Real Madrid
1998-99 Manchester U
1999-00 Real Madrid
2000-01 Bayern Munich
2001-02 Real Madrid
2002-03 Milan
2003-04 Porto
2004-05 Liverpool
2005-06 Barcelona
2006-07 Milan
2007-08 Manchester U
2008-09 Barcelona

deisedevil

Pro. F wrote: »

I wouldn't be able to express it any better than Al did there, so I'll just say that I'm in 100% agreement with all that he said.

Kudos Al, great post.

I agree, you hit the nail on the head Mr. Al.