The Return of ‘The Galactico Era’

It is no secret that Florentino Perez has wanted to get Real Madrid back to the dizzy heights of world football, last May when Madrid famously got the eagerly anticipated ‘La Decima’ they ruled Europe for a record breaking tenth time. Looking  at the side that won that final  it was very tough to improve what was such a star studied line up however the signings of World Cup Golden boy James Rodriguez and World Cup winner Toni Kroos have all but assured that the Galactico Era is well and truly back up and running.

Time will tell whether there will be a legitimate argument to compare such a side to the one that fielded stars such as Carlos, Figo, Beckham, Zidane, Raul and Ronaldo. It will be an interesting watch to see how these stars fit into the current side, Kroos could well be the long term replacement for Xabi Alonso although it wasn’t necessarily a position that was crying out for improvement with players such as Modric, Khedira and Illaramendi all being equally accommodated to playing in those deep midfield positions.

Rodriguez has the potential to be a Ballon D’or Winner but the timing of the transfer could well have been a statement of intent in reacting to Barcelona’s hefty sum for Luis Suarez. Rodriguez’s signing must be grim viewing for Isco and especially Angel Di Maria considering the magnificence of his performances last season , Di Maria will not be short of admirers with rumours of PSG and Manchester United being keen on securing his signature. Madrid will be in no rush to let the likes of Khedira, Isco and Di Maria go but what a statement of intent it is to allow such players of such calibre possibly leave the Stantiago Bernebau, such similarities could be made with their great rivals bringing in talents such as Suarez, Mathieu and Rakitic but willing to let go the likes of Cesc and Sanchez move on.

The lure of La Liga’s giants looks more appealing than ever and the Premier League is struggling to keep up with the two powerhouses of Spanish football, previous winners of the Footballer Of The Year Award such as Henry, Bale, Suarez and Ronaldo have all been courted by the possibility of playing in La Liga, can the Premier League respond by bringing household names to English shores. Many have argued about the logic behind Financial Fair Play especially in Real Madrid’s case however the revenue Madrid generated throughout the Champions League season, maximum for being winners and TV revenue was enough to fund the Rodriguez deal itself. Furthermore the latest Forbes polls indicate that Real Madrid are still the most valuable footballing franchise, the club is constantly generating a very healthy financial figure which allows them to show their muscle in the transfer market.  A staggering stat on Madrid’s spending is that on the new star trio Ronaldo, Bale and Rodriguez they spent a total of £226m euros in comparison the giants of Dutch Football Ajax have only spent £183m in their history.The power of Madrid is once again growing and the opportunity to be the first team to retain the UEFA Champions League must be a challenge that the current crop of players will relish. Role on El Clasico!!!!!!