At the beginning of the century, Real Madrid was, as always, among the best teams in Europe. However, as if that was not enough, Florentino Perez had a cunning plan: gather numerous European football stars and create the strongest squad the world had ever seen. The idea was eventually realized, but the purpose of that team – Their Majesties The Results – was never fulfilled. Ronaldo ✔Figo ✔Zidane ✔Beckham ✔Real Madrid 2003 😮 pic.twitter.com/FaSw9hzfNw— Sporx Ekstra (@sporxekstra_) October 23, 2019 The Galacticos era began with the arrival of Luis Figo in 2000 from the fiercest rival, Barcelona. Afterwards, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo Nazario, and David Beckham all joined, and in 2003, the squad was complete and ready to roll. Additional reinforcements like Michael Owen and Sergio Ramos, together with the “natives” Guti, Raul, Iker Casillas (all moved through Real’s youth categories), and Roberto Carlos, who arrived in Madrid back in 1996, made up the team that struck fear in the hearts of the entire football world, having arguably the best midfield ever seen.LOS GALACTICOS! 💫 #Raul #Zidane #Figo #Ronaldo #Beckham#NostalgiaFootballCardz ⚽💾 pic.twitter.com/L9OraM2rpx— HWKEEM🦅 (@hakimbezri) November 23, 2019 The Galacticos, however, won only one La Liga, while Los Blancos had to wait for another Champions League trophy until 2014 and the outstanding generation led by Cristiano Ronaldo. At the same time, whilst Real spent money on superstars, Barcelona was in the process of creating the team with Ronaldinho, Deco, Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Carles Puyol, Samuel Eto’o, and young Leo Messi, which – led superbly from the bench by Pep Guardiola – ruled Spain and Europe for several years, leaving the Madrid giants in the shadow. 🇧🇷 𝐑𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐝𝐨: “I played for Real Madrid for almost five seasons, in the Galacticos team, and I 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 won the Champions League. Winning is never math, even if you have the best in your team.” pic.twitter.com/VuTEXT8ai8— PurelyFootball ℗ (@PurelyFootball) May 26, 2023 Then why couldn’t that squad bring Real Madrid the expected glory? Well, the reasons might be various, but only some of them are essential. First and foremost, the departure of a player. Yes, one player. According to many members of that squad, the heart and soul of Real Madrid – Claude Makelele.Mbappe, Endrick and – no one else! The transfer window is closed for Los BlancosThe Frenchman was arguably the best defensive midfielder in the world. However, Real thought they didn’t need that type of player when they had a bunch of superstars capable of scoring tons of goals. As it turned out, they couldn’t be more wrong. Makelele – the glue that held Real’s midfield together – left for Chelsea in 2003 and continued bringing titles, this time to the Blues. Zidane’s quote about his compatriot’s selling is still widely repeated: Why put another layer of gold paint on the Bentley when you are losing the entire engine?Zidane in 2003 when Makélélé was being replaced with Beckham at Real Madrid: “Why put another layer of gold paint on the Bentley when you are losing the entire engine?” pic.twitter.com/7gRHXHF7KP— M•A•J (@Ultra_Suristic) July 13, 2018 That’s what Makelele was – the engine. If you add huge salary gaps between the “stars” and other players in the mix, you get unfulfilled expectations and the failure of an ambitious project. Now, Perez is making new Galacticos at Real, full of youngsters who can conquer European football and rule it for years led, of course, by Kylian Mbappe.However, the 77-year-old has obviously learned from his mistakes. Salaries are still uneven, there’s no doubt, but all the players have their role and most importantly respect. And yes, the magicians like the France captain, Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, and Jude Bellingham are there, but the club obtained a number of “workers” such as Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga, and the natural leader Federico Valverde. Because the Makelele case cannot happen again.##NAJAVA_MECA_8251690##
