Spanish giants, Real Madrid are arguably the best European Club, owing to their achievement in the past and the present. Los Blancos have won the more European Champions League titles than any other team, while accumulating a good number of local ones too.
They were one of the best sides that dominated in the 20th century. Their domination was thanks to their Galactico policy, as they signed players with exceptional talents to make up a squad of players.
Recently, the evolvement of football has halted their domination as football clubs have integrated in their style of play and most of the teams now work and depend on team plays and recognized football DNA, which makes it difficult for teams depending on a certain player’s brilliance.
Since winning the league in the 2007-08 season, Real Madrid added three more in twelve seasons. This happened due to the tiki taka approach employed by FC Barcelona, who won eight of the trophies between those period.
Whereas Real Madrid signed the like of Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo and more for astonishing amounts, but could not help being beaten to the title seasons after seasons, by a well organized Barcelona side, who tired out their opponents by keeping the ball, with every member of the team, crucial in the team’s buildup play.
In Europe, after being helped to the title by the likes of Zinedine Zidane and more in the 2001-02 season, it was twelve years later before Los Merengues tasted the joy of lifting the title, in-between they have been eliminated by the likes of Monaco, Juventus, Arsenal, AS Roma, Lyon (twice), Liverpool and other teams, in games that could be easy win for them with the Calibre of players they parade, but it doesn’t work that way. Not anymore.
Even between 2013-14 to 2017-18, when they won four Champions League titles, they won just one league title between then and most of these Champions League exploits are thank to the clutch performances of Cristiano Ronaldo. But this luck is not applicable in the league because it doesn’t take one or two games to decide who wins the title.
The dependent of Real on established players has been backfiring in recent years but the club has been nonchalant. Their lousy transfer policy has seen them let go from of young and exciting talents to pave way for marque players. Achraf Hakimi, Marcos Llorente, Sergio Reguilon, Theo Hernandez and others have been victim in recent years while the like of Lucas Vázquez and other below average players remain.
Achraf Hakimi wanted to stay and play for his boyhood club Real Madrid. A statement which was official confirmed by the Moroccan ‘s agent whilst the 22year old was on loan in Dortmund last season, but Madrid never gave him a chance and he was eventually sold to Inter in the summer. So far this season, no defender has been involved in more goals in Europe’s top five leagues, than Achraf Hakimi. Talent.
Atletico Madrid have been sensational in the league this season and Marco Llorente has been a vital part of the team. He has contributed nine goals from midfield so far, the only Real Madrid player with more goal contribution is striker, Karim Benzema.
Martin Odegaard was sensational last season at Real Sociedad but since returning to his parent club Real, he has been underwhelming so far this season because of not getting to play regularly, with the club holding on to old age players, who have degraded in form.
Real let go of Sergio Reguilon, who impressed on loan at Sevilla last season as Rojiblancos win the Europa League, but keep Ferland Mendy. Whereas they had Reguilon before spending big on Mendy. It is only in Madrid that anyone could see Mendy a better player than Reguilon.
Even exciting players that were signed for huge transfer fees ended up falling out with the club. James Rodriguez, recently departed Luka Jovic are few among the players who endured horrible time in Real Madrid due to the club not working on football, rather working on players.
Since Cristiano Ronaldo left, Real have been consecutively eliminated from the Champions League in the round of 16 by Ajax and Manchester City, who have players of less class and quality that the Madridstas. Modern football is not about how many big players you have, but how well can the players play together in one understanding.
The huge transfer fees spent on Eden Hazard has not pay dividends as the Belgian has contributed nothing to the team’s improvement since his move from Chelsea. The likes of Toni Kroos and Modric look past their best but Real remain rooted to them, at the expense of players who could move them forward.
Real Madrid Galactico policy has seen them remain with the likes of Vinicius Junior, Marco Asensio, Rodrygo Goes and other average players as options upfront. The resultant is starting to gather bad atmosphere around the club as long serving defender and club captain, Sergio Ramos looks like running out his contract and leaving at the end of the current season.
Rumours have also been linking the 13 times European Cup winners with move for current superstars but football is already past that method. Even if they did sign these exciting young players, it may turn to be waste because individual brilliance needs a good surrounding to thrive. When the oppositions are having more of the ball, superstars gets frustrated in the long run.
Most times when till now when they come up against teams that could press the ball, their star players are stranded because they aren’t getting the services needed to deliver. Even prime Cristiano Ronaldo will not help them now, football is not as it was.
This season, Madrid have suffered losses against newly promoted Cadiz, Alaves and Valencia in th league. Shaktar Donesk completed a double over them in the Champions League and Athletic Club Bilbao eliminated them from the Spanish Super Cup among other disappointing results.
This may continue if Real Madrid will not realize it is time to move on and adopt the trending traditional, even if they have all the superstars in world football on their team.
Afolabi Kehinde Hassan
