How Much Money Have Real Madrid Spent Since Ronaldo Joined
- How Much Money Have Real Madrid Spent Since Ronaldo Joined World Cup
- How Much Money Have Real Madrid Spent Since Ronaldo Joined Jersey
- How Much Money Have Real Madrid Spent Since Ronaldo Joined Soccer
- How Much Money Have Real Madrid Spent Since Ronaldo Joined The World
But they have spent an estimated £300m since the end of last summer - the club's transfer window record of £227m (254m euros) was set in 2009 with the capture of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Kaka and Xabi Alonso. The biggest outlay has been on Belgium forward Eden Hazard, who joined from Chelsea for a fee that could exceed £150m. Barcelona, meanwhile, have spent €648.35m since the summer of 2003 (when Joan Laporta took over as president and Ronaldinho arrived from Paris Saint-Germain). The Catalans' net total for.
To paraphrase a popular Swedish band,Money, money, money, must be funny, in Florentino Perez’s world.
It is no secret that Real Madrid have been football’s perennial big spenders for the entirety of the modern epoch, since currency and marketability became intrinsically linked with the sport, and actions in the boardroom bore as heavy an impact as those occurring on the pitch.
But even a transfer market Nostradamus would have deemed the arrival of Messrs Ronaldo, Kaka, Albiol and Benzema in less than a month as simply too far-fetched. Florentino Perez undoubtedly means business, arguably more this time round than during his first tenure at the Santiago Bernabeu.
It is easy to understand the reasons why. The Catalan class of 2008/09 are etched in history; the Triplete is secured, and a truly era-defining Barcelona side have left their adversary startlingly adrift during a season that flirted with perfection.
Barca’s Battering
You can almost envisage Perez sitting in the stands, watching in frustration as Lionel Messi et al obliterated los Blancos in the 6-2 thrashing that ultimately confirmed the Blaugrana as Primera Division champions. Stare through his eyes and you could peer into his vision, and sense his determination to ensure that such a humbling would never happen again on his watch.
How Much Money Have Real Madrid Spent Since Ronaldo Joined World Cup
And so we arrive at our current juncture. Every major talent on Earth is being linked with becoming a fully-fledged Galacticos Neuvo, and the press speculation is well founded – Madrid are pursuing the game’s principal powers, and they want them all lining up to forge a dream team you couldn’t dream of.How Much Money Have Real Madrid Spent Since Ronaldo Joined Jersey
It must be an incredibly exciting time to be a follower of this famous club. To evaluate the reaction from the rest of Europe is to witness a cacophony of contempt toward the President’s policies. Jealousy? Perhaps, and the interests of others are hardly Perez’s concern, but for anyone who holds football dear his shenanigans should be setting off alarm bells and wailing sirens.Universal Disdain
The consternation being directed at los Merengues derives from many quarters. The Prime Minister of Spain, Jose Luis Rodiguez Zapatero, expressed his displeasure, labelling CR(9)’s transfer ‘excessive’. Former coach Vicente del Bosque boldly stated that ‘big signings do not make a big club’, while Michel Platini conveyed his displeasure, but added that he may be powerless to put an end to it. The nay-sayers are simply sceptical that despite what Jorge Valdano may claim, is Madrid’s business really as sound as they perceive it to be?What is undeniable is that the world remains in the midst of an economic crisis; 20% of the Spanish population are unemployed, huge companies face bankruptcy, but yet Madrid are still able to borrow and spend at will. If previous lessons are true, the attitudes conveyed towards their profligacy could well prove to be substantiated in the annals of history.
Glance through the recent evolution of the world transfer record, and the common denominator is Madrid. The bar had of course been set during the affluent Italian era of the early nineties when Serie A was the epicentre of the universe. AC Milan and Juventus outdid and outbid each other four times from in the space of three years, with Roberto Baggio, Jean-Pierre Papin, Gianluca Vialli, and then Gianluigi Lentini changing hands for stratospheric fees. The Italian sides maintained the status quo for the majority of bank-busting deals that took place in the 1990’s – until the arrival of Perez in 2000 that changed the landscape irrevocably.
Changing Times
The construction magnate maintains a particular attitude towards his business dealings. His aura and approach ensure that Madrid will not tolerate second place, and this is reflected in his belief that no-one and nothing is unattainable. He proved that in his first cycle with the flamboyant, arrogant courting of Luis Figo.
The Portuguese swapping Catalunya for Madrid remains one of the most unlikely transfers ever but Perez masterminded the switch, simultaneously tearing apart convention, and it may be argued obliterating any modicum of decorum left in the gentlemanly pursuit of a sought-after player.
That isn’t to say that underhand tactics and illegal approaches were not part and parcel of the game prior to Perez’s inauguration; hell, the Italians have been patriarchs of dubious dealings that culminated in the calciopoli scandal.
But the nature of the contracts themselves, for the sake of this argument at least, are irrelevant; it is the size of the fees that threatens to alienate the common man from the game that is inherently a working-class pastime.
The €45m spent on the marauding winger upped the ante, to a level that only Madrid themselves have been able to match since. Zinedine Zidane followed, and now Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo have stretched their purchases closer to the realms of fantasy.
Fantasy Football
It may be financially viable from a commercial perspective for Madrid to acquire world-renowned, instantly recognisable figureheads, but for a club of their stature of to consider themselves immune from financial trends may prove to be exceedingly foolish. To continue to push the boundaries of how a footballer, let alone a human, can be valued in a capitalist environment is hugely detrimental to football as a whole.
The marketplace for attaining top players has never been a level playing field; there are clubs who have kudos and heritage to back up their wealth (just ask Manchester City in their pursuit of Kaka) and as a result become a more attractive option. However, we have never seen a monopoly, and this summer, Madrid are ruthlessly crushing the competition by dangling massive carrots alongside the prestige of the pristine white jersey.
Already we are witnessing clubs desperate for an equal share of the aftermath . Massimo Moratti at Inter Milan saw Madrid willing to pay close to €100m for Ronaldo, and decided that Zlatan Ibrahimovic was on a par with the Portuguese. Wolfsburg’s prolific Edin Dzeko had a fantastic season, but his clubs’ valuation of €25m to potential suitor AC Milan is nothing short of fanciful.
Liverpool spend €22m on a right-back in Glen Johnson, Chelsea splash €18m on Yuri Zhirkov who is unlikely to get a starting berth (see Alan Dawson’s assessment of the Russian’s first-team prospects here) and so on and so forth. Some players are being priced out of the market, and others forced into moving for inflated sums as clubs seek to recoup their own slice of the chaos that has, and will continue to, ensue.
How Much Money Have Real Madrid Spent Since Ronaldo Joined Soccer
History Repeats
Real Madrid and Florentino Perez have set the precedent, previously in 2000, and now again in 2009. What will happen when the next star, the next Cristiano Ronaldo with an ego as hefty as his ability, grows tired of his stature and wants to move on? The best comparison comes in the form of Lionel Messi – in the wake of the Ronaldo deal, how much would Barcelona demand should he become tired of dribbling at the Camp Nou?
Football at Champions League level is beginning to become cut adrift from the real world; Madrid can confidently predict record shirt sales with Ronaldo 9 emblazoned on the reverse, but any exponential rise in wages and transfer fees must be counter-balanced with reflective increases in ticket prices and merchandise.
Europe’s top clubs will never have to face up to playing in a half-empty arena, but their expenditure becomes inexorably relative to budgets and estimations in the lower echelons of the game.
Ultimately Real Madrid are not thinking of the bigger picture, and there is no reason, other than on a moralistic basis, why Perez would or should care. He is paying what others will not. But can his spending ever be justified no matter how successful the side?
To end with another misquote, Kaka €67m, Ronaldo €94m. Watching them play in white together: Priceless, or Pricey?
Paul Macdonald, Goal.com