one epl fan questioning our credibility mother fucker
Why Always Barca Or Madrid?
It's a common trend for players these days to push for a move to clubs like AC Milan, Real Madrid, or Barcelona, and describe these clubs as their 'dream clubs'. Goal.com's Atishay Agarwal wonders why...
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Why Always Barca Or Madrid?
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After following the top European leagues since the turn of the century, a lot of things still remain unexplained in my head, and some things just don’t make much sense. It might be that I need to be a European to understand a few things better, but being a pure, unadulterated football fan, an observer of the goings-on in Europe, I just can’t help but wonder.
There are two ways transfers are done:
1) The regular, behind-the-scenes way, which most English and Italian clubs, and the lesser Spanish clubs follow. They scout the player, and then call the club officials and find out if he’s for sale. If he is, they negotiate with the club’s directors, and try to converge on a suitable transfer fee. Then, they’re given the green light to speak to the player, whose personal terms are discussed, which include discussions on his wages. Once everything is agreed upon and the contract and agreement are signed, the player is unveiled at his new club in front of its excited and hopeful fans, as well as the press.
2) I call this the ‘Real Madrid way’. My sincere apologies to Barcelona and AC Milan who can easily claim this method to be theirs, but in my view Madrid were the creators of this method, and are still the best practitioners of it. This is a relatively longer process, in the sense that if the respective club wants to sign a particular player at the end of the season, the process begins somewhere between January-March, or even earlier in a few cases! It starts with the club, let’s say Real Madrid, publicly stating that they like the player, let’s say X, and would love him at Madrid. This is where the print media takes over, and starts the rumour mills, with the number of related articles per day increasing as time goes by. In fact, in Madrid’s case, they have their own ‘pet’ newspaper Marca, who they use cleverly all through the season to put opposition players down. Marca talks up the club, publishes a number of false and untrue reports, and tries to unsettle X even more. By the end of the season, this whole charade goes into overdrive, with the Madrid officials and even their footballers (!) giving interviews left, right and center. X feels so wanted by the Spanish giants, and so tempted by Spain as a country (Not to mention the flattering wages on offer), that he suddenly feels like leaving his club. Madrid then makes their offer, which is usually inflated, and the club which owns X decides to sell, as they get good money for it, and for the sake of not keeping an ‘unsettled’ player. Not that it always works, but this is the basic logic behind the whole method.
Examples of the first kind of transfers would be Eduardo to Arsenal, or maybe Malouda to Chelsea. It’s the kind of transfer you don’t hear about too much until it actually happens. Examples of the second kind would be Flamini’s move to Milan, Henry’s move to Barcelona, and the impending transfer of Ronaldo to Madrid.
One thing’s for sure, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and AC Milan are big names in the world of football. Any person who knows even very little about football knows these clubs. Also, they have been highly successful clubs in their domestic leagues and in Europe as well over the last century. The three clubs, especially Madrid and Milan, have won an enviable number of trophies, which in turn is due to the players that have played for them. They’ve had countless big players play for them ever since their early days, and still they continue to sign more of them.
But one thing still baffles me. What exactly is it about these clubs that is so inexplicably great that a player who has all that he needs at his club (Money, respect, fans, fame, trophies), would leave it all behind for a transfer? These clubs always try to lure players by talking up their history, culture, and heritage. But what is it in their history that is so unique and above everyone else, except their footballing success? In today’s scenario, a footballer can gain as much success and win as many trophies at a club like Manchester United, Chelsea, or even Inter Milan. So what about those clubs’ culture is so attractive? The fact that they literally tap-up players and publicly chase them for a transfer? Or the way the clubs are run, with political scions and dictator-like chairmen telling coaches and managers what to do? Or is it the fans and the press, who go bonkers with each victory, but very conveniently start jeering and putting the team down when the team’s in a rut? Maybe it’s the regular and impatient sacking of coaches and selling of players, which lures new players to these clubs?
Clubs like Manchester United, Arsenal, or Liverpool, which have been winning trophies regularly for the last century as well, and above all, they treat their players with care and respect, run their respective clubs in a clean and organized manner, and have a set of loyal fans, who stick by the team through thick and thin. Never does a matchday go by without all the seats filling up, and never do the fans fail to make a great atmosphere on it, even if they were playing Derby County!
Why a player like Flamini, or Ronaldo, would leave all of this to go to a club where they are not going to be valued as much, and where it’s a regular instance for fans and the club to turn their backs on them during a bad spell, is beyond me. Is it just the money? Then please say so! There’s no harm or shame in a sportsman wanting to make as much money out of a short career, absolutely not. But it’s shameful to lie about it.
It’s sad that Ronaldo seems to have forgotten all that Manchester United did to stick by him during his initial years, and after the Rooney controversy during the World Cup. Flamini too, was stuck with by Arsenal even though he never really performed well before last season, but these things just aren’t enough for a player in today’s scenario, I guess.
Flamini recently described AC Milan as his ‘dream club’. I’m sorry Mathieu, but a dream club is a club which is internally run in the right way, which behaves in a correct fashion, and which has a set of loyal, passionate fans. It is a club where a player is treated with love and respect, and is stuck by even during his difficult times. I guess you’ll just find out the hard way.
Atishay Agarwal
I dont think we should go for any young promises, Pato, Palo. is enough. Instead some that are experienced (not to old) and talanted, so we dont need to train em up. Becouse now our main focus should be winning the scudetto and have a reliable team and performance.
