Second Galactico era – 2009-present:
Kaka – £50m from AC Milan in 2009
Xabi Alonso – £30m from Liverpool in 2009
Cristiano Ronaldo – £80m from Manchester United in 2009
Karim Benzema – £30m from Lyon in 2009
Angel Di Maria – £25m from Benfica in 2010
Fabio Coentrao – £30m from Benfica in 2011
Luka Modric – £30m from Spurs in 2012
Isco – £26m from Malaga in 2013
Asier Illaramendi – £32m from Real Sociedad in 2013
Analysis:
– A mixed bag. Despite the enormous transfer fees, Real Madrid have only won one La Liga title in 2011/12 under Jose Mourinho, and failed to win a Champions League.
– Kaka has failed to perform to the levels you would expect of a £50m player, while Benzema has just about justified his £30m fee. Di Maria and Coentrao have done well, but you would expect them to for the astronomical fees they cost.
-Xabi Alonso has been brilliant, and Ronaldo has actually proved good value, even at a world record fee of £80m. The Portuguese has scored 201 goals in 199 games for the club – eclipsing any record from the Galacticos of the first era.
-Transfer policy appears to have changed in recent times, and Madrid have splashed out big money on young Spanish talent. Isco and Illaramendi cost nearly £60m between them, and are in stark contrast to the Figo, Beckham and Zidane signings that charcterised the first era.
-This intimates an attempt to mirror Barcelona’s success – which has been based on a strong Spanish base supplying their superstar Lionel Messi.
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