Quotes From the Man Behind Real Madrid’s Galactico Era

I was clearing out old magazines last night and found a Planet Football from before World Cup. (I should add this to my next “You May Be Addicted to Soccer” quiz — “You never throw out old soccer magazines and can spend hours on back issues.”)

Inside was a very interesting interview with Jorge Valdano. He’s a former Argentinian international, but he’s probably best known for being the Real Madrid manager responsible for ushering in the Galactico era (Zidane, Figo, Beckham, etc.) and turning Real Madrid from a Spanish team into a worldwide brand.

I was hoping to find the interview online, but alas, no dice. So I’ll just type out a few of his most interesting quotes. (And keep in mind here that this came out in early-to-mid 2006. This is definitely a historical piece.)

On how Real Madrid began purchasing “galacticos:”
“Real were €300 million in debt. We sold club real estate to reduce our debts and introduced a new concept: the galácticos, the extraterrestrials. The plan was to buy a world-class player every year, thereby creating a global brand identity for the club, and simultaneoously integrate budding stars from our youth academy. Real Madrid accomplished something that ought to be the norm. Today the club has €100 million in the bank. Last year alone it earned €50 million. Not in spite of the stars, but because of them.”

On winning and profitability:
“People think it’s a disaster whenever a team loses — although the club might be in sound financial health. I ask you: Isn’t the other way around more absurd — when a team wins title after title but piles up debts in the millions?”

On moving into the post-Galactico era:
“Real will certainly need to realign its priorities now. Zidane, for example, is in the twilight of his career. Time takes its toll on everyone, whether you’re an extraterrestrial or a mere mortal. … As in business, the renewal process never starts until it’s too late. And it inevitably takes longer if the old guard includes stars like Zidane or Roberto Carlos.”

On coaching when your job is always on the line:
“For coaches today, though, every match means another series of threats; in their sum, they encourage defensive thinking. Ultimately, football is a beautiful game that the mediocre turn ugly in the name of pragmatism.”

On “progressive” vs. “conservative” football:
“I like a lot of the Chelsea players, but I don’t like the team’s style. If Chelsea played Juventus in the Champions League, I’d rather spend the time in the backyard.”

On Beckham’s ability to combine sport and marketing:
“He is the ultimate modern player. But that too can entail risks. Beckham is a Beatle, a Rolling Stone, a role model, an advertising icon, a hero of the globalized game, a symbol of commercialism. There are a lot of things going on around him, but he seems able to deal with them pretty well. The question is: Can his club and teammates cope too? All of a sudden, you have young players admiring his hairstyles and his clothes rather than his free kicks.”

On the globalization of the game:
“We live in the age of globalization, but we can only conquer this market from within our jungle, by exploiting the beauty and fascination of the game. Maybe Real Madrid faced up to these new realities earlier than others — and, in doing so, tried to find a compromise between romance and business, the jungle and civilization.”

On the role of television in soccer:
“Television finances football. It generates its image. It globalizes the sport. It metamorphoses players into superstars. And TV is killing the game? In my view, it’s reviving the game — as a spectacle. This is obviously a marriage of convenience, but the game itself hasn’t been forced to change.”

I wish I could give you the entire article, because it’s a fascinating portrait of how soccer moved from local games to global brands. Unfortunatley I can’t. But if you’re ever at a garage sale and see a Spiegel Special Internation Edition of Planet Football from 2006 with Ronaldinho on the cover, grab it. It’s good reading.

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Category: Spain La Liga, World Football