The announcement of Toni Kroos signing for Real Madrid, with James Rodriguez’s acquisition all but confirmed, keeps up Madrid’s tradition of buying the best players no matter the cost.
Kroos is a wonderful playmaker, able to pick a pass no matter where on the pitch he is, routinely supplying the strikers with chances for them to convert. His 49 assists while at Bayern Munich is proof of his abilities. Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema will certainly feast upon Kroos’ killer passes next season. Acquiring the midfielder from Bayern Munich for €30m is good business.
However, while Kroos performed well at the World Cup, James elevated his star to insurmountable heights after excellent displays for Colombia. Rodriguez oozes flair but also moments of magic, whether it be his silky footwork or displays of wonderful technique, as shown by his brilliant volley against Uruguay.
Madrid reportedly paying in the region of €70-€80m for James shows their determination to get their man. However, this has served to put scrutiny on the future of two players, Angel Di Maria & Isco.
The murmurings about Di Maria’s future intensified at the end of last season. Recently, Spanish publication Marca reported how Los Merengues balked at Di Maria’s contract demands of €4m per year to €9m. The club’s refusal led to growing talk of a move to PSG, the Parisans eager to launch a sustained challenge for the Champions League next season.
Losing Di Maria would be a blow, as he was outstanding last season, managing to successfully replicate Bastian Schweinsteiger in switching from the wing to the centre of midfield. Despite scoring only 11 goals, creating goals was his main source of success. In La Liga he produced 18 assists in 34 games while in the Champions League contributed six in 11. In both competitions Di Maria went at a rate of at least one assist per two games.
Di Maria’s importance last season showed by winning man of the match in the Champions League final against Atletico Madrid. Moreover, Coach Carlo Ancelotti sees Di Maria’s worth to the team, reportedly wanting him to stay at Santiago Bernabeu. Di Maria leaving for PSG would strengthen a big Champions League rival.
In regards to Isco, the arrivals of Kroos and James would put his future at Real Madrid in doubt after just one season in the capital. The 22-year-old found first team action limited as the season went on. Of his 32 appearances in La Liga, the midfielder completed the full 90 minutes just eight times.
Real Madrid’s new signings will further limit Isco’s playing time and push him further down the pecking order, a far cry from 12 months ago when Isco was persuaded by Zinedine Zidane to reject a reunion at Manchester City with ex-Malaga Coach Manuel Pellegrini and head to Real Madrid.
The situations facing Isco and Di Maria show how Real Madrid’s main attractions of last season can become afterthoughts. No doubt the potential sales of Isco and Di Maria means their new clubs will be acquiring top players – Isco, if well nurtured, has the potential to be a world class talent while Di Maria is arguably already there.
But it goes to show that enjoying a brilliant season doesn’t guarantee you a starting spot at Real Madrid the following year.
