Much has been made of Florentino Perez's philosophy in the transfer market since 2007. The Galacticos purchased by Real Madrid's President amount to hundreds of millions of euro, the original stages of the Galactico era alone bringing in David Beckham, Zinidine Zidane, Ronaldo and Luis Figo. We are currently witnessing another era of Galacticos, with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Toni Kroos and James Rodriguez in the mix.
While their northern neighbours and bitter rivals, Barcelona, have done plenty of finger wagging and have thrown many a disapproving look towards Madrid’s attempts to buy success, the Blaugrana are currently undergoing what could be deemed their own era of Galacticos.
Some say that the Barcelona team that played under Pep Guardiola was the single greatest team to ever grace a field. From their style of play and innovative style of pressing and keeping possession to the unassuming superstars that filled every spot on the teamsheet, there was a level of humility to the team that didn't seem in balance with just how successful they were.
Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez feeding chances to Lionel Messi on a plate, with Victor Valdes and stalwart Carles Puyol keeping things solid at the back, the team was full of La Masia products that Cules adored, and were a dream for the board of directors in the way they handled their business.
Pep Guardiola has moved on to a new project at Bayern Munich. Puyol's legs gave up on him, Valdes has left the club, while players such as David Villa and Eric Abidal have also departed. Xavi is still there, but it could be suggested that his presence at Camp Nou is symbolic at this stage.
In an effort to replace these legends of the club came Brazil’s Neymar, who attracted more attention for his haircuts than his performanecs last season, Luis Suarez, who is currently suspended from all football activity for four months, French defender Jeremy Mathieu, Croatian midfielder Ivan Rakitic and German Marc-Andre Ter Stegen in goal, as well as Real Sociedad’s Chile international Claudio Bravo.
The products from La Masia are a distant memory, and the Spanish core that exemplified what Barcelona stood for is all but gone. Perhaps the Barca team wasn’t appreciated for what it was at the time, or observers simply didn’t realise we were watching pure greatness. The fact of the matter is that era is over and a new one is being ushered in.
Nobody is quite sure what to expect from Barcelona next season, with a new Coach and several new players trying to adapt to Spanish football and the Barcelona way. But before the Catalans dismiss Real Madrid as a team of individuals, they must first take stock of their own identity and embrace their very own Galacticos.
