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Who Do Madrid Need More, Cristiano Ronaldo or Kaka?
In light of the firestorm of rumours surrounding Florentino Perez's summer signings, Goal.com's Cyrus C. Malek analyses which of the two biggest names would most benefit Real Madrid.
May 20, 2009 4:12:55 AM
Summer is almost upon us and in the Spanish capital the rumours are just as hot as the scorching rays of the afternoon sun. Florentino Perez’s candidacy for Real Madrid’s leadership is, for better or worse, all but secure and an anticipated return to the Galactico era seems imminent. Jorge Valdano, billed by some sources to serve as Perez’s sporting director, has already built Perez’s new project up as one that will be a “super-production—a film of epic proportions” and similar to last summer, some very big names have been dropped as additions to the Madrid roster.
Of those names, once again Cristiano Ronaldo has been making some significant headlines in the Madrid press as Spanish sports daily Marca has published everything short of up-to-the-minute reports on the alleged discord between the Portuguese winger and Manchester United.
This, of course, has been a long, arduously drawn out saga, something more of an obsession in Madrid as many Madridistas will remember the soap opera of rumours that surrounded Ronaldo last summer. Marca was even audacious enough to print a photo cleverly manipulated to depict Ronaldo in a Madrid jersey. At that time, then-Merengue president Ramon Calderon exclusively and relentlessly courted the ‘World’s Best Player’, inciting animosity not only between Real Madrid and Manchester United, but between Real Madrid and virtually every other football club with whom los Blancos hoped to negotiate — from Milan, who insisted that Kaka would not leave Italy for all the money in the world, to Valencia, who on the last day of the transfer window would not even take Madrid’s calls inquiring about David Villa and David Silva.
It so happened that instead of signing a player who led his team to Champions League glory along with scoring an astronomical 42 goals in all competitions, Madrid actually lost their most inspiring offensive player in Robinho. Last summer was effectively dubbed by the Madrid faithful worldwide as a supremely embarrassing demonstration of incompetence. This summer however, presumptive president Florentino Perez with his famous (or depending upon your perspective, infamous) happy-go-lucky style of management looks set to introduce a much more friendly face to Real Madrid’s transfer dealings. Unsurprisingly, the transfer targets still have not changed.
Marca has been reporting for over a week now that Kaka has agreed to terms with Florentino Perez and even more curiously, Milan executive Adriano Galliani has not rebuffed Real Madrid as he did quite vigorously when Ramon Calderon was at the helm. In fact, it turns out that Perez and Galliani have a somewhat friendly relationship, thus setting the stage for a potential blockbuster move: the transfer of Kaka to the Bernabeu.
As for Cristiano Ronaldo, the Madrid press has been buttering up this move for months, including reports that Ronaldo has registered the trademark CR9 in lieu of CR7; the assumption being that with a move to Madrid, Ronaldo would take the No. 9 shirt, as Raul holds the historic No. 7 shirt. In fact, it is almost as if should Madrid fail to sign Ronaldo, the pride and history of the club would be somehow tarnished, such is the feeling of entitlement to the very best at the Spanish capital.
So with the summer close at hand, and the policy of signing premium footballing talent in full bloom at the Bernabeu — as if signing the big names in football is a panacea for shortcomings and a sure-fire method of winning championships (has history taught us nothing?!) — it seems that the Madrid squad will once again carry with it quite a bit of star power. But signing Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka could be far too expensive an affair, even for Real Madrid’s mighty bankroll. And so pending some unanticipated powers of negotiation, Madrid may well have to choose between pursuing either the Brazilian midfielder or the Portuguese winger. It is with this decision in mind that we analyse the Madrid squad and assess the best course of action with respect to what really should motivate signings — necessity at the position.
Despite his outwardly stated desire to stay and his status as one of the best in the world at his position, it looks as if Arjen Robben has, at least in the eyes of Perez and company, dribbled his way out of Madrid. If los Blancos really are to pull off the squad makeover that has been so widely advertised, they will need the capital raised by Robben’s sale to complete their new project. The loss of such a crucial element and a world-class winger might make the necessity for Cristiano Ronaldo relatively obvious and the player’s style of play certainly fits the bill for what sells tickets in the Spanish capital.
Ronaldo is a player who integrates an impressive array of tricks and technique into his play, some to admirable effect and others more as ostentatious demonstrations of show. Not too long ago, the Bernabeu erupted into cheers and applause when Robinho would begin to take on his defenders, swivelling his legs around the ball in a string of entertaining stepovers. Ronaldo is a player of a similar ilk, one who plays with panache and vibrancy and it does not take great powers of visualisation to imagine the anticipation in the Madrid stadium as CR9 set his sights on a free kick near the edge of the area.
Of course, the other huge advantage to signing the Portuguese winger would be the marketing power that comes along with him. Florentino Perez has once been credited with transforming Real Madrid’s brand into the most successful in world football during his first stint as president with the signing of David Beckham and Ronaldo would similarly be a welcome source of revenue off the pitch as well.
But if Manchester United have a say in the matter, all of these desired qualities will come at an exorbitant price, one that could prevent or limit Madrid from addressing some of their major shortfalls in other positions on the pitch. And besides, with Zinedine Zidane in Frank Ribery’s ear, the mercurial Frenchman could fill the winger position in question at a significantly lower cost to Los Blancos than CR7 — without losing too much in terms of talent. And thus we turn our attention to Kaka.
A soft-spoken man of exemplary character, Kaka carries with him a certain class — a quality very much respected and admired by Madridistas. What Zidane brought to Madrid in terms of prestige, so too can Kaka fill the same role in Perez’s new project. But what makes the prospect of bringing Kaka to Madrid most attractive as a signing is the position in which he plays.
Watching Madrid this season, the midfield — particularly the attacking midfield — was atrocious. While Lassana Diarra would impressively win the ball with a superbly timed tackle, Madrid were unable to create any danger through the centre of the pitch, instead relying on the wing positions to advance the ball into the attacking third.
Kaka is a player who runs at the opposing defence and, although he has the pace, technique and cleverness to beat defenders on the flanks, he more often takes the ball through the heart of the defence, inevitably drawing the defensive midfielders and the central defenders out to acquit him of possession. This makes the work of the strikers far easier and whether it be Higuain, Raul, Huntelaar, or even Villa, there will be far more room with which to work, making a slipped in pass much easier to thread.
So as Madrid contemplate the star signings that, with Florentino Perez, are sure to come, perhaps it may serve los Blancos’ better interests to bring some Brazilian flair back to the Bernabeu instead of Portuguese panache. Who would you rather have on your team?
Cyrus C. Malek, Goal.com
Of those names, once again Cristiano Ronaldo has been making some significant headlines in the Madrid press as Spanish sports daily Marca has published everything short of up-to-the-minute reports on the alleged discord between the Portuguese winger and Manchester United.
This, of course, has been a long, arduously drawn out saga, something more of an obsession in Madrid as many Madridistas will remember the soap opera of rumours that surrounded Ronaldo last summer. Marca was even audacious enough to print a photo cleverly manipulated to depict Ronaldo in a Madrid jersey. At that time, then-Merengue president Ramon Calderon exclusively and relentlessly courted the ‘World’s Best Player’, inciting animosity not only between Real Madrid and Manchester United, but between Real Madrid and virtually every other football club with whom los Blancos hoped to negotiate — from Milan, who insisted that Kaka would not leave Italy for all the money in the world, to Valencia, who on the last day of the transfer window would not even take Madrid’s calls inquiring about David Villa and David Silva.
It so happened that instead of signing a player who led his team to Champions League glory along with scoring an astronomical 42 goals in all competitions, Madrid actually lost their most inspiring offensive player in Robinho. Last summer was effectively dubbed by the Madrid faithful worldwide as a supremely embarrassing demonstration of incompetence. This summer however, presumptive president Florentino Perez with his famous (or depending upon your perspective, infamous) happy-go-lucky style of management looks set to introduce a much more friendly face to Real Madrid’s transfer dealings. Unsurprisingly, the transfer targets still have not changed.
Marca has been reporting for over a week now that Kaka has agreed to terms with Florentino Perez and even more curiously, Milan executive Adriano Galliani has not rebuffed Real Madrid as he did quite vigorously when Ramon Calderon was at the helm. In fact, it turns out that Perez and Galliani have a somewhat friendly relationship, thus setting the stage for a potential blockbuster move: the transfer of Kaka to the Bernabeu.
As for Cristiano Ronaldo, the Madrid press has been buttering up this move for months, including reports that Ronaldo has registered the trademark CR9 in lieu of CR7; the assumption being that with a move to Madrid, Ronaldo would take the No. 9 shirt, as Raul holds the historic No. 7 shirt. In fact, it is almost as if should Madrid fail to sign Ronaldo, the pride and history of the club would be somehow tarnished, such is the feeling of entitlement to the very best at the Spanish capital.
So with the summer close at hand, and the policy of signing premium footballing talent in full bloom at the Bernabeu — as if signing the big names in football is a panacea for shortcomings and a sure-fire method of winning championships (has history taught us nothing?!) — it seems that the Madrid squad will once again carry with it quite a bit of star power. But signing Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka could be far too expensive an affair, even for Real Madrid’s mighty bankroll. And so pending some unanticipated powers of negotiation, Madrid may well have to choose between pursuing either the Brazilian midfielder or the Portuguese winger. It is with this decision in mind that we analyse the Madrid squad and assess the best course of action with respect to what really should motivate signings — necessity at the position.
Despite his outwardly stated desire to stay and his status as one of the best in the world at his position, it looks as if Arjen Robben has, at least in the eyes of Perez and company, dribbled his way out of Madrid. If los Blancos really are to pull off the squad makeover that has been so widely advertised, they will need the capital raised by Robben’s sale to complete their new project. The loss of such a crucial element and a world-class winger might make the necessity for Cristiano Ronaldo relatively obvious and the player’s style of play certainly fits the bill for what sells tickets in the Spanish capital.
Ronaldo is a player who integrates an impressive array of tricks and technique into his play, some to admirable effect and others more as ostentatious demonstrations of show. Not too long ago, the Bernabeu erupted into cheers and applause when Robinho would begin to take on his defenders, swivelling his legs around the ball in a string of entertaining stepovers. Ronaldo is a player of a similar ilk, one who plays with panache and vibrancy and it does not take great powers of visualisation to imagine the anticipation in the Madrid stadium as CR9 set his sights on a free kick near the edge of the area.
Of course, the other huge advantage to signing the Portuguese winger would be the marketing power that comes along with him. Florentino Perez has once been credited with transforming Real Madrid’s brand into the most successful in world football during his first stint as president with the signing of David Beckham and Ronaldo would similarly be a welcome source of revenue off the pitch as well.
But if Manchester United have a say in the matter, all of these desired qualities will come at an exorbitant price, one that could prevent or limit Madrid from addressing some of their major shortfalls in other positions on the pitch. And besides, with Zinedine Zidane in Frank Ribery’s ear, the mercurial Frenchman could fill the winger position in question at a significantly lower cost to Los Blancos than CR7 — without losing too much in terms of talent. And thus we turn our attention to Kaka.
A soft-spoken man of exemplary character, Kaka carries with him a certain class — a quality very much respected and admired by Madridistas. What Zidane brought to Madrid in terms of prestige, so too can Kaka fill the same role in Perez’s new project. But what makes the prospect of bringing Kaka to Madrid most attractive as a signing is the position in which he plays.
Watching Madrid this season, the midfield — particularly the attacking midfield — was atrocious. While Lassana Diarra would impressively win the ball with a superbly timed tackle, Madrid were unable to create any danger through the centre of the pitch, instead relying on the wing positions to advance the ball into the attacking third.
Kaka is a player who runs at the opposing defence and, although he has the pace, technique and cleverness to beat defenders on the flanks, he more often takes the ball through the heart of the defence, inevitably drawing the defensive midfielders and the central defenders out to acquit him of possession. This makes the work of the strikers far easier and whether it be Higuain, Raul, Huntelaar, or even Villa, there will be far more room with which to work, making a slipped in pass much easier to thread.
So as Madrid contemplate the star signings that, with Florentino Perez, are sure to come, perhaps it may serve los Blancos’ better interests to bring some Brazilian flair back to the Bernabeu instead of Portuguese panache. Who would you rather have on your team?
Cyrus C. Malek, Goal.com
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