(Football news) Real Madrid – The home of Galacticos and arguably the best club in the world. Real Madrid fans experience some great highs on a consistent basis which makes the rare lows hurt even more. Real Madrid as a club and an institution is often accused of 'disrespecting' legends, which is a big claim for a club that has so been the home of countless legends of world football.
Real Madrid had the legendary Galactico period where Raul, Iker Casillas, David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Ronaldo Nazario and Roberto Carlos all played in one team. Out of all these players, Zidane was the only one who retired at Real Madrid while the rest were forced out of the club. While some might say that it shows ungratefulness, the decisions are all sensible. Even though Real Madrid's biggest amulet is it's history, it is a club that thrives on results. If the performances on the pitch are not good enough then nothing else matters.
Once the player is not at the level the Los Blancos expect, they have to move otherwise the results dry up. All the above-mentioned players left Real Madrid when their performances had dropped. They moved on to different clubs but none of them did anything magical that would've made the Merengues regret their departure. The iconic movie 'The Dark Knight' had a line which said "You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become a villain". An occuring which Real Madrid have avoided and which is happening to Marcelo who constantly faces criticism for his drop in form after a certain age despite his contributions to the club.
Then what made Zidane special and what is currently making Luka Modric special as the club wants him to continue despite being 36 years of age? The answer is simple, when Zidane decided to hang up his boots he was still a world class player and only 33 years of age. After officially retiring he played the World Cup for France and won the golden ball which proves that he was at a level where he could still contribute. All the others wanted to have an extended career but the demands at Real Madrid are way too high. Despite his age, Modric is putting in masterclass performances every week and even after that the club is offering him only one year extensions at a time.
The exit of Iker Casillas is the main talking point but people forget what happened before that. Real Madrid had a lifetime contract agreed with San Iker and Raul. Casillas was supposedly the victim of Jose Mourinho's harsh treatment but that is common where a manager isn't a fan of a certain player. After Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti did make Casillas first choice again. When Real Madrid had to move on from Casillas in 2015, the image of him crying during the press conference was circulated and to this day is used to somehow showcase how Real Madrid disrespected him but in reality the press conference was followed by a proper farewell with fans. Florentino Perez explained that Casillas finalized his departure very late which made it impossible for Perez to arrange a testimonial match like they did with Raul.
More recently, club legends Sergio Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo have left Madrid. Ronaldo was the one who wanted to leave and he went on to join Madrid's European rivals. When Ramos' contract was set to expire, Madrid, according to their club policy, offered him a one year extension due to his age. His agent decided to play a cat and mouse game to try and get a two year extension which Ramos deserved. At the end, Ramos said that he had accepted the renewal but the club said that it was off the table.
This was a situation worse than any other but keeping emotions aside, offering a two year deal to any 35 year old is risky. Real Madrid till now look to have made the right call. Ramos' offer was allegedly taken off the table when he was injured and was a long way away from full fitness which probably influenced the decision. Ramos has already had 3 injury setbacks at PSG and has played only 283 minutes. Had Ramos been at Real, maybe they wouldn't have been able to sign Eduardo Camavinga which would've definitely been a big loss.
The big point that everyone skips is that no Real Madrid legend has ever had anything bad to say about the club. Raul, Iker Casillas, David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Ronaldo Nazario and Roberto Carlos have all been involved with the club after retirement at some point or the other as coaches or advisors or ambassadors. Recently, when Real Madrid icon and the player that holds the record for most UCL trophies Paco Gento passed away, Real Madrid held his funeral and tribute. After winning the Spanish Super Cup, Real Madrid asked their opponents in the next game to not give a traditional guard of honour and instead observe a minute of silence for Gento.
The crowd at Santiago Bernabeu is infamous for whistling it's own players. Cristiano Ronaldo had once asked fans to stop whistling which can be considered a fair request. Gareth Bale is another legend who said that he didn't understand the culture but there are players who have defended it. Marcelo said that the fans have every right to whistle and it is just their way of telling the players that they aren't playing good enough and the players often get motivated by it. Carlo Ancelotti this season thanked the fans for whistling the players as they needed to wake up and perform better. The whistling may not be right but it certainly has a reason and comes from a good place.
Every single legend from the generation of Alfredo Di Stefano up until now has been made a part of the club after retirement. Raul and Alvaro Arbeloa are youth coaches while Roberto Carlos is an ambassador and head of marketing and management. Emilio Butragueño is the chairman of the club while Iker Casillas is his deputy. Sergio Ramos during his departure also said that this isn't a goodbye it's just a see you later which means that he knows that Real Madrid will welcome him back in whatever role he prefers. Real Madrid has always had a place for its legends but because of its demands things don't always turn out to have a fairytale ending.
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