How Real Madrid went from the dizzying days of Galacticos to the current lovable version under Carlo Ancelotti | Football News

Last week, Real Madrid were crowned the champions of Spain; this mid-week, they could topple Bayern Munich and reach the Champions League final, their second in three seasons. Such vaulting success is no novelty for the Spanish powerhouse, the most successful in their country, in the continent, the richest club in the world, and an institution that still fills and fuels the dreams of the best talents on earth.But Real Madrid are not as glitzy as they used to be, in the dizzying splash of wealth at the stroke of this century, the dawn of the Galactico era under President Florentino Perez; or the second Galactico iteration upon his re-election. He remains the president, but they spend rather than splurge; the glamour is not as eye-popping as the heydays of Zinedine Zidane and Co, or the peak of Criano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale. Those Madrid incarnations were as much about stacking trophies as about a parade of football’s most glittering talent. A jewel-shop in boots.
These days, it’s a different Madrid, a more likable, acceptable and even lovable version, playing a truly mortal brand of football, orchestrated a nucleus of unpretentious footballers. None would, even Luka Modric, the lone Ballon’d Or winner among them, waltz into a team of the century, forget of all time. There are those that could potentially scale the loftiest of peaks, like Jude Bellingham or Vinicius Junior, but in their present form, this Madrid side is different to any other this century.
Not that it’s a cheaply assembled team—it still costs a staggering Rs 8296 crore, but third in the world, behind Manchester City (Rs 10,162 crore) and Arsenal (Rs 8948 crore). If for the first 15 years of this century Madrid broke the transfer fee record five times, they don’t feature in the top ten of current most expensive transfers in the game. Their last big transfer was Eden Hazard in 2019, who lies 12th on the l. Among their current crew, only Jude Bellingham is in the top 15. Only one other of their active players is in the top 50 — Aurelien Tchouameni.
Real Madrid fans celebrate winning LaLiga in front of Madrid Town Hall (Reuters)
Suffice it to say that their transfer strategies have rampantly altered, despite being steered the same president Perez. Of course, recession, pandemic and Financial Fair Play rules have strangled their spending whims, but you cannot be blind to the austerity of Madrid. An oxymoron, but the bleeding truth. Perhaps Perez, in the autumn of his presidency, has realised that all the wanton spending of youth was wasteful. In that sense, they don’t have a true galactico, in the strictest and truest sense, someone who was a superstar when he landed at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Two of the back four that started at Munich were academy products—Nacho and Lucas Vazquez. It’s often forgotten that Madrid’s youth system, La Fabrica (The Factory) has played an integral role in shaping their success. No other academy has more players (44) plying in the top five leagues of Europe than them. There are other key home-grown ones like Dani Carvajal and winger Fran Garcia (winger), in that sense fulfilling the original concept of Perez, to combine ‘Zidanes y Pavones’, expensive signings and homegrown players. Paco Pavón, from whom Pavones originate, was a centre-back of no extraordinary gifts. Among defenders only Eder Militao, an unused substitute against Bayern, cost around 50 million euros, but that’s a more or less modest price in this milieu. Two vital pieces. Ferland Mendy was acquired for 20 million euros; Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba, two fine but ageing centre-backs came on free.

The central midfield pair comprised the seasoned Toni Kroos, whose needle-of-the-eye pass set up Vinicius Junior’s first goal, and Tchouameni. Kroos, originally a No 10 reshaped into a more versatile midfielder Pep Guardiola during his time at Bayern Munich, has been half a soul of Madrid’s midfield for a decade. But he is no Galactico. No Zidane or Luis Figo, but a divine pass-master. The other half of Madrid’s midfield machine is the ageless Modric, who was as gifted as some of the golden boys, had not the lustre of some.
Both are not sure starters any longer, pushed as they are sprightlier talents like Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga. The former cost around 80 million Euros. Such heavy transfer fees, they largely reserve for fledgling talents rather than to purchase already established stars. They resed the 30-year-old Harry Kane temptation, but burned 103 million pounds for 20-year-old Bellingham. The same logic played out when signing the Brazilian pair Vinicius and Rodrygo, besides the Uruguayan winger Federico Valverede, for a combined 100 million Euros. Madrid always have a knack of luring players from Latin America at bargain fees. Fathom this: Liverpool dished for 85 million Euros for Valverde’s compatriot Darwin Nunez alone.
Real Madrid players celebrate with fans after the match. (Reuters)
The only one who somewhat ticks the Galactico boxes is goalkeeper Thibault Courtois. He came as a proven, successful footballer, and cost in the region of 50m Euros, a higher than average price for a goalkeeper.
None perhaps embodies the non-galactico nature of Madrid than manager Carlo Ancelotti. The Italian is a decorated winner, but he joined Madrid with forgetful spells at Napoli and Everton, considered past his sell–date. This was after all the same club that had decided not to renew the contract of Vicente Del Bosque despite a successful season because “they wanted someone with a higher technical ability.” But Ancelotti has engineered unprecedented success, stacking eight trophies in three years, among them a pair of league titles and a Champions League. He, fittingly, is the poster boy of their most golden non-galactico era.
Things could change. Next year, Kylian Mbappe could wear the famous whites of Madrid. In subsequent years, other gold-gilded talents could join him too. A new galactico era could dawn. But until then, it is the turn of the non-galacticos to burn bright.