The arrivals of Toni Kroos and James Rodriguez while Xabi Alonso, Mesut Ozil and Angel di Maria were sold makes many wonder if there is something more important to Real Madrid than winning titles. Might it be selling jerseys by putting more attractive faces in front of the camera the real agenda behind these decisions?
There’s no argument that Xabi Alonso and defensive midfielders in general don’t sell jerseys too well. Maybe when they first arrive, especially when a big sum of money is spent on them and publicly declared, but not after being on a team for five years. Alonso was sold because he simply wasn’t as good as before, and the player brought in for him generates a bit more excitement, at least for now.
Mesut Ozil and Angel di Maria are two different matters, and it’s about their appeal, not the ability. Di Maria is only 26. Mesut Ozil was 24 when he was sold to Arsenal. Both were not just good, young and talented players, but the best on the team behind Cristiano Ronaldo. Maybe Real Madrid made a good deal with Ozil considering how unstable he has been since joining Arsenal, but it just boggles the mind to think that Di Maria, the team’s best player behind Ronaldo last season and their top performer in the Champions League final will be let go, especially for someone unproven in the Champions League like James Rodriguez.
Is it simply about selling jerseys and having faces that are easier on the eyes? Obviously, Real Madrid are about winning titles, but that doesn’t always seem to be the most important thing for the club’s president, who is often infatuated by preserving the team’s status as the biggest club in the world but not so much about winning titles. To him, the most important thing seems to be signing the biggest names and spending more money than anyone on new players. If it comes with titles, why not?
Cristiano Ronaldo shouldn’t have spoken about the transfer policy, but it’s not like he doesn’t have a point. There something that feels less than professional about the whole way Real Madrid went about in the recent summer transfer window, and it might have something to do with being focused on putting more model-ish faces on the ticket instead of simply being worried about which player helps the team win more matches.
