"Cristianos and Graneros" - a clarification

SO CR9 scored his first goal. Great. Granero also scored. Awesome. Negredo scored. Good for him. Metzelder scored. Who cares? Arbeloa has signed. Good. Xabi with a B is days away. Better. Roma want to take Huntelaar and Robben. Phenomenal (for The Sage). 

Madrid beat a second rate side from Ecuador to set up a match with Juventus later this week - calling it a semifinal would be correct but give the fixture far too much importance and prestige. Nobody cares about the Peace Cup, what people care about is how the squad is shaping up for next year.

Given where the goals came from last night - one from a galáctico, two from canteranos, and one, ahem, from a huge hulking beast of a German defender - the usual suspects were quick to label the Florentino project mark 2 'Cristianos and Graneros'. Drawing a parallel between the first and second era under Pérez was obvious. Wishing the same success to CR9 that Zidane enjoyed at the club seems reasonable, but let's hope that the Pirate doesn't follow the path trodden by Paco Pavón.

But there is a difference. Lets say Negredo stays. Along with Granero and Arbeloa they will make a trio of players who learned their trade with Real Madrid Castilla and are now in the first team squad. But these are not youth team products in the strict sense of the term. They are players who have been farmed out to gain experience and then brought back to the club at - in the case of Negredo and Granero - a cut rate thanks to a clause in the initial deal which saw them leave the club. Having seen they succeeded and make the cut, Madrid bought them back. Player's happy, club's happy, everyone's happy.

"Even Zidane would have struggled if he moved into the first team at Real Madrid at the age of 21," believes Florentino, justifying why young players should be allowed to gain experience at other clubs and then be bought back to the Bernabéu, rather than being thrown in to the lions den.

It makes a lot more sense than the previous model, whereby youth team players were brought in immediately. Who is better prepared for a Champions League game right now - Granero or Dani Parejo? 

Cristianos and Graneros seems to be clutching at straws, trying hard to give players that added value of being a 'canterano'. Whatever you think though, its better than the Zidanes and Pavons.

A pattern emerges

Huntelaar's wage demands are too 'igh for us - 'Arry Redknapp

A couple of days ago, The Sage told us that apart from exceptional cases (as that of Granero was), there will be no more signings until players leave the club. Referring to the size of the squad, Florentino recently called the situation 'absurd'. 

In the meantime, Álvaro Arbeloa has said that the deal taking him back to the Bernabéu is 'done'. Clearly, the player who came up through the club's youth system also counts as another 'exceptional case' to Valdano. Of course, there are two factors making Arbeloa an 'exceptional case.' Firstly, he is Spanish, and secondly the club can claim him (quite rightly) as their own. Florentino therefore continues to Spanishize and Youth Teamize the squad. We're back to Zidanes and Pavons, but whisper it. 

Rafa Benítez loses one of his compatriots at Liverpool, and has apprently told another one - Xabi with a B - to make up his mind about a move to Real Madrid in the next 48 hours. So given that Madrid have spent most of the summer chasing after him, if Xabi with a B wants to accept the club's overtures, then he will also be an 'exceptional case.'

With the return of Iker, Ricky, Sergio Ramos and Albiol, and for argument's sake the arrival of Arbeloa and Xabi with a B, that would take the squad size to 31, and that excludes Adán who will be the team's third keeper. 

There is a problem when it comes to getting rid of players who Pellegrini doesn't want, and dealing with this 'absurd' situation. Wages.

Tottenham have signed Peter Crouch and given up on Klass, while Stuttgart made an official "we've had enough of him" statement after Huntelaar wanted a few too many zeros on his contract. The striker even wants a payoff from Madrid to leave. Who does he think he is? Eto'o?!

Other nondesirables include Gabi Heinze, who seems to think it is reasonable to ask for 4,500,000 euros a year to play for Marseille. This is the same player whose first coach told him the night before making his professional debut to "not complicate things, because you can't play football." For all his lack of technique, The German made up for that deficiency with commitment, desire, sacrifice and a never-say-die attitude. That attitude means Maradona has made him his Argentina's vice-captain, but Diego is obviously overlooking the fact that Heinze is now slow, rash, has poor judgement and is off the pace. He is a liability. 

Other liabilities, or hindrances to a team/squad include Drenthe and Van der Vaart. Robben was also up for sale but the club's idea - to get some money in - has, much like Arjen hamstring tends to do every other game, broken down.

The Sage is going to have to draw on all his worldly wisdom to sort this one out. He will also probably have to tell Florentino that nobody will take these undesirables a) at the price Madrid want for them and b) at the wages they are expecting. In all likelihood, Madrid will have to pay to loan out up to five players next season. Think of Cassano. Think of Pablo García. 

In the meantime, the Blancos were dire in the first game of the Peace Cup, a match which kicked off even later than a normal pastourbedtime Liga fixture. It's only preseason, but it wasn't pretty. Raúl saved the day. Yes, again. Wasn't that what Kaká/CR9/Benzema were for? 

The trouble with canteranos, past, present and future

Once upon a time, back in the times of the first galaxy, Mr. President believed in a Zidanes and Pavons policy. Buy the best, and fill up the squad with free youth teamers. 

At around the same time there was a player who fell into the latter category but would later fall into the former. The problem was,  he was a bit of a troublemaker. Samuel Eto'o was swiftly offloaded, without the clause that would become a par for course in any contract when Real Madrid sold a youth teamer. Eto'o moved to Mallorca, scored rakes of goals, then went to Barcelona, scored rakes of goals and has won two Champions League winner's medals. In the time that Madrid have not got past the quarter finals of the tournament.

Eto'o, however, hasn't stopped making trouble for his current employers. Pep Guardiola tried selling him last year and failed, but the striker was still the club's top scorer for the season. Still not forgiven, Barcelona are trying the same trick this summer, but the naughty Cameroonian is up to his old tricks and is demanding something between 5 and 1o million 'incentives'  to leave the club. The deal taking him to Inter is on hold.

Barcelona in the meantime are going to have to pay 75 million for Zlat the Man if they are to land the striker they want to lead the line next year. This is the club that 'makes balon d'ors, not buys them,' if you remember Lord Laporta's recent comments. That's 6 million more big ones than Madrid paid for CR9, Joan, but whatever you say.

While Eto'o continues to stir things up in Catalunya, back in Madrid the club is awaiting an offer of close to 20 million euros from Tottenham for Álvaro Negredo - a 'canterano'. This labelling of Negredo is upsetting some, who point out that he was a product of the Rayo Vallecano youth system and who Madrid then bought to play for Castilla. Anyone who saw Negredo for Castilla and heard about Spurs' offer is probably still in casualty after suffering the shock of their lives, even if Tomás Roncero claims he is a Spanish Van Nistelrooy in today's AS. 

Needless to say, if The Animal (as some english papers seem to believe is Negredo's nickname) does move on, there will be an Eto'o Clause in there, should he score 35 goals in a season and the next coach, ahem, Pellegrini decide he could use the services of Álvaro after all.

One such clause has been put into action this week too, for Getafe's Esteban Granero. Arguably one of the most talented youngsters in Spain, 'The Pirate' (that really is his nickname) is coming home after two seasons at Getafe. Marca applaud Granero for prioritizing club over money - he is apparently taking a pay cut to return to the Bernabéu. The badge before bonus sentiment is not one usually associated with Real Madrid, so sombreros off to Granero.

Elsewhere, Javi García has finally upped sticks and gone to the graveyard of Madrid's youth teamers (just think back to Balboa, voted the worst player in the Portuguese league in his first season) which is Benfica. 7 million euros for García is a great deal for Madrid, and if the midfielder fulfills the promise he showed a couple of years back then it could be a great a deal for Benfica, but its a big 'if'. Playing just behind García for Castilla a few seasons ago was Álvaro Arbeloa, who left for Deportivo but landed at Liverpool, and is now one of the chosen ones to provide cover in defense. Whether he'll be part of the CR9s and Graneros movement has yet to be seen, but one things for sure. They don't make them like Eto'o anymore. 

It's prime time we talked

If there is one team in Spain, if not the world, that should be playing at prime time, it is Real Madrid. Guaranteed to pull in the viewers, guaranteed to have the companies fighting over advertising space, the Blancos, along with Barcelona, are the best that Spain have to offer the broadcasters. Needless to say, that last statement by no means aims to draw parallels between the way the two play football. 

But here's a question - when exactly is prime time? Spain being Spain means the powers that be believe that 10pm is not just a reasonable time to start a football match, but the time to start a football match.  Whether its a poxy Copa del King game on a cold January Wednesday night or a sweaty and feisty May derby in Seville, TVE and La Sexta can be seen winding down after the 90 minutes well after midnight. 

It is a choice that never fails to perplex this blogger. It's too late for kids. It interrupts both dinner and going out at the weekend. It is too bloody late. Anyone who has suggested catching the second half of Valencia-Athletic to their partner at 23.04 on Saturday knows how ridiculous it is.

You can go the other way, of course. The 5 o'clock kick off just doesn't convince, certainly at the Bernabéu. It lacks the drama of a night-time kick off. You get annoyed at those idiots with the sirens because you can see their face. The stadium looks like a concrete mistake rather than a coliseum. There's no time to get excited about the game because the paella has barely gone down and the pacharan is still whirling about your head.

Let's face it, the 7 pm kick off is prime time.

That only holds in Spain, however, which is something that Florentino is only too aware of. Mr. Perez is unhappy that a mere 800 million watch Real Madrid play at the weekend. He wants more! According to AS, Madrid are going to propose playing at 3 pm. If that doesn't have the LFP spluttering over their cortados then nothing will. Quite what the unions and madres across the country will have to say about a football game being played during lunch time is also something that the club will have to contend with. 

But who cares, right?

According to 'sources' at the club, a move to playing at 3 pm could increase the potential number of viewers to 1,800 million in Asia. As the Madrid daily points out, it would see Spain follow the example of the Premiership (even if it seems that hardly any games are played at 3pm in England anymore).

Florentino no doubt has a plan up his sleeve that he'll miraculously produce to get his way. If it's anything like a 'discussion' with your other half about whether you're allowed to watch football until midnight at the weekend, however, this issue will take some time to sort out. 

Dubliners

So it's finally started. We're told there was more security for Real Madrid in Ireland than when the Pope visited. The bandwagon of the Second Coming really is up and running. Here are a few need-to-know stats about Real Madrid in Ireland

0- chance of locals catching a glimpse of the squad if they try to get near the hotel (according to the hotel manager)

0 - number of training sessions local fans will be able to see in person

1 - Dutch player to have jumped ship before kicking a ball (Huntelaar)

3 - training sessions per day that The Engineer is planning

9 -  days Real Madrid will be in Dublin

15 - temperature in Ireland

35 - temperature in Madrid

35 - kitmen, physios, security guards, well wishers, shoe cleaners, ball boys, and a coaching staff who make up the rest of the entourage

65 - cheapest double room at Carlton House Hotel, where Madrid are based (pounds)

250 - euros spent on two tickets to see Real Madrid's friendly agaisnt Shamrock Rovers

3,500 - capacity at Tallaght Stadium, where CR9 will make his debut as the World's Most Expensive footballer

6,700 - increased capacity for said match/show

24,000,000 - euro offer for Liverpool's Xabi Alonso

27,000,000 - euros paid for Huntelaar, who is now leaving, six months ago

Striking the right balance

First things first. How the hell do you pronounce Benzema? Where does the stress go? The Spanish are putting it on the last 'a', making it a BenzemAAAAAAAAAAAAA. The English are sticking with a low key 'Ben-zem-a'. Unfortunately TRL doesn't have any French buddies on hand to consult how our gallic neighbours pronounce it. Never mind. It was just a thought.

We wouldn't put it past Florentino having consulted the Algerians on the issue, however. It all clicks into place. Mr. President took approximately 14.3 seconds to compare the signing of Karem Benzema to Zinedine Zidane - they did sign for the club on the same date after all! And they're French! And their families hail from Algeria! And they're talented! Brilliant!

The marketing aspect of Marca's best value 'money-for-quality-signing' stumbled no sooner had Benzema turned his back to the cameras. He may not be the most extrovert and confident of young men, although the "1,2,3, Hala Madrid!" belied any stage fright he may have felt upon his first appearance at the Bernabeu. Rather, the issue is the shirt number. "I like the number 10, but I'll have to wait and see," he confessed at the press conference. Wes may have a thing or two to say about that, although Valdano seems willing to offload Sneijder to make some pocket money, so perhaps he won't. 

So Karem always dreamed of playing for Real Madrid, his idol was Fat Ronaldo, he's happy to kiss the badge, he's young and is a goal scoring machine. Muy bien. 

On the first day of the pre-season, however, appeared the first slight hitch. Not for Benzema, although the thought may have popped into his head too when he saw 5 other strikers trying to latch onto the crosses, but rather for the man in charge. Manuel Pellegrini and his staff will have noticed one major problem. The squad size.

Benzema rocked up at Valdebebas for Day 1 along with new faces CR9, Ezequiel Garay and paperweight Alvaro Negredo, plus 21 other first teamers. Iker, Sergio Ramos, Albiol and Ricky are still on holiday. We make it 29. Plus two more new faces (that left back and midfielder) makes it a six player overfill for the official 25-man squad. 

That is Pellegrini's problem. And Valdano's. As for Benzema, he just has the small task of adapting to a new league, a new country, huge expectation and fighting off the challenge for a place in the first team, plus the evil stares of messrs Raúl, Higuaín, Negredo, Huntelaar and Van Nistelrooy. Welcome to Madrid, Karem.

The Real Liga has also entered the brave new world of Twitter - catch updates, musings, rants, links to new posts here 

Showtime

There is always something of a discrepancy over the exact number of people present whenever a multitudinous meeting is organised in favour, or in protest of rigged elections, wars, testing cosmetics on animals or indeed a football club unveiling a new player. You usually have the organisers bumping up their figures to make it sound like a success, you usually then have the police coming in with their considerably less impressive version. The truth is usually somewhere in between.

And so it was with the presentation of CR9. The paper that can more or less consider itself the official organiser of the party - Marca - claimed there were 90,000 present to witness Cristiano's first steps in the white jersey, while the police of the Spanish sports press - El Pais - put it at 75,000. 

However many people were at the Bernabeu, it was an awesome sight. We all know full well what to expect from The Second Coming - a show. There doesn't even need to be any football being played at Chamartin, Florentino still knows how to fill the stadium. 

One thing was never in any doubt about the unveiling of the new number 9 - the widespread use of hyperbole. Rather than pointing out CR9 has in fact inherited Javier Saviola's squad number, we have been reminded that it was also Alfredo Di Stefano's number. While nitpicking over the exact number of fans present, one thing was true - it was the largest ever turn out for an official presentation of a footballer. It eclipsed even Maradona's unveiling at Napoli.

It also felt like an appropriate juncture for The Real Liga to return to action given the scale of what just happened. Complications to an injury to the second digit of our one and only typing finger extended the traumatic layoff. Apologies.

We all know whats happened since Florentino was unveiled just over a month ago and since the last post - the Evangelists of Madrid have been believing there really is a God out there after hearing the news that Ricky Kaka will be forming part of the congregation, Kaka's dad also thanked a few superior beings for his share of the world transfer fee, and then  CRnow9 signed an even bigger deal before going off on holiday to explore the nooks and crannies of Paris. Raul Albiol snuck onto the wage bill and wiped a reported 0.025% off Valencia's debt with his 15 million euro move, and finally Karem Benzema continued the long line of talented players to leave Lyon over the past few years for an astronomical, yet almost justifiable fee. Any further discussion of the price of these four players would simply be extending one of the most tedious arguments around this summer. Yes they were all expensive, but you can't argue with a single of them so far for bringing in quality to the squad. 

So far so good, just the thorny issue of sorting out the squad getting in the way. Manuel Pellegrini got to work yesterday and will perhaps consult Kaka for advice over where to find some inspiration to sort out the mess left by the previous administration. But of course nobody's thinking about that for now. That's far too much like taking care of business. For now its all about selling those shirts.