Saturday, June 30, 2018
Real Madrid Past present and future
Real Madrid Past present and future
There have been numerous tributes paid to Ferenc Puskas in recent days. Gary Lineker writing in the Sunday Telegraph had high praise for the "Galloping Major" (a reference to the fact that he was an army officer playing for an army team):"In those days, long before Sky and saturation coverage of football, all we saw of Puskas and all those other top players were the same few clips of him playing for Madrid and Hungary. And the fact that these few clips were sufficient to confirm his as one of the all-time greats shows what a remarkable player he was."
The Observer published some excerpts from "Puskas on Puskas".
Puskas described the importance of the "drag back" for the third goal against England in 1954: "I think my favourite goal of all time was that third one - the drag back. I dont really know where that goal came from. The drag back was something I used to do as a kid, but it wasnt something Id ever practised. It was instinctive. My football wasnt full of fancy tricks. I liked simple things on the pitch, simple solutions, quick easy movements. Everyone loved the goal - its probably the one I am best remembered for - but the truth is I had to get out of the way quick, otherwise Billy Wright would have really clobbered me."
The goal can be seen here. Highlights from the match can be seen here.
The "magical Magyar" had this to say about the famous 1960 European Cup Final: "There were 135,000 fans in Hampden Park that evening and it was one of those blissful times when the whole team seemed to play brilliantly and we almost achieved some kind of footballing perfection... What can I say? It was a privilege to be there."
Shortly before his death Puskas commented: "I will write of my life as a footballer as if it were a love story... For who shall say that it is not?"
***
Hugo Sanchez was named Mexicos new national coach on Thursday. Sanchez was a prolific marksman for Real Madrid from 1985 to 1992.
His trademark was to perform a celebratory somersault after each goal he scored, honouring his sister, who was a gymnast and participated in the Montreal Olympics.
This goal by Sanchez was perhaps the defining strike of his career, and well worth a watch.
***
Real Madrid have announced a world record seven-year television deal worth $1.5 billion.
"The contract will run from 2008 to 2015, but Ramon Calderon, president of the nine-time European champion, declined to reveal which company had bought the broadcast rights, saying details would be revealed later this week."
(Note to the English Premier League: Internet viewing has not affected this "world record" deal.)
***
According to the Spanish sports daily Marca, Fabio Cannavaro will receive the Ballon dOr, France Football magazines prestigious award in Paris on Nov. 27. The Italian newspapers Gazzetta dello Sport and Corriere della Sera also claimed the Italian defender will win the award in Paris.
Cannavaro recently told France Football that he "would give two Ballon dOr prizes, One to me and one to Buffon. There is a great respect and friendship between Gigi and I."
Cannavaro would be the fourth Italian to win the award after Gianni Rivera (1969), Paolo Rossi (1982) and Roberto Baggio (1993).
***
Real Madrid have announced transfer deals for some of the rising stars in South America: Marcelo, 18, from Brazilian club Fluminense along with two rising Argentine stars: River Plate striker Gonzalo Higuain, 18, and Boca Juniors midfielder Fernando Gago, 20.
Marcelo, a left wing back has already been likened to Roberto Carlos, this assist suggests the comparisons may be accurate.
Gonzalo Higuain was born in France whilst his father, a professional Argentinean player, Jorge Higuain, was playing in the French first division. Gonzalo left the country at the age of 10 months and although he does not speak French, he does hold a French passport. He has rejected calls from both the Argentine under 20s and the French national team claiming he still hasnt decided which country to play for. (There seems to be some doubt as to whether this deal has gone through, with River Plate claiming today that Real will have to offer more money.)
A compilation on Gonzalo Higuain can be seen here. A video of Fernando Gago, "the new Redondo" can be seen here.
Following these three signings Calderon told the Spanish radio station Onda Madrid, "With all the new signings, we will have a very competitive team... Next year out of a squad of 22 we will have 14 players under 25."
It would seem the "Galactico" era is all but over, once "El Becks" leaves and Madrid win a trophy, the era will be consigned to football history.
