Real Madrid
By: Cesar | April 18th, 2007
I have mixed feelings about Real Madrid.
I know a lot of Valencianos hate the Merengues … scarves fly with the words Antimadridista printed on them, jokes are poked when Madrid fails to win a cup (for example, ‘Ni Liga, Ni Copa, Ni Champions’, which has been appropriate the past 3 years) and the chant ‘Asi, asi, asi gana Madrid’ rattles stadiums when Madrid gets a dodgy penalty.
I know all about the 2000 Champions League Final, when Madrid toasted us 3-0 in Paris, a final exclamation point of a goal by Raul over Canizares breaking Che hearts.
‘Si, si, si, nos vamos a Paris’ still aches when sung by the Bernabeu faithful, a mocking testament to their historical superiority and 9 European titles.
I remember a game in the 2004 season at the Bernabeu, when a failed attempt at officiating late in the match cost Valencia a penalty and shouts of a conspiracy rang from rags like AS & MARCA. Madrid voice-pieces if there ever were some.
I know how people hate them, despise them, accuse them of ruining the game and would rather they dissapear.
I don’t feel that way.
I respect Madrid. I admire Madrid. Sure, they gloat. They whine about referees (although Quique, a former Madrid star, is jumping on that bandwagon) and employ players like Guti, who I absolutely hate. But aren’t they better than Barcelona? I could go on and on about why I dislike Barcelona. But I think Real Madrid make no pretensions about who they are. They’re ‘evil’ and that’s ok. Barcelona? Well … that’s for another place and another time …
But without an evil, bad guy, who would you root against? Everyone needs a Darth Vader to overcome. Everyone needs an evil for good to win against. Everyone needs a Madrid to laugh at, to strive to defeat, to slay in battle. It’s good for the soul.
In 2002, they provided some of the most beautiful football seen by man, winning the Champions League with Los Galacticos. Ultimately, this strategy of buying the best of the best every season backfired, as players became complacent and lazy.
Madrid aren’t who they used to be. They’re a point above us in the league, but they’re struggling, trying to employ a youth movement while still coddling superstars like Roberto Carlos and Raul.
Heading to the Bernabeu, one can’t help but be struck by their awesome history, their gluttonous fans, their monstrosity of a stadium.
Everything Madrid does is big. Excess.
Beating them at the Bernabeu will be all the sweeter. They’re Madrid!
But I don’t hate them. We need teams like Madrid, or else things would get boring …
Category: Team News
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Comments
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The problem with the Madrid galactico policy was that it helped shift shirts at the expense of a balanced line-up. Players weren’t purchased to address a particular need, but rather on their ability to move thousands of shirts in Asia, which really reduced the incredible debt that Madrid had at the beginning of this century. I think they’ve come to address some of their deficiencies of late - Diarra to plug the defenisve midfield hole in the middle for example. In my opinion, the biggest problem for Madrid is that the team just can’t be itself. The Press micro manages the team and the shadow of its success is a constant reminder of the weighty expectations the team carries. Too much to live up to gives little room for failure.
Should be a tough match. Marchena’s absence doesn’t help matters, but Valencia seems to get up for the bigger matches. They played well against Madrid at the Mestalla this year, but were really unlucky to lose. Valencia will lack the comfort of the Mestalla, so a win will be difficult. Plus, Madrid had two penalties and two red cards against them called on the weekend, so the referee will most likely be less than courteous to the Valencia CF cause. If Valencia does lose, it won’t be Quique’s fault. It never is.
Posted from
Belgium
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More and more people here in Spain hate Real Madrid. Why? It is not easy to explain. When Franco ruled Spain, Real Madrid were the government team, its jewel of the crown in the “panem et circenses” policy. So many people hating Franco also hate what Real Madrid represented at that time.
Later, in democracy, Real Madrid remained still the most powerful Spanish team, but Barcelona came finally to (almost) their level. In the late nineties, with money coming from the TVs and other sponsors, other teams (Valencia, Deportivo, Sevilla…) began to compete with them and eventually beat them.
But national medias, with their headquarters in Madrid, were comfortable with a bipolar scenario, Madrid-Barça, and kept ignoring most other teams. Growing nationalist feelings in many peripheral regions, added to that stupid attitude of the medias of only or at least mainly covering Real Madrid, had converted many Spaniards in “antimadridistas”.
Athletic de Bilbao (one of the historic teams in Spain) and Barcelona had their roots and main support in the Basque Country and Catalonia society. Local medias cover largely their games, thus not needing the coverage from the national medias. Something similar happens to Valencia.
But it’s hard to watch TV (national TV, of course) and only had news from Real Madrid, and not from your team. It’s hard also to learn that according to many national medias, Real Madrid has beaten your team because they were better. Or if you team wins, it’s because Real Madrid played poorly. As Real Madrid were the sole protagonists of the game.
One example is what has happened this same season with Valencia and Antena 3, one of the main TV stations in Spain, and their Champions League coverage. As Valencia and Barcelona played always the same day, they broadcasted only the Barcelona games, ignoring and humiliating Valencia. Similar situations happened previous years with teams playing the Champions League at the same time than Real Madrid.
By the way, I hate Real Madrid and I’m the proud owner of an “antimadridista” scarf.
Posted from
Spain -
Abraxas, I need to get one of those ‘antimadridista’ scarves, as a collector’s item. Thanks for the historical and social context of the hatred towards Madrid. It’s quite fascinating.
Hoser, I do think Madrid is trying to change their policy, but the Madrid press is so nitpicky and full of themselves, they destroy any good feeling towards the team. They are comparable to the New York Yankees here in the States. They can’t do anything right. Their goal every season is to win the championship, which is a great goal, but the season turns into utter failure should they do well and still lose. It will be interesting to see what becomes of the team with all the money they have for transfers this summer.
Ultimately, it is only good for the game in Spain if other teams can compete, like Valencia and Deportivo. The press needs to respect this, the natural parity of the game. This parity is what makes La Liga the best league in the world, in my opinion. Look at Phil Ball’s article from my last post for more on that …
Posted from
United States -
Oh sorry, I forgot to mention jealousy as another main reason to hate Real Madrid. Of course.
Cesar, send me an email with your address and I will try to send a scarf to you.
Posted from
Spain -
I started following spanish football and supporting valencia in the 2nd half of the 99/00 season. Although having nothing against real madrid originally, I disliked the way many of my friends at school seemed to support madrid for the mere fact that they were winning at the time (in the UCL at least). In later years I started hating real madrid in earnest when I realised the arrogant air that a lot of the players and upper level management at the club had, and the lack of respect shown for many opponents (think Zidane before the UCL clash with Man U saying that David Beckham playin for Man U was the only reason that the tie would be a contest).
Despite my hatred for them, I do fully agree with Cesar about needing a team to root against. As much as I’d love to see them relegated from La Liga for poor form on the pitch or for scandal a la Juve, it definitely wouldnt be the same having a different 2nd favourite team to support (whoever madrid plays against) every week.
Posted from
United States -
I only want to say that real madrid is always hate for all the others team supporters… but the real madrid put the name of the spanish leage in their actually site. Now our lige have a lot of good teams but we never would to forget that real madrid always are in the first posisions. I love real madrid and i going all the macht to the santiago bernabeu i think that your oppinion could be changed if you want any times to look our team in the bernabeu because is the catedral of the world football. HaLa MaDRiD!!!
Posted from
Spain
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