The ESPN Originals Galacticos series premiering Wednesday in Latin America (5pm Mexico on ESPN; 6pm Colombia and 8pm Argentina on ESPN3) recounts the rise and fall of that team that captured the world’s attention between 2000 and 2006, a phase where all eyes of football were on the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium and its collection of stars
Florentino Pérez became president of Real Madrid on July 16, 2000 and nothing was the same at the white club.
Madrid had won their eighth Champions League last season after beating Valencia in the final, but a then-unknown Florentino believed the entity needed a little more.
Jorge Valdano, then the sports director of the white club, summarizes Florentino’s idea in one sentence in the new documentary “Galacticos” which will premiere on February 24. ESPN“We have a Rolls Royce in the dusty garage,” Florentino told Valdano.
Madrid signed Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo and David Beckham between the summer of 2000 and 2003 to undertake that revolutionThe idea was to mix the best world stars with home footballers like Raúl González, Guti or Iker Casillas.
Florentino delivered on all of his transfer promises but resigned in February 2006, leaving a phase that was not as successful as he imagined.
In the early years, the club won two competitions, a Champions League, two Spanish Supercups, a European Supercup and an Intercontinental Cup.In addition, it was named the best team in the world in 2002, according to the IFFHS annual club classification. However, from that point on, the team lost its way, chaining three seasons to forget.
2000/2001 season
Florentino Pérez signed Luis Figo after paying 61 million euros of its termination clause to Barcelona.
Madrid, already with the Portuguese in their ranks, managed to beat La Liga against Deportivo La Coruña, but their luck was very different in the rest of the competitions. He was eliminated by Bayern Munich in the semi-finals of the Champions League, lost the Intercontinental Cup to Boca Juniors, fell in the European Super Cup against Galatasaray and was taken out of the Copa del Rey by a second B club like Toledo.
Titles: The competition
2001/2002 season
Florentino started the season by signing Zinedine Zidane and ended it with the Champions League conquest after beating Bayer Leverkusen in the final, thanks to a goal for his second Galactic history. Likewise, Madrid won the Spanish Super Cup and the European Super Cup after beating Zaragoza and Feyenoord respectively.
Nevertheless, that season also had a great mole with the “El Centenariazo”Madrid had high hopes for winning the Copa del Rey to celebrate its 100-year history. In addition, the final was played in the Santiago Bernabéu, but Deportivo de la Coruña won 1-2 and took the title to Galicia. In addition, the white team finished third in La Liga, behind Valencia and Depor itself.
Titles: Champions League, Spanish Super Cup and European Super Cup.
Season 2002/2003
It was the year of Ronaldo Nazario’s landing. The former Barcelona striker was an old wish of Florentino Pérez and got his contract after his brilliant participation in the World Cup in Korea and Japan.
Madrid won La Liga, by a two-point difference over Real Sociedad, and also won the Intercontinental Cup by beating Paraguay’s Olimpia 2-0.
However, they fell in the semi-finals of the Champions League against Juventus and were eliminated by Mallorca in the Copa del Rey in the quarter-finals.
Titles: a League, an Intercontinental Cup, a Spanish Super Cup.
Season 2003/2004
It was the season in which David Beckham arrived and also in which the controversial exits of Vicente del Bosque, Fernando Hierro and Claude Makelele took place.
The coach received the support of the stands and the dressing room, but the entity decided to forgo his services and appoint Carlos Queiroz as the new coach. The failure was historic and led to a year without titles.
Madrid beat Mallorca in the Super Cup, but lost the Copa del Rey final to Zaragoza, La Liga finished in fourth place and suffered a disappointing elimination in the quarter-finals of the Champions League against Fernando Morientes’ Monaco.
Titles: Spain Supercup.
2004/05 season
Florentine signed another Ballon d’Or as Michael Owen and chose José Antonio Camacho to try and put Madrid back on the path of successThe white club also strengthened its defense and midfield with Walter Samuel, Jonathan Woodgate and Thomas Gravesen, but the Spanish coach resigned three months after his arrival due to his disagreements with the white president.
Another man from the house like Mariano García Remón took over, but neither he nor his successor, the Brazilian Vanderlei Luxembourg, managed to avoid a black season.
Madrid lost La Liga to Barcelona, succumbed to Valladolid in the Copa del Rey and was eliminated in the knockout stages of the Champions League against Juve.
Titles: 0
Season 20005/2006
It was Florentino’s last bullet and he decided to keep Luxembourg to try to regain stability. Robinho, Baptista, Diogo, Sergio Ramos, Pablo García, Antonio Cassano and Cicinho also arrived. The intention was to rejuvenate the squad to put pressure on the veterans and relax the egos in the locker room.
Luxembourg was fired in December and López-Caro was promoted from Castile to try another transition. In February, after a defeat in Mallorca, Florentino resigned and ended his first period with the white club.
Madrid ended its second consecutive season with no titles. He succumbed to Barcelona again in La Liga, lost to Zaragoza in the cup semi-finals and retired from the Champions League after losing to Arsenal in the round of 16.
Titles: 0