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So I see Inter are through, so both Milan teams are on to the quarters, very impressive considering they both play in the same staium 
Here's an interesting article from Fox World Sports
| quote: | All signs point to a Real Madrid fire sale
Paul Cannon / Fox Soccer Channel
Last week's Champions League ties involving Spanish teams could not have been more different. Lunacy in London, tedium in Turin. But the outcome was the same — elimination.
Barcelona could at least claim to have played better football over the course of the two legs than Chelsea, but so tame was Madrid's capitulation at the hands of Juventus, obituarists proclaimed it the end of the Galactic era.
In a second leg of epic boredom in the Stadio Delle Alpi, Real had huffed and puffed and failed to create a single opening of note against a barely less soporific Juventus, before losing in extra time.
Things promptly got worse on Sunday, when the fading galacticos lost 2-1 to Getafe, their poor neighbors. They didn't just lose, they were dominated. 'Galacticide in Getafe!' announced soccer daily, AS. 'Adios Madrid!' said Sport. 'We're screwed!' admitted midfielder Guti. 'We can't win the league now.'
If you add together the combined current value of the contracts of the six galacticos (Raul, Zidane, Figo, Beckham, Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos) you get a whopping total of 88 million Euros. Now, is it really worth paying out that kind of money for players who will have inspired the club to two trophy-less seasons on the trot?
A giant summer jumble sale it is then! What fun! Get yer galacticos 'ere! 'Alf-price Ronaldos and Roberto Carloses, ladies and gentlemen. 'Ow about a lovely Beckham for your daughter! Or a Zinedine Zidane for your mantelpiece? Buy one, get Raul Bravo free...!
But just where the hell do these so-called 'galacticos' go after playing for the soccer equivalent of the Harlem Globetrotters?
Who could afford Ronaldo's wages and rekindle his fading passion for the game? Surely he wouldn't go back to Inter, as is being mooted, in a swap deal for Adriano?
Where to for Zidane, the greatest player of the last decade? Would he take a wage-cut to return to Marseille, his home club, or would he quit soccer altogether?
And what about Raul? For the first time in his career Raul's position is seriously vulnerable. Real legend he may be, but when things go bad, fans have a notoriously short memory.
David Beckham doesn't seem to care too much. He's just opened his own soccer academy in London. Which is funnily enough where he's expected to move next, courtesy of Tottenham Hotspur, whose manager Martin Jol wouldn't mind taking Figo off Madrid's hands too.
Florentino Perez is already lining up some tasty new recruits for the summer. Most pressing is the need for a partner for the quietly impressive Thomas Gravesen. Liverpool's crazy horse, Stevie Gerrard would fit the bill. New legs to replace Roberto Carlos' thunder thighs at left-back? Step forward Arsenal's highly-rated left-back, Ashley Cole.
And Santos's latest 'new Pele' candidate, Robinho, is seen as the suitably exciting young blood to link midfield and attack.
Add Arsenal's Jose Antonio Reyes, already duped by Spanish radio into admitting he wanted to sign for Madrid, and the aforementioned Adriano and you would cut the average age and average wage in half.
Coach Wanderlei Luxemburgo, after a brief honeymoon period, seems to be on the same fast track to the sack as Camacho and Garcia Remon. Perez is thought to have his eyes on Juve's Fabio Capello as a replacement.
For the moment though, Madridistas will have to brace themselves for the rest of the season and just hope it doesn't get much worse. With Barcelona coming to the Bernabeu in a couple of weeks, it might well... |
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