The Silly Season - World Soccer Transfer Time

[Yachtzee]

What are people's views on some of the big transfers so far? News today is that Kaka is heading to Real Madrid. Any Real fans want to weigh in? The other big moves I've noticed so far are Gareth Barry to Man City and Mario Gomez to Bayern. Anyone seen anything about American players on the move?

[improbus]

Barry to Man city? That is kind of disappointing. I liked what Villa had been building.

[WMR]

I'm not a Real Madrid fan, but they've got to be ecstatic to be adding a player of Kaka's caliber.

[Betterread]

Originally Posted by WilyMoROCKS

I'm not a Real Madrid fan, but they've got to be ecstatic to be adding a player of Kaka's caliber.

He can play a little, but he's no Landon Donovan.

[improbus]

Originally Posted by Betterread

He can play a little, but he's no Landon Donovan.

Or Eric Wynalda...

[M2]

Originally Posted by WilyMoROCKS

I'm not a Real Madrid fan, but they've got to be ecstatic to be adding a player of Kaka's caliber.

As a Real Madrid fan, I'm not convinced that throwing money around like crazy gets the job done. Yet if Kaka, Ronaldo and David Villa come through the door, it should be fascinating to watch.

[Yachtzee]

Originally Posted by M2

As a Real Madrid fan, I'm not convinced that throwing money around like crazy gets the job done. Yet if Kaka, Ronaldo and David Villa come through the door, it should be fascinating to watch.

Admittedly, I don't know much about Madrid, but it seems like their moves seem to be driven by rivalry with Barcelona in a Yankees/Red Sox kind of way.

[M2]

Originally Posted by Yachtzee

Admittedly, I don't know much about Madrid, but it seems like their moves seem to be driven by rivalry with Barcelona in a Yankees/Red Sox kind of way.

That's pretty much it.

Real just brought back its version of George Steinbrenner. Barca's more like the Sox, spending slightly less obscene amounts while depending more on its gold-plated feeder system.

[NJReds]

Kaka didn't impress me all that much with Milan. He ran hot and cold. I do like Pato, though.

[Betterread]

Originally Posted by M2

That's pretty much it.

Real just brought back its version of George Steinbrenner. Barca's more like the Sox, spending slightly less obscene amounts while depending more on its gold-plated feeder system.

Don't compare this rivalry to Yanks/Sox. It is far deeper and more intense. It is between cultures - Castilians vrs. Catalans. Real Madrid is the world's richest football club. It became rich during the fascist dictatorships of Primo de Rivera and Francisco Franco. During that time, all regional cultures were openly suppressed (all the languages spoken in Spanish territory except Spanish itself were officially banned). Barca sybolized the Catalan people's desire for freedom, Barça became more than a club (més que un club). Support for Barca was the Catalans' best way of demonstrating their identity. It was less risky than joining a anti-Franco movement and allowed them to express their dissidence.
On the other hand, Real Supporters are Ultras - like Lazio's supporters. Their fandom is based on expression of brute force, reflecting their Franco patronage.

[M2]

Originally Posted by Betterread

Don't compare this rivalry to Yanks/Sox. It is far deeper and more intense. It is between cultures - Castilians vrs. Catalans. Real Madrid is the world's richest football club. It became rich during the fascist dictatorships of Primo de Rivera and Francisco Franco. During that time, all regional cultures were openly suppressed (all the languages spoken in Spanish territory except Spanish itself were officially banned). Barca sybolized the Catalan people's desire for freedom, Barça became more than a club (més que un club). Support for Barca was the Catalans' best way of demonstrating their identity. It was less risky than joining a anti-Franco movement and allowed them to express their dissidence.
On the other hand, Real Supporters are Ultras - like Lazio's supporters. Their fandom is based on expression of brute force, reflecting their Franco patronage.

I know it's more than a simple Yankees-Red Sox analogy can encapsulate, but it characterizes the general nature of the rivalry in pure sporting terms.

I got to live in Madrid 20 years back. While Spain is always swimming in its history, it's a decidedly post-Franco society. Franco was an anachronism in Madrid when I was there. I lived near the Bernabeu, even got to go to some games there. It's why I'm a Madrid fan - when the club scored a goal, five million people stuck their heads out the window and screamed. How can't you fall in love with that?

Anyway, the knuckleheads you're talking about where a sliver back then and their numbers are even fewer today. It's nothing like Lazio, where entire sections of the stadium are overrun by the ultras (or even PSG with the Boulogne Boys).

Madrid and Barcelona compete to see who can play the most beautiful football in the world. Real Madrid is in many ways the most public expression of Madrid's collective desire to shed its Franquista history. Almodovar captured the change just about perfectly in "Live Flesh."

Yeah, it's oligarchists paying the bills (for both clubs, not just Madrid), but it's Romanticism at its core for the Royal Whites, not Futurism.

So, it's everything you said and everything dating back to pre-Roman Iberian history and everything that's happened post-Franco and a nation full of people who like to ogle a soccer match like it's the Maribel Verdus against the Penelope Cruzes.

[Betterread]

Originally Posted by M2

Real Madrid is in many ways the most public expression of Madrid's collective desire to shed its Franquista history. Almodovar captured the change just about perfectly in "Live Flesh."

Yeah, it's oligarchists paying the bills (for both clubs, not just Madrid), but it's Romanticism at its core for the Royal Whites, not Futurism.

So, it's everything you said and everything dating back to pre-Roman Iberian history and everything that's happened post-Franco and a nation full of people who like to ogle a soccer match like it's the Maribel Verdus against the Penelope Cruzes.

Well-written. It won't turn me into a Real supporter, but it is a compelling ode to the beauty of the game - especially the Spanish version.

[Yachtzee]

Not really transfer related, but I saw an article about Setanta having problems with speculation that ESPN might be interested in picking up their EPL rights. Could mean more English soccer on TV for us. Of course I'd like to see some German, Spanish and French soccer too, but I won't complain about more soccer on TV.

[M2]

And Man U has now confirmed Cristiano Ronaldo will be heading to Real Madrid for an $80M transfer. Cue the nefarious Darth Vader music. The rebel alliance in Barcelona will be crushed by the new Death Star.

[HotCorner]

It's for $131M (US) or $80M (PND) ...

http://www.forbes.com/2009/06/11/ron...cer-spain.html