At the beginning of the 2000s, Real Madrid brought together a star ensemble around Luis Figo, Ronaldo and Zinédine Zidane. But often they only cause a stir off the pitch.
Real Madrid’s “Galácticos” spread a lot of glamour in the Spanish capital, also in the nightlife. When they won the Spanish championship in 2003, however, they were not in a mood for celebration because of their coach Vicente del Bosque, as Ivan Helguera has now revealed.
Galacticos protest against del Bosque dismissal
“They wanted to dismiss del Bosque, but we wanted him to stay. So we didn’t want to celebrate the title,” the long-time Real defender said in an Instagram interview.
The Spanish champions’ coach had given the Royal side their 2002 Champions League triumph after the arrival of Luis Figo and Zinédine Zidane. But because his playing style was considered boring and no longer suited his image, del Bosque was on the verge of being kicked out.
As a reminder: Before the season, the Königlichen had introduced Brazilian world champion Ronaldo as the third high-calibre member of the star ensemble. His brace against Athletic Bilbao on the final matchday secured one of the few joint titles.
“It was difficult to enjoy the dinner”
The Real Stars, who were possibly demonstrating team spirit for the last time, were outraged together. The threat of the coach’s dismissal prompted many players to cancel their participation in the celebrations in the Spanish capital. In the end, however, they changed their minds.
“We had to go to the town hall and many of the players didn’t want to be there,” said Helguera of the team’s mood at the time. Given the expected change of coach, “it was difficult to enjoy dinner”.
Del Bosque’s dismissal could no longer be prevented by their loyal protest. The coach was “more of a friend of the players,” as Roberto Carlos had already said. The loose leash with which Del Bosque motivated the stars, however, led to problems with his successors. With the departure of the future World and European Champion coach of the Spanish national team, the concept of the Galácticos revealed its first cracks.
Second Perez era with Cristiano Ronaldo
President Pérez continued to rely on big names and offensive spectacles. David Beckham and Michael Owen arrived while the central defensive checkpoint named Claude Makélélé was surrendered. Real refrained from signing Ronaldinho for marketing reasons.
Although the stars Figo, Beckham and Zidane in particular displayed professionalism, Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos in particular showed interests off the pitch. Parties and swanking were part of everyday life – at least on weekdays or after winning matches.