The Duality Of Beckham And Ronaldinho : How A Collapsing Team Stood Up And The Ruling Team Collapsed

According to the Spanish tradition at the time, club presidential candidates promised to sign megastars in their team. Accordingly, Laporta's election promise to run for the presidency of Barcelona was to sign Beckham at Barca, In fact, it was known that he had a deal agreed with United already by then, and it would go through if he won. Beckham, the media hotcake at the time, was not at all interested in Barcelona after it's failure to qualify for the Champions League, but wanted to join their arch-rivals Real Madrid.

Florentino Perez who was dreaming of making an all star team, hijacked the transfer of the English captain. Media King Beckham was lured to the Los Blancos home for 25 million in 2003, and Beckham became the main weapon in marketing, advertising and selling jerseys in Madrid. Real Madrid made 10 million euros in 2003, playing friendly matches against Beijing, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Bangkok. In the 2005-06 season, Real Madrid became the club with the highest revenue in the world.

Due to star signings like Beckham the departure of one of the best defensive midfielders of the time, Makelele, couldn't steal much limelight. After his request for a salary increase was rejected by Perez. Perez also fired two-time Champions League-winning coach Vincente del Bosque. He was replaced by former Manchester United coach Carlos Queiroz, who was sacked just one season after spending a trophyless season with the team. Beckham, who was signed on to the marketing agenda, is a right winger, with Luis Figo already in the position. As a result, Beckham was forced to play in the central defensive midfield or Figo had to play in the left wing. Although Real is full of stars, they could not play well due to lack of team combination. Real Madrid back then had a 50% stake in Samuel Eto'o's contract while in Mallorca, but he was not bought by Real Madrid because Ronaldo Nazario and Raul were already there. Real Madrid bought Michael Owen in the same transfer window after not buying the promising Eto'o in Mallorca, who only lasted one season at the club. This is how the galactico that once dominated Europe fell from the next three seasons at Trophyless. They got knocked out from the 2004 UEFA Champions League quarter finals, from the second round in 2005 and 2006. But even before Beckham signed, Real Madrid had won the League in the 2000-01, 2002-03 seasons and the Champions League in the 2001-02 season. Perez resigned on February 26, 2006. The new president, Ramon Calderon, appointed Fabio Capello as coach, then benched Beckham for poor form, sparking controversy. He won La Liga for Madrid as he got playing time in the second half of the season, then left Madrid at the end of the season to join Major League Soccer.

Manchester United, meanwhile, were keen to bring in Ronaldinho to replace Beckham at the time. Board vice president Sandro Rosel had good relations with Brazilian football agents. He was able to persuade Ronaldinho to come to Barca. Ronaldinho was known for his outstanding performances in the 1999 and 2001 Copa America and his dazzling performances in the PSG. His performances at the 2002 World Cup alongside Rivaldo and Ronaldo have captivated everyone in the football world. When Rosel persuaded him, he promised to form a team centered on him. The incredibly talented young man joined Barcelona in 2003. Ronaldinho formed a wonderful pairing with Deco and Eto'o. Barcelona won the League in 2005. Ronaldinho helped them lift the long six years awaited trophy with more than 40 goals and assists, although it is impossible to compare his magical game with goal assists. He scored two goals in the 2005-06 season when Barca beat Madrid 3-0 at the Bernabeu. The most honorable thing is that he played so well throughout the match that he was greeted by fans at the Bernabeu after the second goal. Then in 2008 he won the Champions League. When Ronaldinho arrived in Barcelona in 2003, Barca was a falling team. One flop after another and the burden of debt became a curse for Barcelona. It starts with being trophyless. The team that has won six leagues in nine years is somehow fourth in the two subsequent seasons after 1999 and sixth in the 2002-03 season. There are no titles for the team, Cruyff's Dream Team was a dream for the Cules then. Madrid, on the other hand, was ruling Europe at the time. Beckham was not interested seeing Barca at the time, but was replaced by Ronaldinho. When he left the club four years later, Barca had established itself as one of Europe's superpowers, and Madrid's Galactico had collapsed. Ronaldinho, the pioneer of Barca's renaissance, was rejected by Perez because of his ugliness - which was later leaked by a Madrid board member. However, this has been a blessing in disguise for Barcelona. And while the Beckham transfer has benefited economically, it has been one of the biggest problems in Real Madrid's sporting area.