There are times when you have to stand back and look at Real Madrid with wonder.
They won the Copa Del Rey last year, and the prized decima—their tenth Champions League crown. They finished just three points shy of the La Liga title—a timely block and a favourable bounce away from winning the treble and being unquestionably the year’s best football team.
Two months later, they’re dropping over €100 million on new talent, just to cover the one-inch gap that stands between them and that complete glory. First it was Toni Kroos, from Bayern Munich’s midfield to Madrid’s for €30 million. Now it’s a reported €80 million for wunderkind James Rodriguez, making him the fourth-most expensive footballer ever.
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Rodriguez is a big addition, but not quite in the way World Cup watchers may think. He had a breakout in Brazil, to be sure, but his six goals in four games there is hardly consistent with the nine goals he bagged in 30 games for AS Monaco last season. Rodriguez is more of a playmaker than a finisher in his club career. He led Ligue 1 in assists last season, and was top three in key passes and through balls per game.
If manager Carlo Anceotti can find a system that links the 23-year-old effectively with Real’s three-pronged attack—Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema—the reigning European champions will reap a huge harvest of goals.
His addition, then, comes with a question—why? He’s an excellent player, young and in-form. But is he the player Real need for €80 million?
Los Blancos scored 104 goals last year, leading La Liga. Real signed Kroos for his deep-lying playmaking and his threat from distance, and Angel Di Maria showed superb creative abilities in leading La Liga with 17 assists last season. Meanwhile Bale, Ronaldo and Benzema combined for 63 goals last year, and 30 assists, proving that their three-part act is very much in harmony.
Beyond that there’s Isco and Jese, and Luka Modric’s creative talents at hand. With all this depth, why pony up near-record cash for more? Moreover, why force a tactical shift to accommodate a natural number 10? (If, indeed, that’s what Ancelotti will do—Rodriguez is best behind the striker, but can play across midfield.)
In part it’s a statement of intent from Real, meant for the ears of old enemy—Barcelona—and last year’s Spanish champions, Atletico Madrid. It says “We’re coming back stronger.” It recognizes that last year was one title short of complete. Such are the standards at the Bernabeu.
Real will sense an opportunity this season. Barca’s big signing so far is Luis Suarez (who, at a reported €75 million, is the third-biggest signing in history), but he’s banned from even training with the team until November. On top of that Neymar is recovering from a broken back, and is unlikely to be fit for the start of the season. Atletico, meanwhile, have seen several key players from last season—Diego Costa, David Villa, Thibaut Courtois, Felipe Luis, Adrian—leave. New signings haven’t quite filled the gaps, and Atletico’s title-winning chemistry may be gone already.
The early season, then, is Real’s to take. Signing Rodriguez shows how much they intend to just that.
Beyond the stats and tactics and immediate demands of the upcoming season, signing Rodriguez makes sense for Real Madrid because he just is Real Madrid. A life-long fan, he plays the kind of flashy, slick game that Real have made their name on. He’s that golden boy, that easy-to-idolize hyper-popular young superstar that Real can grow with.
For that, they need him: Ronaldo will hit 30 years old this season, and when he does he’ll no longer be the future of the team. No matter how undiminished his skills or how prolific his stats from here out, he’s on the downslope and the organization will have to prepare for the day he’s gone. Not only on the field, but in the imagination. Ronaldo the veteran doesn’t capture the imagination like Ronaldo the goalscorer in his prime. Attackers don’t often age well, and it’s hard to see Ronaldo playing the role of the well-loved veteran a la Pirlo or Xavi.
Rodriguez—still just 23—has the star quality to pick up where Ronaldo will eventually leave off. Heck, the two even look alike. (Pity Isco, then, once the golden boy to be, now apparently behind Rodriguez in that fickle pecking order.)
But first things first. The World Cup is over, the La Liga season is ahead. It’s on Rodriguez to show that he’s worth the staggering sum Real paid for him. It’s on him to show that he can mesh with his teammates—whoever they may be by the time the transfer window closes. It’s on him to prove that he can be the one to push Real Madrid that one inch forward to total domination.
Because it’s clear that anything less won’t be good enough.
