Mid-season is the time for introspection into the club’s activities
With the turn of the century came the new identities of Barcelona and Real Madrid. The eternal rivals created reputations for themselves as two contrasting clubs, with two polar ideologies and two absolutely different philosophies.
Barcelona created a reputation as a frugal-spending club, deciding to invest in youth players from the club’s famed academy, the La Masia. Big signings were seldom made, and players like Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto’o joined for reasonable fees. Barça were going for the long-term project. Joan Laporta could see at the end of the tunnel.
On the other hand, Real Madrid established themselves as the big-spending club. They signed Galácticos from all over the world, and built the core of their side with these players. Some of these players were the best in the world at the time, including players like David Beckham, Luís Figo, Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo.
These players initially brought them success, but slowly their effect started to fade. The growth of Barça’s youngsters coincided with the decline of the Galácticos. Laporta’s plan was coming to fruition just as Real Madrid were going through an extremely rough phase.
But the futures of both clubs took a turn in 2008. Barcelona fired Frank Rijkaard and Real Madrid hired Juande Ramos. The policies of both clubs were reinforced as Laporte continued on the path he had set for Barça and Florentino Pérez refused to reject his transfer policy.
The club hired Barcelona B manager and a member of Johan Cruyff’s ‘Dream Team’, Pep Guardiola as the manager. He used tiki-taka to perfection and conquered world football with La Masia graduates like Xavi, Andrés Iniesta, Sergio Busquets and of course, Lionel Messi.
On the other hand, Real Madrid continued to splash the cash on players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaká, Karim Benzema and Fábio Coentrão, with no result. They attained huge popularity, but always lost out to Barcelona on the major trophies.
After Guardiola left, Real Madrid started to compete, but still continued to spend big on players like Gareth Bale, James Rodríguez and Asier Illarramendi. On the other hand, the club promoted players like Sergi Roberto and Martin Montoya from the B squad.
But Barcelona became more reliant on big signings and the veteran stars than on fresh recruits. Signings like Neymar, Luis Suárez and Marc-André ter Stegen turned out to be inspirational, but talents like Álex Grimaldo, Thiago and Gerard Deulofeu were ignored.
Regardless, Luis Enrique led the club to a treble in 2014-15 after a spell of dominance by Los Blancos. Then, he followed it up with a domestic double the next season, and only the cup in the next. But youth talents were still being ignored, and Real Madrid started to promote players like Marco Asensio, Jesús Vallejo and Lucas Vázquez.
It culminated in the last season under Luis Enrique. The club’s intentions became clear as the management chased after players like Philippe Coutinho and Marco Verratti instead of promoting Carles Aleñá.
The club also signed players like Arda Turan and André Gomes, who have turned out to be absolute flops. On the other hand, Real Madrid started doing what Barcelona did in the early 2000s, build a team from scratch.
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And now, it is looking like both the club have exchanged roles in world football. Barcelona are gaining popularity, and will have a successful season. But is a season of success, or even 4 seasons of success, worth €324 million?
The answer is no, as Johan Cruyff, Pep Guardiola and Luis Enrique have proved.
Are short-term goals so important that the club can allow Real Madrid to quietly creep past and set themselves up as the club of the future? The answer is no
Do players like Carles Aleñá, Marc Cucurella, José Arnaiz and Sergi Palencia deserve the treatment they’re getting, considering how Marco Asensio and Lucas Vázquez were treated in Madrid?
The answer is no, as Lionel Messi has proved.
We, the Barça fans, will love the next few seasons. Players like Lionel Messi, Ousmane Dembélé, Philippe Coutinho and Samuel Umtiti will dazzle us and win the club many trophies. But the question is, what happens after that?
What happens when Lionel Messi starts to decline, when Gerard Piqué is no longer the same player, and when Sergio Busquets is not good enough to start anymore?
The talented players in the youth academy will leave the club if they are treated the way they have been, and then, the prestige of La Masia will decrease, and it will no longer attract the best players. The future of the club is looking darker as each day passes.
Next: Barcelona vs Eibar : Expected Starting XI
Is Josep Maria Bartomeu leading the club to its doom? Is Barcelona truly turning into Real Madrid?