Liverpool never planned on selling Xabi Alonso, but in the end the Reds couldn't fight off Real Madrid.
One of the lengthier transfer sagas of the summer concluded on Tuesday with Liverpool agreeing to sell the Spanish international to Real Madrid for £30 million ($50.76 million).
For those who have lost track of everyone Real Madrid has brought in, here is the team's list of summer acquisitions:
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Cristiano Ronaldo
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Kaka
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Karim Benzema
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Xabi Alonso
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Raul Albiol
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Alvaro Arbeloa
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Alvaro Negredo
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Esteban Granero
The total cost for that haul? Try around £220 million ($372 million).
WOW.
North American soccer fans will be getting a close look at that exensive collection of talent this weekend when Real Madrid takes on Toronto FC on Friday at BMO Field and D.C. United at Fex Ex Field on Sunday.
What do you think of Alonso joining Real Madrid? Do you think Madrid has done enough to unseat Barcelona as Spain's top club? Think the team is still lacking a strong central defender? Looking forward to seeing Real Madrid play MLS teams this weekend?
Share your thoughts below.
I sort of think people should keep the “this is getting unfair” comments to a minimum. Who can tell if all these guys will even fit together with each other?
What is worse? Real Madrid or RB Leipzig?
The problem with City or even Chelsea for that matter is that they really didn’t earn their money. They basically lucked into an incredibly wealthy owner, and are now able to compete solely due to buying players who want more money. As a United fan, I completely understand why lots of people do not like them, but they gradually built an “empire” over time. When Ferguson came on board, they were not a good team, and he was almost fired early on. Some of their best players, and the core team that made them great in the 90’s were home-grown (Giggs, Scholes, the Nevilles, Butt, Beckham). Of course they have spent a lot of money on players, and too much in many cases, but some of them were failures. Just about every major team is guilty of spending a lot of money on big name players. However, they also spend their money well (Ronaldo anyone?). I’m glad United doesn’t take players that only want money, and the players stay because they want to. It certainly hasn’t hurt them in the past letting go of any player who was a problem. They are without question one of the most, if not the most successful team of the past twenty years. And for the record, Hargreaves played a significant role in his first season, and he did start in the CL final. With that said, he hasn’t played enough due to injury of course, but someone said he hasn’t played a single game, which is completely untrue…
I sure hope so Dman!!!
they’ll choke just like the old group
Salary cap for football??? what a joke. the big clubs practically control the leagues – look at the fixture lists and who gets the breaks. The leagues need the big clubs to remain successful because where do you think everyone else makes their money???
$300 million! No problem for Real. They’ll just sell a useless city block in Madrid to the city of Madrid for $400 million. Seriously! Ever since Franco, Real has had an unfair(and fishy) financial advantage. Whether it be sketchy loans from banks or city or federal backing. I doubt any other team in Spain or for that matter the World could get the loans Real got in this financial climate!
Just out of curiosity, how will this affect the team’s finances?
People speak of how much money Real brings in, but does that mean they are profitable? Aren’t they $500 million in debt already? Won’t adding another $350 Million just drain their resources?
I know these are all great players but will they bring in any additional television revenues? Will they increase ticket prices to account for the transfer fees? Will they truly sell that many more jerseys in China?
These expendatures would be insane even in a good economic environment.
Two words: Salary Cap. This is completely out of control. Somebody needs to put an end to this madness.
How RM set up their team is going to be interesting. To fit Ronaldo, Kaka, Xabi, Lass into the team you need to play 4-2-3-1. Im not sure that will satisfy their fans who will want 2 strikers (Raul and Benzema) Its going to get interesting with their defense who is still not good enough to win the CL.
Maybe you play
-Ramos–Pepe–Albiol–Arbeloa
——–Xabi——-Lass
–Sneijder—-Kaka—–Ronaldo
————–Raul
Benzema-Raul/Ronaldo
Robben-Sneijder
If they don’t go 4-2-3-1 I see no way they have enough bite in midfield.
Their problem is going to be getting playing time to keep everyone happy. Van de Vart already wants to leave, Huntelaar is out the door, Nagredo won’t be happy sitting on the bench, neither will Granero, Guti, Gago, Marcelo.
I honestly think you could see a bit of a meltdown from alot of these players with a mid season fire sale for less than some players are worth. Remember its a world cup year.
And when they fail, and go bankrupt, they will get bailed out like the banks and Detroit, rather than suffering for their transgressions, to serve as a dire warning to all those others who might otherwise be as profilgate.
Really, where is the reward in being responsible?
“As a fan of the team, I get it. I don’t cuss and yell when the Yankees overpay everyone to make sure they get Sabathia, Burnett, Texeria, and re-up A-Rod all in the same period of time. It’s part of the non-capped game. If Real hadn’t won all their earlier titles, they wouldn’t have the prestige and money they have now, it’s simple. They’ve earned the right to spend this much, quite literally.”
every team in the MLB profits off of the Yankees though, wayyy different
corretion .. that is Kaka or Ronaldo as a support striker.
Why oh why is everyone hating on City???
ALL of the “big” clubs spend massive amounts on players. That is nothing new. We saw this with the first set of galacticos in the early nineties, with Chelsea, Liverpool buying Torres, 19 million for Robbie F–cking keane… please. Man u – what was it, 30 million for Veron and 20 million pounds for Owen Hargreaves, who hasn’t even played a game?
everyone one gives all of these teams a pass because “they are in the champions league”. I guess no other club should ever have a shot at breaking into the upper echelons and winning anything, which REQUIRES massive investment in players… just look at Aston Villa – they don’t have the money, so they will NEVER break into the top 4. Same goes for everton – but they DO have more money than the bottom half, so they will always be ahead on players than the rest.
People blame City for wanting to win???? seriously. get a grip – players were commanding stupid fees ten years ago… get over it. its modern football.
And regarding Madrid, they have to have their four best midfielders on the fiels – Lassana Diara, Kaka, Alonso, and Ronaldo – although I could definitely see them playing one of Kaka and Alonso alongside Benzema as a striker.
Y’all are acting like this has never happened before. Galacticos anyone? Football will return back to earth eventually.
hmm, never heard of any of these guys, one them seems to be named poop…
Honestly though, I would feel dirty rooting for them… Certainly will watch em every chance I get though.
I’m not sure I understand buying Arbeloa, he’s slow, a mediocre defender and crosser, and he’s not particularly young (26, probably not going to improve much)It was like they had to take some of Liverpool’s dead wood in order to get their most important player. Ramos is their best defender, and he plays the RB spot. I know not everyone likes Marcelo and Drenthe at LB, but they’re both fast and young, so there’s potential there for great improvement from last season. Metzelder is slow, old, and clumsy, he should just be cover at the CB spot.
All that said, here’s what they could play to get their best players on the field:
—Benzema—Raul—–
—–Kaka——-Ronaldo-
—–Lass—Xabi—–
Drenthe———Ramos
—–Albiol–Pepe—–
——-Casillas——-
Kaka stays central, Benzema has a tendency to push wide. Drenthe provides left side width, Lass covers for his defensive deficiencies.
Ronaldo and Ramos should combine well on the right and Ramos and Xabi should be able to do enough defending to cover for Crissy.
They could definitely win a lot of games, but Casillas, Pepe, and Albiol need to have as all-star season.
———-casillas————-
ramos—pepe–albiol–arbeloa–
——alonso——-guti——–
————-kaka————–
–ronaldo————-higuain–
————Benzema————
Someone asked for a Real Madrid starting XI so here goes one from a Merengues faithful. Also, this is for regular season, not DC United game, which I’m going to!
4-2-3-1
Casillas-S.Ramos_Pepe*_Albiol_Arbeloa-Lass_X.Alonso-Ronaldo_Kaka_Robben/Sneijder-Benzema
*Pepe will be suspended for the first 5 games next season so Metzelder or Garay, and even Mahamadou Diarra if he stays, will start at CB.
I HATE REal City!
When should we start our countdown for the EUFA Super League and the end of credible domestic leagues?
I’m thoroughly disgusted by what Real Madrid (and Manchester City) have done this summer. Here’s hoping that they have a divisive, injury-riddled campaign, allowing Barca to repeat.
Yes, I support Liverpool. Yes, I’m angry.
I thought the Alvaro Negredo was just out on loan.
As a fan of the team, I get it. I don’t cuss and yell when the Yankees overpay everyone to make sure they get Sabathia, Burnett, Texeria, and re-up A-Rod all in the same period of time. It’s part of the non-capped game. If Real hadn’t won all their earlier titles, they wouldn’t have the prestige and money they have now, it’s simple. They’ve earned the right to spend this much, quite literally.
Somebody wants a Starting XI?
—————Raul—-Benzema————-
Robben————-Kaka————-Ronaldo
—————-Lass/Alonso—————-
Arbeloa——Albiol——Pepe——–Ramos
—————–Casillas—————–
That is a lot of expectations and egos to manage. This will either fail miserably due to lack of team chemistry or be an overwhelming success. The question is are any of these guys willing to take a backseat as individuals for the good of the team. I just don’t see Ronaldo being happy here if the offense doesn’t completely run through him like it did at Man U and something tells me this will be Kaka’s team more than Ronaldo.
I think the Yankees are the Real Madrid of baseball, but with more titles in the last decade. Never understood the rationale of the spending argument. Since when is it a crime for a business owner to improve one’s business by spending money? Sounds downright crazy, doesn’t it?
I can’t wait for the La Liga 09/10 season. It will be an epic season. If Madrid doesn’t make it to the final four in the Champs league, and a contender for La Liga title till the final week, then the year will be a waste. They have the front six to pull a Barca c. 2008-2009 offensively, but can they hold their own defensively?
Real Madrid will suffer this year because of a lack of team chemistry. Just like Man City will flop. Man City has no pedigree of winning anything and just by spening for some silly players doesn’t make them instant contenders.
Same goes for Real – Barca will return the exact same team minus Eto, who will be sorely missed over slow and moody Ibrahimovic…
i actually find it interesting and exciting to see how this will all play out and am very much looking forward to watching their games. i can’t imagine this wouldn’t be enough to overtake barca, as rm wasn’t that far off last year and they obviously made an enormous upgrade.
would love to see rm finish the offseason by landing maicon.
I hope they drown in the sea of debt they have created. Or, to mix metaphors, I hope they choke on blood when their books start hemorraghing.
First off, I’d like to say as a United fan, I’m glad that Alonso is leaving Liverpool. If Mascherano leaves, then they will definitely revert back to their old selves (i.e., not realistically challenging for the title). Second, the problem with Real Madrid spending such insane amounts of money is that they are doing it all at once. At least during the first “Galactico” era, they bought those players over three or four seasons. I certainly understand to win championships you need the best players, and buying them sure helps, but this is a bit extreme. It’s pretty damn ridiculous what they are doing, and this would be the defition of buying a title in my opinion. Another thing I find interesting is that everyone complains that the EPL has the “Big Four” and it’s boring, but in Spain, there is a clear-cut “Big Two”. It’s not as severe as Scotland, but what team honestly has a chance to win the La Liga besides Real or Barca? Even all the other teams admit it. It’s much more unfair than the EPL I think, and no one really mentions it too much. I would think that a title race over a whole season between four or five teams is much more exciting then between two…
WOW the NEW YORK YANKEE’s of soccer have struck again!
This spending is nowhere near Chelsea. Hate them both as a Gunners fan. Who will play CB for Arsenal this year? Subotic? No.
Senderos? No. Don’t tell me Djourou.
I’m just happy my Bayern boys had the sense to hold onto Ribery. Xabi Alonso is worth more than 30 mil pounds compared to some of these other jokers getting that money…
Like most Liverpol fans, Xabi will always be remembered in my mind falling over after putting the rebound in against Milan. Instant Kop legend. Rafa needs to take that money and hijack the Arsenal deal for Daniele DeRossi. Its him, not Aquilani, who is a 30 million pound player. And unlike Xabi, he can make a proper tackle. You basically get a Gerrard type midfielder and keep Stevie G up top. Sounds like a logical deal to me, which means it probably won’t get done
Liverpool’s 2009-2010 chances are now gone. Alonso was the unhearalded midfield glue. Torres and Gerard need to pray they are both healthy and in good form for at least 34 games this year for them to have a chance.
Is it an utter failer if they don’t win La Liga and/or CL this year?
Too bad money doesn’t buy team chemistry. They really think they can compete with Barca. We all saw last year when RM tried to go toe to toe with Barca. If one does not remember it was a complete embarrassment. I’m just wondering who they plan on using to stop Messi and Ibra. Oh yeah how about Henry, Xavi n the white ghost… Maybe transform Benzema to a centerback… Haha
the flip side is this puts a huge dent in Liverpool’s chances. Sucks. I’m not a liverpool fan–but would like to see a good race in the Prem.
can someone take a stab at Real’s staring XI
While I’m no fan of the insane levels of spending, can someone explain the idea of “buying a championship” as a negative? Isn’t that the entire point of professional sports? You buy the best players you can get to win the title. After watching Barca last year, spending $300M to catch up sounds about right.
None of y’all hating on RM better be Chelsea fans, cuz that would be the pot calling the kettle black.
I think it’s criminal.
Ramos, Albiol, Metzelder, Arbeloa.
Only weak when you look at how awesome their midfield and attack will be. They still have Casillas back there.
It’s monopoly money–if Real can’t pay back its loans in time, they’re in no real danger.
No bank in Spain will want to be known as the bank that ruined Real.
Franco has been replaced by Banco.
At least Real is in the champions league and spending, City isnt even in Europa and spending like mad. Craziness.
Their defense still stinks, at least relative to their reinforced offensive prowess.
Unbelievable…where are they getting the money? The banks who are loaning to them are either crazy or drnking the Real kool-aid in gallons.
I also think this is absurd in that they are buying champiosnships and just might become the villians of world football. People after a while become turned off as they see no sense of fairness in this whole deal.
I feel sorry for the fans who are going to have to pay an absurd amount to cover that salary structure. Wow, talk about an ownership out of control……….
um…wow. i think it’s safe to say RM just finished acquiring one of the best midfields ever (on paper at least) they have it all. offensive brilliance, distribution and an enforcer.
Ok this is getting stupid now…
Sad to see him go. We will always love you Xabi!
Real Madrid exemplify everything I hate about the sport. Here’s to another Barca title in 09-10!