Champions League final - Robben and Sneijder the Real Madrid rejects revelling at new clubs
When Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben walk out for the Champions League final on Saturday night, they could be excused for thinking they are wearing the famous white of Madrid. Why? Because the Bernabeu is this year’s venue, where this time last year both were key players in the Galácticos side that missed out on a third successive La Liga title.
It is the ultimate irony that often occurs and which makes football so great. Two players forced out the door by Real now find themselves competing for their current teams (Inter Milan and Bayern Munich) in the biggest club competition at their former home, with no sign of the club which pushed them away. The truth is, Real so desperately wanted an all-star side that could drive them to a 10th European Cup on home soil, they again took their eye off the team and put their hand in the chequebook. Cristiano Ronaldo (£80m,) Kaka (£56m) and Karim Benzema (£30m), contributing to a summer spending spree of £250m. However, it backfired, as their dream was demolished by Lyon in just the second round of this season’s Champions League and to top things off, they were beaten to the line by Barcelona in the league.
Real sold Sneijder to Inter last summer because too many attacking midfielders cluttered the squad - plus funds needed to be recuperated. Sneijder was far from a flop at Madrid, as the fans respected his brilliant guile and technical skill that added to the team. The Dutchman, won La Liga in 2008, made 87 appearances - scoring 17 goals and contributing 13 assists in two years at the club. These statistics seem average but Sneijder played a slightly deeper role than usual and won many plaudits in his ability to trigger attacks through his pinpoint passing. The ex-Ajax man is one of the most underrated players in European football and has shown Real’s loss has undoubtedly been Inter’s gain. The midfield general has been a revelation for Jose Mourinho’s treble chasing men with eight goals and 11 assists to his name. His eye-catching performances in the Champions League is one of the main reasons that the Nerazzurri have reached Saturdays showpiece.
This shows that given the belief by the Coach to go and influence games in the opposition half, Sneijder is a threat to every side in Europe, and someone the Spaniards must regret letting go for £13m - a snip of Kaka’s price.
After making the move from Stamford Bridge to the Bernabeu in 2007 Robben quickly established himself as one of the side’s key players. His electric pace and capability to beat any player helped Madrid to their last La Liga victory in 2008. The flying Dutchman scored 13 goals in 63 games for Real and despite no honours for the club in 2009, went from strength to strength and was immediately pointed out as the main threat by opposition managers. Come the summer, Real were splashing the cash and after the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo, Robben’s future looked bleak. In August 2009 he was shipped out to Bayern Munich for £20m - a move which dismayed him and the fans. The 26-year-old told goal.com: “It was a ridiculous situation at that time. They said only: ‘We want to sell you because we need money,’ but they have spent huge amounts.” Since the move, Robben hasn’t looked back, scoring 23 goals in 36 games and is a big contender for Player of the Year both domestically and in the Champions League.
It’s looking more and more as if Real’s summer overhaul has proved costly on more than one level. The huge amounts outlaid in order to bring in superstars such as the Ronaldo, Kaka and Benzema has only forced former big-money signings out the door. When will the aforementioned trio of star names go out of date? Will they too be shipped out when others stake their claim on the world stage, leading to another hefty summer spending spree? The chopping and changing of managers and players can only hurt a team, no matter how good the personnel coming in and out are. Stability is needed at the Bernabeu and until this is sorted, the Champions League victory in 2002 could well be their last.
This time its Robben and Sniejder who will have the last laugh, but there’s little chance of this being the last time a former star comes back to bite the hand that once fed them.
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