The ESPN Originals Galacticos series, which premieres in Latin America on Wednesday (17:00 Mexico on ESPN; 18:00 Colombia and 20:00 Argentina on ESPN3), recounts the rise and fall of that team that captured the world’s attention between 2000 and 2006. all eyes on football were on the Santiago Bernabéu stadium and its star collection
Florentino Pérez became president of Real Madrid on July 16, 2000 and nothing was the same at the white club.
Madrid won the eighth Champions League last season, after beating Valencia in the final, but a Florentino unknown since then believed that the entity needs something more.
Jorge Valdano, then sporting director of the white club, summarizes Florentino’s idea in one sentence in the new documentary “Galacticos” which will premiere on February 24 in ESPN. “We have a Rolls Royce in the dusty garage,” Florentino told Valdano.
Madrid signed Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo and David Beckham between the summer of 2000 and 2003 to undertake that revolution.. The idea was to mix the best stars in the world with home footballers like Raúl González, Guti or Iker Casillas.
Florentino kept all his transfer promises, but in February 2006 he resigned, leaving behind a scene that was not as successful as he had imagined.
In the early years, the club won two leagues, a Champions League, two Spanish Super Cups, a European Super Cup and an Intercontinental Cup.. In addition, in 2002 it was named the best team in world football, according to the annual club classification conducted by the IFFHS. However, since then, the team has lost its way and chained three seasons to forget.
2000/2001 season
Florentino Pérez signed Luis Figo after paying the 61 million euros of his termination clause in Barcelona.
Madrid, already with the Portuguese in their ranks, managed to win La Liga against Deportivo La Coruña, but their luck was very different in the rest of the competitions. He was eliminated by Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-finals, lost the Intercontinental Cup against Boca Juniors, fell in the European Super Cup against Galatasaray and was eliminated from the Copa del Rey by a Second B club like Toledo.
Titles: The League
2001/2002 season
Florentino started the season with the signing of Zinedine Zidane and ended it with the conquest of the Champions League, after defeating Bayer Leverkusen in the final, thanks to a goal for the history of his second Galactic. Similarly, Madrid won the Spanish Super Cup and the European Super Cup after defeating Zaragoza and Feyenoord, respectively.
However, that season also had a great mole with “El Centenariazo”. Madrid had high expectations of winning the Copa del Rey to celebrate its 100-year history. In addition, the final was played at the Santiago Bernabéu, but Deportivo de la Coruña won 1-2 and took the title in Galicia. In addition, the white team was third in La Liga, behind Valencia and Depor itself.
Titles: Champions League, Spanish Super Cup and European Super Cup.
2002/2003 season
It was the year Ronaldo Nazario landed. The former Barcelona striker was an old wish of Florentino Pérez and he signed after his brilliant participation in the World Cup in Korea and Japan.
Madrid won La Liga, by two points to Real Sociedad, and also won the Intercontinental Cup by beating Olimpia in Paraguay 2-0.
However, they fell in the Champions League semi-finals against Juventus and were eliminated from the Copa del Rey de Mallorca in the quarter-finals.
Titles: a League, an Intercontinental Cup, a Spanish Super Cup.
2003/2004 season
It was the season David Beckham arrived and also where the controversial departures of Vicente del Bosque, Fernando Hierro and Claude Makelele took place.
The coach had the support of the stands and the dressing room, but the entity decided to give up his services and appoint Carlos Queiroz as the new coach. The failure was historic and led to a year without titles.
Madrid defeated Mallorca in the Super Cup, but lost the Copa del Rey final to Zaragoza, finished La Liga in fourth place and suffered a disappointing elimination in the quarter-finals of the Champions League against Monaco’s Fernando Morientes.
Titles: Spanish Super Cup.
2004/05 season
Florentine signed another Golden Balloon as Michael Owen and opted for José Antonio Camacho to try to get Madrid back on track. The white club also strengthened the defense and midfield with Walter Samuel, Jonathan Woodgate and Thomas Gravesen, but the Spanish coach resigned three months after his arrival due to his differences with the white president.
Another man in the house like Mariano García Remón took the baton, but neither he nor his successor, the Brazilian Vanderla Luxemburg, managed to avoid a black season.
Madrid lost La Liga to Barcelona, lost to Valladolid in the Copa del Rey and were eliminated in the knockout stages of the Champions League against Juve.
Titles: 0
Season 20005/2006
It was Florentino’s last bullet and he decided to keep Luxembourg to try to regain stability. Robinho, Baptista, Diogo, Sergio Ramos, Pablo García, Antonio Cassano and Cicinho also arrived. The intention was to rejuvenate the team to put pressure on veterans and relax the egos in the locker room.
Luxembourg was fired in December, and López-Caro was promoted from Castilla to try a new transition. In February, after a defeat in Mallorca, Florentino resigned and ended his first spell at the white club.
Madrid closed its second consecutive season without titles. He lost again to Barcelona in La Liga, lost in the Cup semi-finals against Zaragoza and said goodbye to the Champions League after losing to Arsenal in the round of 16.
Titles: 0