🚨🗣️ Ronald Koeman on Real Madrid's growing obsession with Barcelona transfer targets.
"Barcelona wanted Dumfries, then Madrid signed Dumfries.
Barcelona wanted Bernardo Silva, then Madrid signed Bernardo Silva.
Barcelona wanted Cucurella, then Real Madrid signed Cucurella.
Barcelona want Julián Álvarez and suddenly Real Madrid were ready to spend €150 million on him after years of showing no interest.
At some point you have to ask yourself: where is the recruitment plan? A club of Madrid's size should be leading the market, not reacting to what Barcelona are doing.
For many years they acted like they were above these things, only chasing their own targets. But now every player linked with Barcelona somehow ends up on Madrid's shortlist.
Maybe two seasons without major trophies changes the way you think. Maybe watching Barcelona rebuild and still compete at the highest level makes people nervous.
I'm not saying Madrid are copying Barcelona, but when the same pattern repeats over and over again, it starts to look less like coincidence and more like obsession."
🚨Thierry Henry slams Marc Cucurella’s reported €40M move to Real Madrid:
🗣️ “I have to be honest, I don’t understand this signing at all.
When I think about Real Madrid, I think about a club that signs players who improve the team immediately.
I don’t see that with Marc Cucurella.
He’s a decent player, but Real Madrid should be aiming much higher.
What exactly is he bringing that they don’t already have?
Who is he benching?
That’s the question nobody seems able to answer.
The bigger issue for me is that Real Madrid have more important areas to address.
The midfield should be the priority.
That is where they need fresh energy and long-term solutions.
Instead, they are spending significant money on players who don’t solve their biggest problems.
I look at some of the recent names linked with the club and I worry.
Real Madrid used to be the team everyone copied.
Now they are making decisions that leave people scratching their heads.
Forty million euros is a huge fee.
How can anyone honestly argue that Cucurella is worth that amount at this stage of his career?
For me, Real Madrid should be signing players who elevate the level of the squad.
I don’t see Cucurella changing the direction of the team.
I don’t see him making them favourites for major trophies.
And that’s why I don’t understand the logic behind the move.
Real Madrid are supposed to set standards.
This signing feels far below the standards that made the club the biggest in world football.”
{@MailSport }
🚨💣 Jamie Carragher blasts Real Madrid's "Barcelona obsession" after Bernardo Silva and Cucurella signings
🗣️: "At some point, people have to stop pretending this is a coincidence. Every time Barcelona identify a player, Real Madrid suddenly become interested too.
Barcelona wanted Bernardo Silva, and now Real Madrid have signed Bernardo Silva. Barcelona looked at Dumfries, and Madrid rushed to give a 30-year-old a long-term contract. Hansi Flick reportedly prefers Gvardiol, and suddenly Madrid are pushing for Gvardiol. Barcelona worked on Julian Alvarez, and Madrid responded with a ridiculous €150 million bid that they made sure the whole world knew about. Now Marc Cucurella has become another target the moment Barcelona showed interest.
This is not strategy; this is obsession.
The biggest clubs create their own path. They don't spend every summer looking over their shoulder to see what their rivals are doing. If your transfer policy is 'Whatever Barcelona want, we want too,' then maybe you don't have a real project at all.
I have seen rivalries all my life, but this goes beyond rivalry. It feels like some people in Madrid are more concerned about blocking Barcelona than building Real Madrid.
When a club starts defining itself through its rival, it has already forgotten what made it great in the first place."
I’m not mad that Barcelona did not sign Cucurella, I’m mad that a La Masia graduate signed for Real Madrid.
If you come through the academy, you know what the rivalry means. You know what the badge represents.
He’s a big snake. He should be booed in every El Clasico
🚨💣 Thierry Henry accuses Real Madrid of turning Barcelona's transfer targets into their own obsession
🗣️: "Sometimes I look at Real Madrid's transfer activity and I wonder if they are building their own project or simply following Barcelona's shopping list.
Barcelona wanted Bernardo Silva, and now Madrid want Bernardo Silva. Barcelona showed interest in Dumfries, and Madrid rushed to secure him. Hansi Flick reportedly prefers Gvardiol, and suddenly Madrid are pushing for Gvardiol too. Barcelona work on Julian Alvarez, then Madrid submit a €150 million bid and make sure everyone hears about it. Now the same thing is happening with Marc Cucurella.
Of course, clubs can like the same players. That is football. But when the same pattern repeats itself with Bernardo Silva, Dumfries, Gvardiol, Julian Alvarez and Cucurella, people start asking questions.
Real Madrid are one of the biggest clubs in history. They should be setting their own direction, not constantly appearing wherever Barcelona are trying to go. Sometimes it feels like their first objective is not signing the player for Madrid, but making sure Barcelona do not get him.
A great club builds its own project. If your transfer strategy starts looking like a reaction to your rival's plans, then maybe you have forgotten what made you great in the first place."
In 2002, after winning the World Cup with Brazil, Kaká didn't write about trophies, fame, or success.
He signed his locker with four simple words:
"Jesus, the only way."