Real Madrid - A big club? (Warning: may contain dog pictures)

[Neil Young]

Of course.

[Craig_H]

Ok, I'll try to explain it clearer. Based on the assumption (which does indeed happens to be true if I include the fact they can sign a £56m player and alternatively Club accounts which come out every year) that they are the 'richest' club in world football, the one with the most 'resources' available to them to buy the 'best' players.

Based on these facts, my point is:

• They aren't expected to be doing as badly as they are currently in their respective competitions.
• There is no excuse for their current failure on the pitch this season and the seasons before.
• They are managed by 'knee jerks' acting as president who use the 'easiest' of options of buying all the 'best and most recognizable' talent everywhere.
• All the above insults the capabilities of their scouting system and all relevant structure such as Young player development etc ...

Concisely, this means that all things being equal and with all those resources, they can't be classed as a great club as they should have had a clean sweep of trophies. You can excuse clubs punching above their weight, not those which can nitpick the best players around, yet still fail to produce a competitive team.

They've won 9 European cups yes, but that's in the past.

And 4 of our 5 are in the past too. Do they not matter either?

Nobody would sensibly and seriously claim that Real Madrid arent a huge and great club. They may be a shambles and run stupidly, but they're enormous, no club in the world is bigger.

[murder_inc]

And 4 of our 5 are in the past too. Do they not matter either?

Nobody would sensibly and seriously claim that Real Madrid arent a huge and great club. They may be a shambles and run stupidly, but they're enormous, no club in the world is bigger.

Besides Liverpool Football Club

[Guest]

And 4 of our 5 are in the past too. Do they not matter either?

Nobody would sensibly and seriously claim that Real Madrid arent a huge and great club. They may be a shambles and run stupidly, but they're enormous, no club in the world is bigger.

I think we were 'a shambles' too up to when Rafa took charge. It's been a hard slog for him to change mentalities and still, 5 years in the job for his blueprint to be rubber stamped.

Yes Madrid are a great club, but I can't see why they boast to be the biggest club still, when they're just buying the best players around just by using their sheer financial resources. Same has been said about Man. Utd & Chelsea in the past, at the way they've 'bought' their way to success.

It's doing things the proper way, like Barca and us which differentiates the truly great clubs from the 'great but not so great ones' after all. Real has got prestige, just like Man. Utd, that's all. Everything else is a big vacuum IMO.

[Neil Young]

I think we were 'a shambles' too up to when Rafa took charge. It's been a hard slog for him to change mentalities and still, 5 years in the job for his blueprint to be rubber stamped.

Yes Madrid are a great club, but I can't see why they boast to be the biggest club still, when they're just buying the best players around just by using their sheer financial resources. Same has been said about Man. Utd & Chelsea in the past, at the way they've 'bought' their way to success.

It's doing things the proper way, like Barca and us which differentiates the truly great clubs from the 'great but not so great ones' after all. Real has got prestige, just like Man. Utd, that's all. Everything else is a big vacuum IMO.

IMO you can sensibly apply the word 'big' to football clubs in a number of ways:

1. Turnover. Club as business - as distinct from team, squad, etc. Real Madrid have the biggest turnover of any football club in the world.
2. Trophies/success. Club as competitor for trophies. This can be subdivided into:
   a. Historical success. Real Madrid are clearly the most successful in the most prestigious club competition in world football, the European Cup/Champions League. They are also have the best record in the other major competitions they enter: domestic league and cup.
   b. Current. OK, so they haven't won anything this year. Or for a couple of seasons (or whatever it is). However if you use this definition then I think it lacks any tangible meaning. If Everton had won the FA Cup would that really have made them a "bigger club" than Liverpool or Chelsea?
3. That's it.

I think there's an excellent case for them claiming to be "the biggest club in the world."

Certainly only an idiot would claim Real Madrid aren't a big club.

[MrsB]

Real Madrid are the biggest football club in the world. End of.

[Guest]

IMO you can sensibly apply the word 'big' to football clubs in a number of ways:

1. Turnover. Club as business - as distinct from team, squad, etc. Real Madrid have the biggest turnover in the world.
2. Trophies/success. Club as competitor for trophies. This can be subdivided into:
   a. Historical success. Real Madrid are clearly the most successful in the most prestigious club competition in world football, the European Cup/Champions League. They are also have the best record in the other major competitions they enter: domestic league and cup.
   b. Current. OK, so they haven't won anything this year. Or for a couple of seasons (or whatever it is). However if you use this definition then I think it lacks any tangible meaning. If Everton had beaten Chelsea would that really have made them a "bigger club" than Liverpool or Chelsea?
3. That's it.

Only an idiot would claim Real Madrid aren't a big club.

Where did I say that they were not a big club, FFS, you intellectual knobs.

At this point in time they are merely a team struggling and which has sacked loads of managers, like in a merry go round.

I have actually said that they were NOT the biggest club in Spain at the moment. Look back at my post replying to Tee.

Then, I've got a different set of criteria for defining who's the biggest. I feel it's harder for a club to thrive, for example Barcelona, especially as they aren't known to be spending loads of money on buying superstars. They do it occasionally, the last one being Thierry Henry and who was the wrong side of his twenties. Samuel Eto' was 24 when he signed for them and he became the player he is after joining Barcelona.

At least acknowledge that there is ground for relativity in such a discussion, rather than riling me with the idiot label. I thought I was speaking to Craig_H there, with his usual pedantic way and 'I know all' style of posting.

I'm off for today. Good day.

[Neil Young]

And good day to you, sir.

[Roboklopp]

IMO you can sensibly apply the word 'big' to football clubs in a number of ways:

1. Turnover. Club as business - as distinct from team, squad, etc. Real Madrid have the biggest turnover of any football club in the world.
2. Trophies/success. Club as competitor for trophies. This can be subdivided into:
   a. Historical success. Real Madrid are clearly the most successful in the most prestigious club competition in world football, the European Cup/Champions League. They are also have the best record in the other major competitions they enter: domestic league and cup.
   b. Current. OK, so they haven't won anything this year. Or for a couple of seasons (or whatever it is). However if you use this definition then I think it lacks any tangible meaning. If Everton had won the FA Cup would that really have made them a "bigger club" than Liverpool or Chelsea?
3. That's it.

I think there's an excellent case for them claiming to be "the biggest club in the world."

Certainly only an idiot would claim Real Madrid aren't a big club.

Aye, altho global support is also a factor. Just look at Newcastle for example.

[Craig_H]

I think we were 'a shambles' too up to when Rafa took charge. It's been a hard slog for him to change mentalities and still, 5 years in the job for his blueprint to be rubber stamped.

I only think we're a shambles off the pitch, in terms of directors, owners, chief executives etc. Quite what this has to do with Real Madrid being a big, great club, i dont know.

Yes Madrid are a great club, but I can't see why they boast to be the biggest club still, when they're just buying the best players around just by using their sheer financial resources. Same has been said about Man. Utd & Chelsea in the past, at the way they've 'bought' their way to success.

You seem unsure as to whether or not Madrid are a great club:

Concisely, this means that all things being equal and with all those resources, they can't be classed as a great club as they should have had a clean sweep of trophies.

So which is it? Are they a great club or arent they? You're coming across as a bit contradictory here.

And as far as their boasting, they're the biggest club in the world, they're full of prestige, glamour and history, they've had iconic players over the years, the most successful club on the planet and nobody anywhere would struggle to know of Real Madrid and be able to tell you something about them. They're a legendary club and a name which always sits on European football's top table. I cant honestly think of anyone who'd argue that they're the biggest club in the world. Except you and some deluded Man Utd fans.

It's doing things the proper way, like Barca and us which differentiates the truly great clubs from the 'great but not so great ones' after all. Real has got prestige, just like Man. Utd, that's all. Everything else is a big vacuum IMO.

You cant put Chelsea in the same sentence as Madrid, Man Utd, Barca and us, when it comes to 'doing things the proper way'. It's an absurdity.

Barca, Madrid, United and us are all huge clubs and 'proper' clubs, who do things properly. All four have been self sufficient and have continuously been able to benefit from self generated revenues. Chelsea are completely different and are a chasm away from being remotely in the same league, when it comes to being a big club.

I have no idea where you get your ideas and views from, but each to their own. You can probably see by the volume of disagreement with your points, just how off the mark you are.

Real Madrid are the biggest club in the world, and it seems to be agreed that this is pretty much unquestionable.

[Rich]

Dani Alves obviously wasn't a big signing last summer then!

[Guest]

Can anyone tell where Madrid get all their money for funding these big money deals? In these tough economic times god knows who finances them. **** all to do with their history of winning trophies. They work so hard destabilizing clubs by going public about who they want to buy. Glamorous for a club that big.

[dww]

Can anyone tell where Madrid get all their money for funding these big money deals? In these tough economic times god knows who finances them. **** all to do with their history of winning trophies. They work so hard destabilizing clubs by going public about who they want to buy. Glamorous for a club that big.

They get huge revenue from the likes of TV and the last Galacticos era was paid for by increasing this streams and vast debt. Assuming that they won't be bailed out again then you have to assume they are looking to do a number of summers business in one and hope that they reap rewards on and off the pitch. I guess in an era when the likes of Manchester City may come in and buy stars that under perform off them then they are in a stronger position than previously.

[red g]

Can anyone tell where Madrid get all their money for funding these big money deals? In these tough economic times god knows who finances them. **** all to do with their history of winning trophies. They work so hard destabilizing clubs by going public about who they want to buy. Glamorous for a club that big.

the king, the government, big companies who likes to help corrupt regimes

[Guest]

Just picked that up from Jose Segura's interview. Hmm, interesting.

“It is curious because Madrid have a bigger pool from which to choose from than Barcelona and they always have great players. But that is precisely it: Madrid is a factory of individuals but you need to define the philosophy of the club.”