Leo_Messi
New member
Great news for La Liga and our rivalry. A Mourinho return would have been insufferable.
Zidane can only disappoint compared to his first stint as there is zero chance of him coming close to his past achievements given that RM's by far most important player in C. Ronaldo is gone, Modric will turn 34 this summer, Marcelo 31 in a few weeks time and looks done and dusted and Ramos will turn 33 this month and is already declining. Benzema will turn 32 this year, Kroos is no longer a youngster either and most likely has his best seasons behind him as well. Only Varane, Isco and Carvajal are in their supposed prime of the "old guard" that were crucial for their most recent successful period under Zidane.
Other than Vinicius (whose future is a complete unknown and depends on who RM decides to buy to compete with him and whether or not Zidane will show as much trust in him and if not how that will impact his future) I don't see many if any truly promising talents in their squad.
Buying a 28.5 year old Hazard who never was a goalscorer and likely never will be (most likely with his best seasons behind him too) is not really a "scary" prospect. Can't see them signing the likes of Mbappé or Neymar either anytime soon.
Changes in the football world occur quickly and it is an incredibly unpredictable sport but as written last week, after RM losing/exiting all 3 trophies left to fight for within 1 week, 2 of them directly due to us, I think that RM are bound for a few years of rebuilding. They might win 1 or 2 league titles (if lucky) before 2022 (if Zidane stays for his entire contract length) but I would be surprised if they would win more or even the CL in that period. Could be totally wrong, though. Just a feeling based on experience and having seen what usually occurs at the two Spanish giants post extremely or very successful periods. The last 10 years have been an anomaly on this front given the likes of Messi and C. Ronaldo playing for both clubs. Was/is easier to built new teams with them around.
Zidane can only disappoint compared to his first stint as there is zero chance of him coming close to his past achievements given that RM's by far most important player in C. Ronaldo is gone, Modric will turn 34 this summer, Marcelo 31 in a few weeks time and looks done and dusted and Ramos will turn 33 this month and is already declining. Benzema will turn 32 this year, Kroos is no longer a youngster either and most likely has his best seasons behind him as well. Only Varane, Isco and Carvajal are in their supposed prime of the "old guard" that were crucial for their most recent successful period under Zidane.
Other than Vinicius (whose future is a complete unknown and depends on who RM decides to buy to compete with him and whether or not Zidane will show as much trust in him and if not how that will impact his future) I don't see many if any truly promising talents in their squad.
Buying a 28.5 year old Hazard who never was a goalscorer and likely never will be (most likely with his best seasons behind him too) is not really a "scary" prospect. Can't see them signing the likes of Mbappé or Neymar either anytime soon.
Changes in the football world occur quickly and it is an incredibly unpredictable sport but as written last week, after RM losing/exiting all 3 trophies left to fight for within 1 week, 2 of them directly due to us, I think that RM are bound for a few years of rebuilding. They might win 1 or 2 league titles (if lucky) before 2022 (if Zidane stays for his entire contract length) but I would be surprised if they would win more or even the CL in that period. Could be totally wrong, though. Just a feeling based on experience and having seen what usually occurs at the two Spanish giants post extremely or very successful periods. The last 10 years have been an anomaly on this front given the likes of Messi and C. Ronaldo playing for both clubs. Was/is easier to built new teams with them around.
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