A match that the madridismo did not want to see

BarcelonaFootball historians recall that Real Madrid truly came into its own in the 1950s thanks to the European Cup. That newly created tournament prospered at a time when the Old Continent was still rebuilding after the Second World War. It was also a time when the Spanish national team was better known for its failures than its successes — with the exception of the '64 Eurocup, held precisely in Spain—. So the Franco regime was happy for the Madrid club, winner of the first five editions, to establish itself as an ambassador for the country internationally. It was still a winning team that, in the domestic First Division competition, would also rack up League titles.

Today things have changed a lot. Madrid has continued to win titles, but Spain is now a formidable team. In 2008, it broke a long historical bad streak by winning its second Eurocup. Since then, it has achieved a Nations League title (2023), two more Eurocups (2012 and 2024), and a World Cup (2010). But these successes have not always been well received by Madrid fans, because they have been linked to a style of play closer to Barça – fond of possession and attacking football – than to what is practiced at the Bernabéu, strictly results-oriented. In fact, the 2008 Eurocup came after a highly controversial decision by the coach, Luis Aragonés, who left Raúl, the insignia of Real Madrid, out of the squad.

Sunday, Spain is once again in a position to win another World Cup. And, once again, they will be able to achieve it with a team that breathes Barcelonismo in the squad (Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Dani Olmo, Pau Cubarsí, Gavi, Eric Garcia and Joan Garcia) and in the way of playing on the field. A team where Madrid would have no representative if it weren't for Florentino Pérez hastily closing the signing of Marc Cucurella (trained at La Masia) on the very day the Spanish national team was playing the first match of the tournament.

In the corridors of the Bernabéu, they admit without hesitation that, in general terms, Florentino is not at all concerned about the Spanish national team. That the president believes that the great ambassador of Spain remains his Madrid and not la roja, and therefore has no qualms about building a starting eleven with almost no Spaniards. Or about selling the vast majority of players trained in the academy —which has recently been renamed La Fábrica— and scouring the world for the great stars who, in addition to their football talent, will give a boost to the club's brand. The passport doesn't matter, as long as the badge shines.

Mbappé, eliminated and with no chances for the Ballon d'Or

But this business model has ended up falling apart in the World Cup. Kylian Mbappé, the spearhead of Florentino's project, will not play the final after falling to Spain in the semi-finals and will have to settle for seeking a goal in the third and fourth place match that will make him the top scorer in the tournament. The French team also includes Tchouameni and Konaté, another Madrid signing from this summer. Another of Madrid's main names, Jude Bellingham, who was defeated in the semi-finals by Argentina, will also not be there. These eliminations, after a blank year at the club, leave them with no chance of winning the Ballon d'Or, an award that the Madrid president values to the extreme for the commercial exploitation he can achieve from it.

In fact, and this is what particularly bothers Florentino, this Ballon d'Or has a high probability of ending up in the hands of two great stars linked to Barça. Lamine Yamal, for the Roja, and Leo Messi in the Argentine camp. Although the Albiceleste team does not have any player who plays for Camp Nou, Messi continues to be linked to the blaugrana team, due to his glorious past and the displays of affection he himself has been showing, from that secret night visit to the stadium to recent statements where he spoke of Barça as the club he "loved".

Vinícius, a player who could not increase his value in the World Cup

Madrid's failure in the World Cup has had other leading names, such as the Brazilian Vinícius Júnior, eliminated by Norway in the round of 16. A defeat that has lowered the footballer's valuation, who is awaiting renewal and about whom a departure this summer had even been speculated: even if not publicly admitted, Florentino needs to raise funds to compensate, among other things, for the income he has failed to obtain from the commercial exploitation of the Bernabéu stadium (concerts, parking or luxury catering).

Along the way, Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois was also eliminated against Spain in the quarter-finals, a round where Moroccan Brahim Díaz also fell. The other two Madrid signings of the summer, Portuguese Bernardo Silva and Dutch Denzel Dumfries, said goodbye early (round of 16 and round of 32, respectively). And German Antonio Rüdiger went home in the round of 32, eliminated on penalties by the Swedish national team, a round where Austrian David Alaba also fell. Uruguayan Fede Valverde and Turkish Arda Güler did not even get past the group stage.