Abraham P. Romero Madrid
Madrid
Updated Monday, February 26, 2024-21:28
The nickname of
Los Galacticos
is still alive at the
Santiago Bernabéu
.
20 years after the union of
Figo, Zidane, Ronaldo, Beckham, Raúl or Roberto Carlos
, the nickname continues to leave lights and shadows wherever it goes.
The Madrid galaxy at the beginning of the millennium was extraordinary in the media, but when all the stars aligned, they failed to win any titles.
Now, waiting for the more than likely arrival of Kylian Mbappé, Real Madrid faces its third galactic era of the
21st century after
that of the
BBC
(Bale, Benzema and Cristiano).
Therefore, there is no one better than Luis Figo to analyze and advise the
Galacticos 3.0
:
Bellingham, Vinicius, Rodrygo, Camavinga, Valverde...
And
Mbappé
?
«Madrid is experiencing a wonderful generation of players, without a doubt.
Talented footballers.
And now we have to wait for the results because in the end, in sports and football, what often remains
beyond talent is whether you win or not
.
"That is what is remembered, the most important thing," the Portuguese responded yesterday to this newspaper, questioned about the comparisons between this Madrid generation and his.
Figo offered some advice to the youngsters of the white team, one that comes from his experience during his years at the Bernabéu: "The first thing of all is that you have to be aware of your role within the club and the team, play as a team and
that The ego never exceeds the interests of the team
.
"Be very committed to the project," he assured.
Continuing with the comparisons, the Portuguese hesitated when asked about his hypothetical role in the current Madrid squad: "
I have been the best player in the world
, if I don't have a place in a team, football would be very bad."
Or those who voted for me would be very bad.
"It would mean that they didn't understand football."
One of the protagonists of the season and of this new Madrid galaxy is
Bellingham
, a player that Figo "already knew from Dortmund" but who has surprised by his rapid adaptation.
«He is an impressive footballer, but especially because of his age and the naturalness with which he does things.
Adapting so quickly to a team is very difficult
, I know, that surprised me," Figo confessed.
Madrid, your "home"
The former Barcelona, Real Madrid and Inter Milan footballer participated yesterday as an ambassador for the
Laureus Awards
in the announcement of the nominees for this year's awards.
A gala that was held at the headquarters of the
Community of Madrid
and was attended by
Isabel Díaz Ayuso
, president of the CAM,
José Luis Martínez Almeida
, mayor of Madrid, and other football legends such as
Ruud Gullit
and
Alessandro Del Piero
.
Figo, who is one of the most active personalities in the awards, is also one of the culprits that the official Laureus ceremony is held this year in Madrid.
«This city is now my home, so thank you to the president and the mayor.
It is a historic moment for us », he admitted.
On the table, some
Laureus
in which the
Spanish women's team
is nominated for best team .
For Figo, this must be a before and after, although the difference in the economic distribution of the men's and women's tournaments seems "
logical
" to him: "It is logical, men's football has a greater history than women's football.
The feminine is growing in many ways, also financially, and will surely be an incentive for the future at the investment level.
Although during the first years it is logical that the return is negative, the more it is generated, the more it can be distributed.
Everyone will agree that if we could generate 3, 4, 5, 10 or 20 times more, we would be delighted.
It is a question of generating and returning
.
The women's team will compete in the category with the European Ryder Cup team, the German basketball team that won the last men's World Cup, Guardiola's Manchester City, the Red Bull Formula 1 team and the South African rugby team.
«Women's football is being an important bet in Spain.
The achievement is memorable, very difficult to achieve.
"That shows the quality, the commitment, the talent and above all, that good work is being done in Spain," said the former soccer player.