The Premier League may have spent the most money in summer transfers but it was the two superpowers of world football that made the most glamorous signings once again.
Brazilian wonderkid Neymar joined Barcelona from Santos for a fee of £50m. It forms an exciting partnership to follow, a duo made from heaven with the ‘young Pele’ teaming up with Lionel Messi, dubbed the young Diego Maradona. Together they are the pinnacle of a footballing romance with touches of art, passion, creativity, and precision.
Barça won the La Liga title last season and scored an endless amount of goals, in fact 115 of them in 38 games, with Messi scoring 46. So why do they need to sign a man who has scored 54 goals in 103 games for his club? Since they won the UEFA Champions League in 2006, the Catalan giants have dominated Europe’s premier competition. However Bayern Munich have shown signs of taking the reigns from them when the two met in the semi finals last season. Bayern thrashed Barça 7-0 over two legs and the German giants have made their squad even stronger this summer. Barcelona have been rattled and the signing of Neymar sends out a message that they are ready to get their trophy back.
But Real Madrid have never resorted to being left out. Going back to the turn of the millennium of when Barça had the likes of Kluivert, Rivaldo, Mendieta, Ronaldinho and Eto’o. Madrid were not to be beaten off the pitch and generated a breathtaking group of Galacticos. Madrid always get what they want, the biggest names in world football. Notoriously in 2000, they gained a huge upper hand on their Catalan rivals when they signed Luis Figo from the Camp Nou for 60 million Euros. From then you just have to look at the list of past and present galacticos; Zidane, Ronaldo, Beckham, Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Now it is the turn of Gareth Bale. The young Welshman follows in the footsteps of those who have achieved glory in the Santiago Bernabeu, along with the label of the worlds most expensive player ever. £85 million is a huge sum of money but Bale has the perfect role model to look up to during his time in Spain.
Cristiano Ronaldo also attracted Madrid from the Premier League after he guided Manchester United to three Premier League titles, an FA Cup and a Champions League medal. The Portuguese midfielder has all the attributes that every fan, that every kid wants. He has an endless amount of talent and skill, he plays for arguably the greatest football team in the world, and he has the wealth and fame off the pitch. Ronaldo has truly revelled in the Galactico culture since signing for a £80m in 2009, a world record fee at the time.
Bale has similar qualities with his athleticism and pace, power and physique. The left footed midfielder has taken the Premier League by storm, especially in the last three seasons. Bale has also tasted Champions League football before in the 2010-11 season and scored a famous hat trick against Inter Milan in the San Siro. It was last season that really opened the world’s eye’s to Bales talent. He notched up 24 goals and won all three end of season awards, only the second player to do so.
The 24 year-old will be taken under the wings no doubt by Ronaldo. Similarly with Neymar at Barça who will be nurtured by Messi. Some may argue that Barcelona have ’two Messi’s’ and Real have ’two Ronaldo’s’. Neymar and Bale are both outstanding individuals who will want to put their own stamps on one of the best leagues in the world. However their progress can no way be hindered by working with modern greats in Ronaldo and Messi, who still split opinions about who is the greater player.
The question is as a football fan, what is your preferred style of football? If you define football as an art form, Barça’s Neymar and Messi are your perfect footballing artists. With the grass as their canvas, together they create a perfect masterpiece that is finely crafted with touches of elegance and class, a display that Picasso would be proud of.
On the other hand, Bale and Ronaldo are built to be as strong and as powerful as an engine of a sports car. More dominance, more strength, more acceleration and more tenacity equals results. Madrid will expect plenty of mileage from these two who have cost the club a combined fee of £165m.
One thing is for sure, we can all expect some fantastic El Clásico's for seasons to come.