SUMMARY
- Kylian Mbappe is linked with Real Madrid with a possible move in the summer of 2024.
- The former Real Madrid player Iván Helguera has warned about the Galácticos era that's going to start with the arrival of Mbappe.
Kylian Mbappe and Real Madrid are grabbing all the headlines in Spain with a speculated move in the summer transfer window. The whole soccer community is weighing in their own opinions with different voices from various sections of fans, former players, and experts. Among all the noise, a former Real Madrid legend has sent a warning to the new era of Real Madrid.
Iván Helguera played for Real Madrid for 10 years from 1997 to 2007. He made 346 appearances for the Los Blancos before moving away to Valencia in 2007. The former center-back has voiced his concern about the new Galácticos era that is about to start at Real Madrid after the arrival of Kylian Mbappe.
Iván Helguera warns about the new Galácticos era
Helguera was part of the first Galácticos era that began in 2000 when Florentino Perez replaced Lorenzo Sanz as the President of the Spanish club. The center back knew about the inner workings of the team, which was labeled as Galácticos for having world-class stars at every position.
Iván Helguera warns about the new Madrid of ‘Los Galacticos’ with Mbappé: “You have to learn from the mistakes that were made. There were many figures and very good players… but nothing was won. It is wonderful to have all those players, but you have to know how to balance with a good squad.”
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Helguera compared the first Galácticos with the upcoming one. He stated: “It could be, what happens is that you have to see the mistakes that were made. There were many figures and very good players… but nothing was won. In Madrid, it is important to win every year. It is wonderful to have all those players, but you have to know how to balance with a good squad.”
The former center-back added that Kylian Mbappe would be a fantastic signing for Real Madrid but Carlo Ancelotti needs to maintain the balance of the squad to ensure that they don’t repeat the mistakes of the Real Madrid squad of the first Galácticos era.
Real Madrid only won one UCL title in the first Galacticos era
According to Helguera, the balance of his squad back in 2000 was off due to numerous attacking players in the squad. As a defender of that team, it was difficult for him to do his job without proper protection from the players up top.
FAILURE OF THE FIRST GALACTICOS ERA: Why Florentino Perez resigned as Real Madrid’s president in 2006.
Real were deep in debt when Perez became president in 2000. This led him into selling the clubs city-centre training ground to pay their debt.
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Real Madrid signed numerous high-profile players from 2000 to 2006. Players such as Luís Figo, Zinedine Zidane,
Brazilian Ronaldo, David Beckham, and Michael Owen joined the Spanish club to be part of the Galacticos project. The project saw some initial success in the first three seasons, where Real Madrid won two league titles and one UCL title.
However, the success dried up as Real Madrid didn’t win any trophy in three seasons. On the other end, their eternal rivals FC Barcelona won two league titles and a UCL title to add salt to the wounds. These three seasons pushed Real Madrid back to reconsider their strategy before building the project again in 2009 with the second era of Galacticos with Cristiano Ronaldo.