Since Florentino Perez began his career at Real Madrid in 2000, he has always sought to replicate the success of his hero, Santiago Bernabeau, by replicating the transfer model of the legendary president who brought the biggest stars in world football to Real Madrid.
After an unsuccessful spell as president, Perez's Galaticos failed to win a trophy for three years and he resigned in 2006, only to return in 2009, bringing in a new era of Galacticos. Which set of stars is better?
The first version of the Galacticos included the likes of Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham, Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos, Luis Figo and Michael Owen, winning a total of five trophies - two La Ligas, a UEFA Supercup, an intercontinental Cup and a Champions League.
The second set of Galacticos includes the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale, Luka Modric, Fabio Coentrao and James Rodriguez and has, to date won six trophies -two Copa Del Reys, a La Liga, a Spanish Supercup, a UEFA Champions League and a UEFA Supercup.
The most noticeable difference between the second Galactico era is that Real Madrid have spent their money wisely, selling several stars, such as Mesut Özil and Angel Di Maria to cover costs and they have spent far more money on defenders than they did in the previous era. This may be why it has achieved greater success on paper.
In my opinion, Florentino Perez learned from his mistakes in the past and has committed to a more notable level of consistency, especially in terms of managers. He has listened to advice from the likes of Zinedine Zidane and Miguel Pardeza to achieve a more rounded team that seems to be on the verge of total domination in European football.
For these reasons, I believe the second Galactico era has been the better of the two.
Which Galactico era do you think was the best?
