If you look back two seasons at Real Madrid, in what was the last real season of the “Galacticos” era, 2006 was the year Real’s house of cards finally collapsed.  It’s strange how on paper you can have the best team the world has ever seen but eventually egos will take over and the team becomes it’s own worst enemy.  The likes of Zidane, Roberto Carlos etc. weren’t just too old but they had perhaps nothing left to prove.   

As an Arsenal fan I can’t help finding the final scene of ‘Goal 2: Living The Dream’ hilarious.  Set and filmed during the season in question it depicts Real winning the Champions League final at the Santiago Bernabeu by beating Arsenal 3-2.  The scene is clearly filmed during the actual visit of Arsenal in February 2006, and we all know what really happened that day.  Even better, I listened to the dvd commentary and it turns out that after that defeat the Real players had to then act out scenes using extras in Arsenal shirts of them beating Arsenal and winning the game.  Genius! 

But I don’t think this is the time to make fun of Madrid, they’ve come a long way since that 0-3 loss to Barca at the Bernabeu (a game often overlooked in England because of Arsenal’s result) and now it looks like those Spanish tables are quickly turning.  They look a different side under Schuster and the result at Camp Nou in December seems to sum up the season.  The egos have left Madrid and have infected Barcelona.  Henry, Deco and even Ronaldinho seem to be shadows of their former selves.  They’ve made their names already and clearly feel they don’t need to do it again.  Think what’s happened with Ballack and Shevchenko at Chelsea but with the whole team.  A real shame as Barcelona are a team I have admired from a distance for some time.  I think changes are in order down there. 

Speaking of egos at least Ronnie and Thierry have legacies to speak of, when someone with no glittering, trophy-laden career to speak of starts behaving like he’s too good for where he is the mind boggles.  I am talking of course about Mr. Dimitar Berbatov.  By far the most over-rated player in the premiership and he seems to think he’s too good for Tottenham.  Well I can’t wait to see his move (£30m!!!!???) to Man-U condemn him to a lifetime on the bench I really can’t, he’s no way good enough to make it in the top, top flight in my opinion.  A classic example of how a bad attitude can ruin a promising career.