Real Madrid is undoubtedly the greatest club with an enviable winning mentality and incredible traditions that stand them out amongst other clubs.
However, have you ever wondered why Real Madrid worship, cherish their star players when they’re on top of their game, but forced them out during their lull period?
It’s glaring to the blind and clear to the deaf that with the current contract situation of Sergio Ramos at the Bernabeu, Real Madrid ain’t a club that celebrates legends or gives them some sort of elaborate farewell they deserve as a legend after serving the club painstakingly.
Los Blancos are strictly a club obsessed with winning and most importantly an institution that put the interest of the club before a legend, rather than focusing on giving their legends a befitting farewell when the time to depart comes calling.
Does Real Madrid really respect their legends? Apparently, your sentiment is as good as mine, these players are only been used as an object of victories perhaps because they earn a huge amount of money.
But when they’re going through a torrid time or they’re in a phase where the respect and love of the club are what they needed, they’re often denied that respect and love.
Having said that, let’s take a look at both present and past legends of Los Merengues stars, that’s has been treated like a piece of rag despite their legendary status at the club.
- Raul Gonzalez Blanco
The unceremonious exit of 90 percent of Los Blancos legends is one way or the other has to do with the contractual agreement between the club hierarchy and the players. Surprisingly, Raul’s case was quite different from other greats who left through the back door.
Following Los Rojiblancos then-President Jesus Gil decision to close their youth academy as a cost-saving measure, the Real Madrid great moved on to the neighboring rival Madrid’s cadet team in La Fabrica, where he was promoted to the Juvenile C, B, and A team, and subsequently went on to play for the senior side.
Raul served Los Blancos seamlessly during his reign as captain and was even seen as the poster boy of the team for many seasons, before the arrival of other Galacticos. The current Castilla gaffer played over 741 matches in the white shirt with 323 goals to his name during his illustrious 16 seasons at the Bernabeu, winning 3 Champions League and 6 Spanish Liga titles.
READ ALSO: Real Madrid: 4 Potential Candidate To Replace Zidane
The legendary forward left the Bernabeu upon the arrival of Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho, and most importantly due to a loss in sporting importance for the team after the arrival of new signing Cristiano Ronaldo who went on to break every record that needed to be broken at Madrid including Raul’s records.
Raul’s contract was meant to end in a year’s time, as such the club board was skeptical about giving him a contract renewal due to his age, plus the fact that he isn’t that active in front of goal. As a result of that, he subsequently joined Schalke in Germany.
Raul in his statement before leaving Madrid, “it was a decision that I felt was right at the time for me and my family, as I felt somewhat constricted at this time”, “it was time to move on all concerned“.
- Iker Casillas
Considering the kind of respectful exit the likes of Paolo Maldini, Francesco Totti, Xavi Hernandez, and Ryan Giggs received from their respective clubs, you would understand why Saint Iker was so pained with the kind of exit he received from his childhood club.
After a long career at the Bernabeu, Casillas would have wished for a more dignified farewell to the end of his time with the Spanish giant. But for him, his departure wasn’t even close to something of the sort, as he was treated poorly by the club.
Following Casillas’s move to Porto, his parents claimed he was been forced out of the club, perhaps due to his obvious dip in form in between the sticks towards the end of his unceremonious Real Madrid’s exit. However, even as that, a player with such legendary status shouldn’t have been treated in such a manner that got many infuriated and criticized the club’s hostile act of treating its legends.
Iker’s parent’s statement “Porto are a team at the level of the Segunda B for a person at the level of Iker, a word champion cannot finish his career at Porto”. “He could have finished where he wanted to and he would not have minded if it had been at Barcelona because they’re a gentleman”.
Such a statement shows how disappointed Iker’s family is with his horrendous treatment of the club.
Iker and Real Madrid may have mended their burnt bridges and comes back to work with the club. However, the ugly treatment he got from his childhood club would certainly remain a period he wouldn’t forget in a hurry, while it would also be seen as a black mark in the history book of Real.
- Fernando Hierro
Following Hierro agreeing on a deal to join Atletico Madrid and even possed with their shirt, but never signed a contract while still with Real Valladolid in his formative years was when the news that Real Madrid wanted him at the Bernabeu came.
The report got Jesus Gil infuriated and described him as “an immature boy“, without minding Gil’s statement t Hierro went on to had a stellar career at the Bernabeu playing as both midfielder and a defender.
Hierro’s illustrious career during his time with the Spanish giant could be said to be a semblance of the current Los Blancos captain Sergio Ramos in terms of scoring crucial goals whether as a defender or midfielder and the leadership skill he showed off and on the pitch.
Having won the league in 2003, the board grew more ambitious and decided to let go of one of the finest managers in the club history Vincente del Bosque and Hierro who was also nearing the end of his contract.
As usual Hierro’s contract renewal talks went on and on without the club reaching any form of agreement with the veteran captain which eventually led to his exit.
Before the horrendous exit of Hierro, it was gathered that his relationship with the club’s president had declined in the final weeks of the season, especially after exiting the Champions League and with the announcement of new signing David Beckham from Manchester United.
The former captain echoed the sentiments of the Real Madrid dressing room, who didn’t take the announcement of Beckham lightly claiming “LaLiga is more important than Beckham”. In the end, Hierro left on bitter terms when his contract expired.
READ ALSO: Kim Min-Jae: Asia’s Next Footballing Superstar
- Sergio Ramos
Contract renewal between Real Madrid’s players, most especially their legends and the club’s boards has always been a soap opera that goes on for a long time, without any form of agreement been reached with the player involved in the end. As a matter of fact, we’ve seen that with quite a number of their greats who eventually left the club with a heart that felt disrespected and perhaps betrayed.
Ramos’s contract situation at the Bernabeu is also going through that unappreciated end that the club’s hierarchy often deploys to ease their legends out.
As at this moment, having been a dedicated leader, captain, warrior, and a beast of a defender in the heart of Los Merengues defense Ramos’s contract agreement hasn’t been sorted out ahead of the expiring date in June.
This wouldn’t be the first time a number of Real Madrid greats has left the club through the backdoor after a breakdown in contract renewal talks. Ironically the man that has been more involved in all of that unceremonious exit is no other than the current president Florentino Perez.
Looking back at the close relationship both Perez and Ramos have shared in time past really left much concern why his contract renewal has been left this late to conclude every detail.
As it stands both Real Madrid and Ramos have been stuck in opposing positions throughout the contract negotiations, with the club not budgeting over their short-term renewal for older players. As such, that has given Ramos the headway to speak with another team once his current expires in June, should Madrid fail to settle things with their captain.
Irrespective of the club Ramos join should he leave Madrid, the fact would remain he’ll never leave as a happy man with the current situation of his contract talk. He has shown his frustrations in one of his recent post on Instagram with, “that’s how we treat our legends, heartbreaking”.
Conclusion
With the reoccurring unacceptable manner of Los Blanco’s ways in maltreating and disrespecting their greats, it’s very glaring that the club isn’t an institution that puts the interest of players at heart.
Moreso, with the names, mention above they ain’t the only greats treated badly without a proper farewell. There’s the case of Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Figo, Hernandez Guti, and perhaps Gareth Bale if he’s considered great.
