Paris Saint-Germain - Real Madrid CF: boxing match between two heavyweights
The first round of this fight has been won by Real Madrid because of their prestige, the titles they have won and the great squad they have. The young player Kylian Mbappé wants to play at the Bernabéu.
The second round has gone to PSG by allying with Aleksander Ceferin and dynamiting the Super League. Florentino Pérez convinced many of the big European clubs to change the competition model in order to obtain greater profits from television and to be able to compete with the new riches of football. But Nasser al-Khelaïfi broke away from this trend and ended up saying that "the Super League is a tale of failures", to which Ceferin winked at him.....
The third round was lost by Al-Khelaïfi himself when he assured that Mbappé would never leave PSG, even if his contract expired. Evidencing a dictatorial attitude and lack of freedom that is not possible in Europe. French society and Macron himself came out to rebuke this attitude.
The fourth round goes to PSG by completing a dream team. They signed Lionel Messi. The Argentinian star does not come alone, he is accompanied by Sergio Ramos, Achraf, Donnarumma and Wijnaldum, most of them signed with the same strategy that Madrid is using, verbal agreement with the player and wait for the end of the contract. Along with Neymar, Marquinhos, Di Maria and Verratti they complete a top team so that Kylian Mbappé cannot argue lack of resources and a winning project to win the Champions League.
The fifth round has also been won by PSG by making the player continue another year in the Parisian team. They ignored Madrid's offers and have scorned the 200 million euros that Florentino offered, despite the fact that he will be free in nine months' time.
The sixth round is called Camavinga and he has become a great illusion for the madridismo after only three games. A player wanted by PSG, he preferred to earn less and sign for Real Madrid.
The seventh round seemed to go the way of the Qatari signing Sergio Ramos. Some doubt whether the player was already in talks with Leonardo, PSG's sporting director, a year ago. But the Sevillian's physical condition is hindering his debut at the Parc des Princes and proving Florentino right. For the moment, the round is null and void.
The eighth round has been played by Florentino with the players of the white squad. He has renewed with stratospheric clauses the players who could be attractive to PSG. Casemiro was the last one. Benzema, Modric, Carvajal, Valverde, Lucas Vázquez, Courtois and Nacho renewed with the Madrid club.
The ninth round also has a player's name: Erling Haaland. Al-Khelaïfi has understood that Kylian's renewal is not going to be possible and has gone for his replacement. The best is the Norwegian. But this round is again won by Real Madrid because, like Mbappé and Camavinga, his desire is to play at the Bernabeu.
The seventh round seemed to go the way of the Qatari signing Sergio Ramos. Some doubt whether the player was already in talks with Leonardo, PSG's sporting director, a year ago. But the Sevillian's physical condition is hindering his debut at the Parc des Princes and proving Florentino right. For the moment, the round is null and void.
The eighth round has been played by Florentino with the players of the white squad. He has renewed with stratospheric clauses the players who could be attractive to PSG. Casemiro was the last one. Benzema, Modric, Carvajal, Valverde, Lucas Vázquez, Courtois and Nacho renewed with the Madrid club.
The ninth round also has a player's name: Erling Haaland. Al-Khelaïfi has understood that Kylian's renewal is not going to be possible and has gone for his replacement. The best is the Norwegian. But this round is again won by Real Madrid because, like Mbappé and Camavinga, his desire is to play at the Bernabeu.
Maybe the thirteenth round, the unlucky number, will end with the exit of the Qatari money from Paris Saint Germain.
Florentino Pérez, knowing who he was dealing with, was the most respectful in securing the signing of the French star.
The player is enduring brutal pressure and the hardest part is yet to come. His behaviour is exemplary. He doesn't make statements; he scores goals that help to win games and he is a professional.
In front of him is the Emir of Qatar. He is used to achieving everything he sets his mind to. Financially he is unbeatable and European clubs cannot compete with him.
Completely different models: economic coherence versus wastefulness. The history of football is full of similar cases that never achieved their goals: winning titles.
The eruption of these new owners has shaken up the football world, but for the moment the big European teams are still winning the European Cup. With the exception of Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Barcelona have won the last ten Champions League titles in the last year.
But their squads are starting to get bigger. New signings or getting their stars to stay on is being made very difficult by the multi-million dollar offers that the "club states" are offering players.
Some of these stars put their sporting interests before their financial interests and these new "rich clubs" sometimes do not take it sportingly.
This is the case of Paris Saint-Germain with Al-Khelaïfi as manager and the Emir of Qatar Tamin bin Hamad al-Thani as owner.
They continue to insist. Now they are changing the discourse. They keep the speech they would use in their country and change it to "I will make Mbappé an offer that will make him the highest paid sportsman in the world".
But the player has chosen Real Madrid and the money offered by Florentino is enough for him. Money is not everything.
