Why Kaka might regret choosing Real Madrid over Manchester City

By Oliver Holt

Published 19:14 01/09/09

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I went to the Bernabeu to marvel on Saturday night, to be dazzled by the light show that Real Madrid had been preparing all summer.

And, yes, it was a thrill to see Kaka, Raul, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema all playing in the same attack, all producing moments of magic.

And of course it was impossible not to be impressed by a central midfield partnership of Xabi Alonso and Lassana Diarra that already looks like a beautiful blend of artistry and endeavour.

But there were two teams who established themselves as the leading collectors of great talents this summer and if I had to predict which one would fare better in the season ahead, it would not be Madrid.

Because when I have seen Manchester City play this season, they have had a quality that Madrid do not yet possess and which they may struggle to acquire.

City have played like a team. They have played for each other. They have worked hard. They have ignored the circus that has surrounded their huge outlay.

They have not played any of the top sides yet but they have beaten everything that has been put in front of them.

They have battled to victories at hostile venues like Ewood Park and Selhurst Park, the kind of places where prima donna visiting teams often surrender.

And they have done it looking like a cohesive unit, a side skilfully put together by Mark Hughes with men bought for particular roles and to complement their team-mates.

Players rich in Premier League experience, players who know what to expect from the demands of English football, players who won’t take a year to settle in.

There’s a method to what Hughes has done that cuts through all the garbage that has been spewed out about City losing their soul because they have bought some new players.

I saw a message on a noticeboard this week from a City fan who said he would rather that the team were fighting relegation than attempting to buy the title.

Well, let’s ponder that for a moment and ask exactly how you win the Premier League title if it’s not by spending money.

Has everybody suddenly forgotten that Rio Ferdinand, Owen Hargreaves, Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick didn’t exactly come cheap when Sir Alex Ferguson bought them?

Or that when Nottingham Forest won the European Cup for the first time in 1979, the winning goal was scored by Trevor Francis, the first player to cost £1m.

Or that Bill Shankly began to achieve great things at Liverpool when he was given big money to spend on Ian St John and Ron Yeats in 1961.

Within that context, Hughes has spent wisely and well. That is already obvious in the performances of almost every single member of the £200m squad he has put together.

They didn’t buy anybody on transfer deadline day yesterday because they didn’t need anybody. For now, they are happy with what they have got.

Gareth Barry looks like a terrific signing, a bargain at £12m. Hughes and his coaches are getting the best out of temperamental forward Emmanuel Adebayor. Shay Given has been superb. Kolo Toure has been commanding in defence. Joleon Lescott will be a fine partner for him.

Contrast that with the first impressions of Madrid on Saturday night. It is early to make proper judgments, I know, but the difference was stark.

Even though it was the Real defence that looked shaky and vulnerable, it was the jostling of the Galacticos in attack that hinted at the weaknesses in Madrid’s summer transfer splurge.

Ronaldo, Kaka, Benzema and Raul are all brilliant players. There is no disputing that. But there seemed little method to their deployment against Deportivo La Coruna.

Several times, they got in each other’s way, crowding into the same space. Several times, the man on the ball went for glory himself when a simple pass to a team-mate would have almost certainly led to a goal.

The body language was not good either. There was plenty of shrugging and gesticulating from Ronaldo, which was only to be expected.

But even though Kaka played well and ran with the ball with panache and drive, he often looked ill-at-ease, gesturing occasionally at his team-mates to give him space.

They will work things out as the season goes on. They are all too good and too intelligent as footballers not to.

But seeing them on the same field on Saturday was a reminder that money doesn’t necessarily buy you success. It has to be well spent.

We will find out just how far City have come in the weeks after this international break when they play Arsenal and United in quick succession.

But there is an assuredness about them already that suggests they may be ready to challenge for the top four more quickly than many of us expected.

And in a couple of years, when they are competing in the Champions League, I have a hunch that in one of these transfer windows, they may make another bid for Kaka.

And when Kaka sees what City have achieved and the way they have achieved it, he will decide that this time Manchester represents a better option than Madrid.

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