da lvbet： In the past few years, the Premier League’s top talents have been powerless to resist the allure of La Liga’s giants.
da dobrowin： The last two PFA Players of the Year, Gareth Bale and Luis Suarez, were snapped up by Real Madrid in 2013 and Barcelona in 2014 respectively, in two of the three largest departures in English top flight history. They were preceded by Luka Modric, who had emerged as one of the leading midfielders in European football during four years at Tottenham Hotspur.
Indeed, it seems that if you have mastered what is considered to be the most competitive top flight in world football, the only logical transfer destinations are either the Nou Camp or the Bernabeu, provided they’re interested in your services.
And the latest Premier League star who could make that trip, according to the tabloids at least, is Liverpool youngster Raheem Sterling, recently emerging as the object of Real Madrid’s transfer desires.
The Reds will claim the England prodigy isn’t for sale, but history tells us that resistance is futile. From Ferenc Puskas in the 1950s to Luis Figo in 2000, from Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009 to James Rodriguez this summer, the European Champions’ transfer policy insists that no matter how arduous or costly the pursuit, they eventually get their man.
Just as Los Blancos’ financial power is enough to make any club in the world kneel before them, the club’s prestigious history in Spain and Europe has become impossible to resist for their transfer targets.
Yet, in the case of a player so young as Sterling, it being often forgotten that the attacker is still in his teenage years, swapping Anfield for the Bernabeu – a home of young, progressive footballers for the theatre of vogue and absurdity – should come with a stark warning.
It’s inevitable that not every signing hits the heights anticipated at Real Madrid – that’s expected at every club in world football. Often at the Bernabeu however, falls from grace are instigated by non-footballing reasons; more commonly than not, due to a change in presidency, and subsequently, the need to appease an incredibly demanding fan base.
Take the recent plight of Isco for example. The 22 year-old attacking midfielder was linked to Liverpool and Manchester City last summer after winning the 2012 Golden Boy award with Malaga, but likewise to many before him, was engulfed by interest from Real Madrid.
It’s hardly worked out terribly for the Spain international, yet since his €30million arrival in June 2013 and the signing of a five-year contract, Real have spent £156million on players in his position, namely Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez.
The Welshman’s arrival and a change in formations mid-way through last season saw Isco plummet down the pecking order under Carlo Ancelotti, resulting in him missing out on a place at the 2014 World Cup. The midfielder had arguably achieved more than Sterling before turning up at the Bernabeu, so it’s hardly taxing to envisage him suffering a similar slump from the limelight through little fault of his own.
Compare that to the situation at Liverpool, where the 19 year-old has a manager who firmly trusts and believes in him. A manager who probably couldn’t be talked into dropping him by Sir Alex Ferguson or Kenny Dalglish. In fact, Brendan Rodgers appears be creating a team around Sterling in-part, having utilised him more frequently at No.10 than not this season following his escapades in that positon at the end of last term.
Sterling is certainly a talent capable of one day plying his trade at Real Madrid’s level. Since the turn of 2014, no teenager in Europe has played as pivotal a role, at a club as monolithic as Liverpool, in a challenge as prestigious as the Premier League title, than the Reds starlet. Likewise, and by no coincidence, Sterling was arguably the only England international to leave the World Cup with his reputation enhanced.
But the Bernabeu is the home of the perfect player, or at least those that have exonerated as much weakness from their game as possible. Cristiano Ronaldo, although an extremity, epitomises the level of quality, professionalism and devotion expected from every player.
Sterling may meet that standard one day, he is clearly an incredibly naturally gifted player. But right now, he’s still capable of grave mistakes – such as his jaded back-pass in the Capital One Cup yesterday evening that resulted in a penalty for Middlesbrough – and his skills require further honing.
Anfield is the perfect environment to continue that development, aided by the safety net Brendan Rodgers and the loyal Liverpool fan base provides. The Bernabeu however, where selection policy is often dictated by actions away from the pitch and fad signings have become common practice, is not.
You would never deny a player the opportunity to ply his trade with arguably the greatest club in world football, but in the case of Raheem Sterling, this potential move has unquestionably come too soon.
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