Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo are already in the bag and David Villa looks like being Real Madrid's third big signing as Florentino Perez's second coming continues to send shock waves through the European transfer market.
Global Financial Crisis? Perez probably doesn't know the meaning of the term. El Mundo Deportivo, which is published in Barcelona, has reported that Real's debts have soared beyond 500m Euros. Mind you, it doesn't half help when the prospect of the city's banks calling them in is about as probable as the subject of the latest world-record transfer admitting that he is a tad over-valued.
How will the new batch of Galacticos fare? They're more than likely to do as well, if not better than Zidane, (the original) Ronaldo, Beckham, Figo & Co as far as commercial returns are concerned. The real challenge for the current batch, however, will be to make a significant improvement on the somewhat underwhelming on-field record of their predecessors.
To that end, Madrid supporters whose vision extends beyond the bling will be hoping that Perez will refrain from meddling with the make-up of the squad once the marquee signings have been sewn up.
Informed opinion suggests that it was Perez, during his first stint as Real supremo, who demanded that Claude Makelele be sold because the Frenchman didn't fit in with the Galactico image. Even without the benefit of hindsight, most would concur that was a blunder of the highest order.
Madrid's new coach, Manuel Pellegrini, is respected as a shrewd and down-to-earth character. With Jorge Valdano and Zidane himself entrenched in prominent off-field roles, it can be safely assumed that the three of them know exactly which areas they need to strengthen if Real are to mount a realistic challenge to Barca in La Liga next season.
And those areas are not where Galacticos tend to roam. If Madrid are to get the best out of Kaka, Ronaldo and Villa, they need quality 'water-carriers', the term Eric Cantona once used, as a compliment despite the negative spin put on it by the media, for Didier Deschamps.
The two Diarras - Mahamadou and Lassana - are potentially good enough to perform the role more than adequately. The question is: will they be given the time and patience that will be required?
What of the defence? Sergio Ramos and 'keeper Iker Casillas apart, it doesn't necessarily inspire confidence. A couple of high-quality signings in that area would appear to be essential, much more so than the addition of yet another Galactico. Whether Perez recognises that is the multi-million Euro question.
Food For Thought: The stark contrast between the self-effacing humility of Kaka and the look-at-me-go-on-look-again self-adulation of Cristiano Ronaldo was brought into sharp focus yesterday. The Brazilian said he was "rejoicing" at the prospect of being in the same team as the Portugese. On the other hand, Ronaldo expressed his disappointment that the two would be unveiled jointly as Real signings to the Madrid media, suggesting his own "historic" transfer decreed that he deserved centre-stage to himself. An interesting beginning to the partnership, to say the least!
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