Former Real Madird player and manager Jorge Valdano has said the club will become the dominant force in Spain and Europe while Barcelon’s cycle of sustained success is coming to an end.
The rivals meet on Sunday at the Santiago Bernabeu in a match that will have a huge say in the destination of this year’s La Liga. A win for Los Blancos would move them seven points clear of the current champions and leave Los Cules with a mountain to climb. But a win for Tato Martino’s side will see them move just a point behind Carlo Ancelotti’s men.
Speaking in an interview with Cadena SER, Valdano stated: “Madrid are favourites for the game for the first time in a while. They’re going at two speeds – Madrid a clear rise and Barca are giving the impression they are entering the end of a cycle. Let’s see if the match confirms these feelings or not.”
He went on to say that there are already signs of decay in the Barcelona side and that change is happening. Long-serving captain Carlos Puyol is set to leave in the summer, along with goalkeeper Victor Valdes.
Valdano praised the way Barcelona took football to a new level under Pep Guardiola, but said future generations will always suffer with the comparisons to that great side.
“The club has undergone a generational miracle which is not repeatable,” he stated. And he added: “They won the Golden Ball, Silver Ball and Bronze Ball [at the Ballon d’Or awards]. We’ve never seen anything like it and we won’t again. Signs of decay? Puyol is leaving, the great symbol of the club, pressing is no longer done with the same enthusiasm and neither is the routine.
“In the end, you get used to the good stuff. Subsequent generations at Barca will suffer a lot. The comparison is inevitable.”
