Super Star Syndrome

Well done Real Madrid in landing Juventus stars Fabio Cannavaro and Emerson.

Obviously Cannavaro is the bigger of the two stars, but really, Real Madrid failed to plug the hole left by Makelele for the last 3 years, and so Emerson is a really important acquisition. The latter - Cannavaro - is undoubtedly a superstar defender, and he did not need the World Cup to highlight that. He is absolutely fantastic and Real Madrid did very well to get him.

Real Madrid are finally going to be back in business if the speculations in the press are to be believed. They have already got the star Juventus duo, and they might land Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Arjen Robben.

I don't think Fabregas and Kaka would go to Madrid in all honesty. Fabregas has pledged his future to Arsenal as they brought him up, and AC Milan supposedly rejecting a 50-million-pound bid from Chelsea for Kaka, it doesn't look like the talented Brazillian is going anywhere soon.

Imagine a starting XI with Casillas, Cannavaro, Sergio Ramos, Cicinho, Roberto Carlos, Emerson, Baptista, Beckham, Robben, Robinho and Van Nistelrooy. They would seriously be back in business. Oh wait, I forgot they have to get rid of clowns like Jonathan Woodgate, Thomas Gravesen, Antonio Cassano, Michel Salgardo and the lists goes on. Good thing ageing Zidane is stepping down. Don't get me wrong, I am a great admirer of his skills, but I think it is time for him to step aside for the younger guns, and it would be hard to drop him from the team, he has to do it himself.

More than one name in the starting XI might not be there when the season begins though. Roberto Carlos seems to be attracting the interest of Chelsea. And Beckham might have other plans as well.

And I would take the opportunity to apologise to Mr Jose Mourinho for stating earlier in my blog that he buys crap like Shevchenko and maybe Roberto Carlos. Apparently, it was Mr Roman Abravomich's idea to bring the duo in. In fact, Mourinho doesn't agree with them. Looks to me that Mourinho wants to bring in Ashley Cole, while Abramovich wants to bring in Roberto Carlos. That's way both are speculated to be playing for Chelsea next season.

Then Chelsea would end up like the Real Madrid of past 2 seasons. Having the has-beens stars who cannot perform together. Then they would undertake a total restructuring and splash loads of cash just like Real Madrid is doing now.

That is what I call the super-star syndrome.