David Beckham Real Madrid and soccer economics

David Beckham is probably still the most recognizable athlete in the world. Probably still the most famous, probably still the most beloved, and probably still the most well known. The David Beckham Real Madrid years notwithstanding. See, Beckham was part of an era that most Real Madrid fans would rather forget. The david beckham real madrid teams were known as "the galacticos", a team of individual stars of galactic proportions that would lead soccer's most storied franchise to glory beyond what it had already achieved. But that's not how things worked out for the david beckham real madrid years. In fact, instead of glory, Real Madrid faced humiliation - notably at the hands of their feircest rivals, Futbol Club de Barcelona. The Real Madrid vs. Barcelona rivalry is arguably the world's biggest and most intense, and during Beckham's years at Real Madrid, it was also fairly one-sided. This in spite of the fact that Real Madrid spent significantly more on their roster than Barcelona typically did. In order to understand how this happened, it's important to understand the roots of the galacticos. Unlike in the united states, most european teams have elections to determine the club's general manager. That means campaigns, grand promises, and big spending. In the case of Real madrid, the architect of the Galacticos was a man named Florentiino Perez. He was able to win the vote by promising to bring one of the biggest stars in the world to the Bernabeu (Real Madrid's home stadium) each year. In 2000 it was Luis Figo. In 2001 it was Zinedine Zidane. In 2002 it was Ronaldo. And in 2003, it was a David Beckham Real Madrid marriage.