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Sergio Lobera recently parted ways with Mumbai City FC after just one season as British coach Des Buckingham replaced the Spaniard at the helm. In just one season with the Islanders, Lobera won the club their maiden Indian Super League (ISL) League Winners' Shield and the title.

The Spanish coach came to India in the 2017/18 season taking charge of FC Goa. In three seasons with the Gaurs, Lobera reached the play-offs in all the campaigns and topped the league stage once.

In the four years, he was in India, Lobera established himself as one of the finest foreign coaches to have ever managed an Indian club. As he has now left the country, we take a look at the top five achievements of Sergio Lobera in India.

Most points as a coach in ISL

In the four seasons Lobera has managed in India, his sides managed to accumulate a total of 140 points the most for any coach in the history of the ISL. With FC Goa, Lobera had won 100 points in three seasons and Mumbai City last season got 40 points under his tutelage. It has to be noted that Lobera parted ways with Goa with one match to go in the league stage of the ISL 2019-20 season so the three points which Goa got against Hyderabad FC in their final fixture is not considered.

Only manager to reach four ISL play-offs back-to-back

Sergio Lobera is the only manager to reach the play-offs in ISL in back-to-back four seasons, thrice with FC Goa and once with Mumbai City. Antonio Habas too reached the play-off four times out of the five years he managed in India, thrice with ATK FC and once with ATK Mohun Bagan but it was not in consecutive years. With Pune City, he could not reach the play-offs.

Most successful Spanish coach in ISL and India

The 44-year-old is the most successful Spanish coach to have ever managed an Indian club. Lobera has won four titles, two (Super Cup 2019 and ISL 2019-20 League Winners' Shield) with FC Goa and two (ISL 2020-21 League Winners' Shield and ISL 2020-21 title) with Mumbai City FC. 

Most goals scored under a manager

Sergio Lobera's teams in the last four seasons of the ISL have managed to score a total of 170 goals - FC Goa (131) and Mumbai City (39). Once again it has to be noted that Lobera had parted ways with Goa with one match to go in the league stage of the ISL 2019-20 season so the four goals which Goa scored against Hyderabad FC in their final fixture is not considered. After Lobera, it is Habas' teams who have scored the most goals in the ISL. ATK FC in four seasons scored 97 goals while ATK Mohun Bagan last season netted 32 goals which sum up to 129 goals.

Highest win percentage

Another record which Sergio Lobera achieved in the ISL is the highest win percentage. Lobera's teams won 44 out of 81 matches he managed in the ISL in four seasons which is 54.32 per cent. While FC Goa won 31/58 matches, Mumbai City last season won 13 out of 23 games. 

Second to  Lobera in terms of win percentage is former Bengaluru FC coach Carles Cuadrat. The Blues won 24 out of 50 matches under the Spaniard's tutelage with a win percentage of 48.

Goal Africa readers have called on the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to consider Gernot Rohr’s future as Super Eagles coach after their defeat to the Central African Republic.

Rohr’s men suffered a shocking 1-0 loss to the Wild Beasts in a 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifying match on Thursday.

Karl Namnganda’s last-gasp goal broke the hearts of Nigerians at Teslim Balogun Stadium, even though they remain top of Group C with six points after three games.

Following a disappointing home loss to the 124th-ranked team in the current Fifa rankings, Nigeria legend Mutiu Adepoju told Goal that a question could be asked of Rohr by the NFF.

Going by the poll conducted on Goal Africa’s Twitter page, 63.3 per cent of the fans voted for a review of the German coach's contract at the helm of the Super Eagles while the remaining 36.7 per cent voted against it.

Rohr was appointed Nigeria coach in August 2016 and his contract with the three-time African champions was extended in May 2020 for a further two years.

The 68-year-old guided the Super Eagles to the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt where they won bronze and he also helped them qualify for the 2018 Fifa World Cup. 

The West Africans have already secured a spot for the 2021 Afcon in Cameroon which will start in January 2022. Their journey to Qatar is not as safe as initially thought after the CAR defeat. The Super Eagles did defeat Liberia and Cape Verde Islands in their first two matches.

Rohr will be focusing on making amends for his team's lack of goals on Thursday when they battle the Wild Beasts for the return fixture in Douala on Sunday.

Nigeria have arrived in Cameroon for Sunday's encounter that will take place at Stade Omnisport de Douala.

Liverpool centre-back Joel Matip believes they are capable of beating every team with their rich vein of form in all competitions.

Matip who is a key player in Jurgen Klopp’s team this season, has contributed to Liverpool’s fine start to the campaign having played in eight of their 10 matches.

The Reds are second in the Premier League table with 15 points from seven matches – a point behind leaders Chelsea, and they also lead their Champions League group with six points from two games, ahead of Atletico Madrid, Porto and AC Milan.

"I think we are in good shape and we don’t have to be afraid of any team, but we have to play our football 100 percent,” Matip told the club’s website.

"It will be an intense and interesting season and we have a really good team. If we play at our 100 percent level, we can beat everyone."

Matip joined the Reds from Schalke 04 in July 2016 and he was rewarded for his defensive contributions with a contract extension in 2019 that will keep him at Anfield until June 2024 at least.

The Cameroon defender reviewed his time at the club and how he has become a better player with the support of the fans.

He continued: “This is my sixth year at Liverpool and, looking backwards, it feels like it has gone in the blink of an eye.

"My first league game against a strong Tottenham side was really special. Unfortunately, it was only a draw, but it was brilliant for me to feel the shirt in a proper game. It’s not a great memory that it was a draw, but everybody remembers his first game.

"I am already five years here and you get connected. You feel this amazing club even if you walk through the city. There are so many Liverpool supporters around the world that you just feel how big the club is and how many people love the club in their own special way. You just feel part of a really special thing.

"To be in this environment helps you to grow and it has gone really well – really quickly – and now I hope to enjoy the next years here."

Matip is not with Cameroon for their 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifiers but he will be getting ready to help Liverpool continue their unbeaten streak in the English top-flight when they travel to Watford on October 16.

Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard have been excused for the remainder of the international window due to concerns over their fitness, Belgium coach Roberto Martinez confirmed on Saturday. 

The Chelsea and Real Madrid stars both played in Belgium's UEFA Nations League semi-final defeat to France on Thursday, with the former scoring in the 3-2 reverse. 

But they will not take part in Sunday's third-place play-off against Italy after struggling with muscular fatigue following the last-four clash. 

What was said? 

"They're not in the best conditions to play," Martinez explained to reporters.

"They're leaving the national team camp due to these problems - I don't know how long it will take for them to recover."

Lukaku, though, will not immediately report to Chelsea, instead returning to Belgium to seek treatment on the affected muscle.

"It's fatigue. He didn't feel 100 per cent to play tomorrow. It's soreness in his tissue," Martinez added when asked about Lukaku.

"Every decision taken involves both medical departments together for the good of the player.

"Obviously there is an excellent understanding between the two sets of medical staff and we want to do the best for the player.

"Every decision is also made in agreement with the club."

'Pointless'

While Hazard and Lukaku will be missing against Italy, even some of the Belgium players Martinez has at his disposal are not happy about Sunday's game. 

“Saturday’s match against Italy is pointless,” goalkeeper and Hazard's Madrid team-mate Thibaut Courtois told reporters after his side's defeat to France.

“Being third in the Nations League is pointless. I don’t know why we have to play that match. I'll take it as a friendly match."

Further reading 

Senegal continued their perfect start en route 2022 Fifa World Cup Qatar by defeating Namibia 4-1 on Saturday evening.

Boosted by the presence of Liverpool star Sadio Mane, Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly and Chelsea’s Edouard Mendy, the Lions of Teranga saw off the Brave Warriors at the Stade Lat-Dior, Thies.

It took Senegal just ten minutes to make their intent known as Idrissa Gueye put them ahead by beating goalkeeper Virgil Vries.

Thanks to that bright start, coach Aliou Cisse’s men dominated every department of the game before doubling their advantage in the 38th minute through Famara Diedhiou after benefitting from a lacklustre defending by the visitors.

Five minutes before the hour mark, Mane extended the lead to guarantee the Senegalese victory, albeit, Joslin Kamatuka reduced the deficit with his 76th-minute effort.

With six minutes from full time, substitute Keita Balde restored the Lion of Terenga’s three-goal lead to the delight of the home fans.

Thanks to this triumph, Senegal remain as Group H leaders with nine points, while Namibia – who have five points less – occupy the second spot.

At the Stade Mohamed V in Casablanca, Ayoub El Kaabi was Morocco’s hero as his brace propelled the Atlas Lions past Guinea Bissau.

The North Africans had pummelled the Djurtus 5-0 in the first leg in Rabat, and they completed a double over their opponents to show for their fine display.

Although Bissau Guinean showed promises after kick-off, they were pegged down in the 10th minute as El Kaabi put the ball beyond the reach of goalkeeper Jonas Mendes.

Ten minutes later, the Atlas Lions doubled their advantage through Aymen Barkok for his first international goal ever.

El Kaabi beat Mendes for the second time after 69 minutes to cruise to a comfortable away win. Chelsea star Hakim Ziyech was not listed for the clash against Bobby Samaria’s team.

Should Vahid Halilhodzic’s men defeat Guinea on Tuesday, that means their place in the final qualifying round is guaranteed with two matches to spare.

Earlier in the day, Togo settled for a 1-1 draw with Congo at the Stade de Kegue in Lome.

Having lost their first two Group H matches in the qualification campaign, the Sparrowhawks were hoping to pick their victory against the Red Devils.

However, it was Congo who took the lead in the 21st minute as Jacques-Alaixys Romao turned the ball inside his own net while trying to cut out a cross from Ravy Dozi.

Notwithstanding the early setback, Paulo Duarte’s men bounced back to restore parity in the 56th minute through Meme Placca’s fine strike.

Lifted by that, Togo laboured in vain to get the important second goal. For the Congolese, they were reduced to ten men in the 90th minute as Fernand Mayembo was given the marching orders.

South Africa boosted their ambition of qualifying for the 2022 Fifa World Cup finals in Qatar by claiming a 3-1 victory over Ethiopia in Bahir Dar on Saturday afternoon.

Fasil Gebremichael (own-goal), Mothobi Mvala, and Evidence Makgopa scored for Bafana Bafana, while Getaneh Kebede netted for Walia ibex.

The victory saw Bafana maintain their lead at the top of the Group G standings - a point clear of second-placed Ghana with three matches left. 

However, some South African fans strongly believe that Bafana will win the group and advance to the next round of qualifying where they would face one of the nine group winners. 

Fans were blown away by Mvala's display against Walia ibex as he dominated the midfield battle and also put his name on the score sheet.

Read how Twitter reacted to South Africa's win over Ethiopia here: 

Asisat Oshoala was on target on her 27th birthday as Barcelona silenced Atletico Madrid 3-0 in Saturday’s Primera Division encounter.

Against the hosts, the Nigeria international was handed her fourth start of the 2021-22 campaign, partnering Mariona Caldentey and Caroline Hansen in a 4-3-3 formation.

To justify his inclusion in Jonatan Giraldez’s line-up, the former Arsenal and Liverpool star put the Blaugranes ahead in the 35th minute at Centro Deportivo Wanda Alcala de Henares.

After both teams had struck the woodwork, Oshoala pounced on a rebound to put Barca ahead as goalkeeper Lola Gallardo was left with no chance.

Although the hosts threatened to equalise, they went into the half-time break with a goal deficit.

While Atletico Madrid continued to threaten in the second half, it was Barcelona who doubled their advantage in the 70th minute through Aitana Bonmati.

The Spanish midfielder was teed up by compatriot Patri Guijarro. Four minutes later, super-sub Lieke Martens increased the lead after she was set up by Hansen.

Following Oshoala’s strike, she has now scored nine times in her last six games in all competitions. She was subbed off for Jenni Hermoso two minutes after the hour mark.

Thanks to this result, Barcelona have now won their last eight games in all competitions and at the moment, they lead the summit of the Spanish top-flight log having accrued 18 points from all six league matches played so far.

They would be hoping to continue their perfect start when they visit Sporting de Huelva on October 17.

Three days earlier, they travel to the Koge Stadium to face Danish side Koge in a Uefa Women’s Champions League game.

Koge occupy the base of Group C after suffering a 5-0 defeat to 1899 Hoffenheim on the opening day.

In a recent interview, the reigning African Women’s Player of the Year explained how her love for football would often get her into trouble at home.

“As an African girl child, they say things like, ‘Oh, you’re a girl. You’re not supposed to be playing football. You’re supposed to be at home, helping your mother’. They see soccer or football as a male-dominated game,” she told

Clermont striker Mohamed Bayo scored again for Guinea who were held to a 2-2 draw in Saturday’s 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifier.

Three days after scoring Guinea’s only goal in their 1-1 draw against the Falcons of Jediane in Marrakech, Bayo bolstered the hosts' chances of winning their first Group I match but they were denied maximum points in the last few minutes of the game.

The 23-year-old who has been in fine goalscoring form in Ligue 1 in this campaign with five goals in eight appearances, maintained his form in Didier Six's team by taking his tally to two goals for the national team.

Following a goalless first half, Jose Kante broke the deadlock at the Adrar Stadium in the 48th minute but Sudan replied moments later with an equaliser from Ahmed Hamed Mahmoud in the 64th minute.

Three minutes later, Bayo rose to the occasion and restored Guinea's lead but Amir Kamal's 88th-minute goal ensured both teams settled for a share of the spoils in Agadir.

The Syli Nationale have drawn their three games in the World Cup qualifying group so far while Sudan have picked up just two points from four matches.

Didier Six's men have a game in hand against Morocco, which was postponed in September because of the coup d'état that happened on the matchday that led to the removal of President Alpha Conde.

They are now scheduled to play the Atlas Lions as hosts in Rabat on Wednesday.

Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita saw 76 minutes of action while Roma midfielder Amadou Diawara and Sochaux's Florentin Pogba played the entire duration for Guinea.

In Lome, Euloge Placca's 56th-minute equaliser helped Togo grab their first point in Group H after back-to-back losses to Senegal and Namibia in September.

37-year-old midfielder Alaixys Romao gave Congo a first-half lead after putting the ball into the back of his own net in the 20th minute but Placca Fessou saved the hosts from another embarrassing home loss.

Togo still remain at the bottom of Group H with a point after three matches, while Congo maintain their third position as Senegal dominate the group with six points from two games.

Phumudzo Manenzhe, the ex-Orlando Pirates striker, believes Bafana Bafana assistant coach Helman Mkhalele had an important role to play in the impact made by Evidence Makgopa, who scored the last of South Africa’s goals in their 3-1 win over Ethiopia in a World Cup qualifier.

Makgopa's added-time goal was superbly taken as he coolly lobbed oncoming Ethiopian goalkeeper Fasil Gebremichael to ensure there was no late fight-back from the East Africans on Saturday.

"We said, where is Helman, because we couldn't see him on the bench. That's the role the assistant coach plays - when Evidence is warming up behind the goals, Helman goes there and says, 'this is your opportunity',” Manenzhe said after the match.

"'We know against Zimbabwe (in the first qualifying game, a 0-0 draw) you [Makgopa] got an opportunity you didn’t put it in the back of the net. That's why you are still here at the national team - we believe that you can make a difference. When you go in there, I want you to be focussed and believe in yourself and your abilities.'

"Look what he did when he went in, he got us the assurance [of the] goal,” Manenzhe concluded.

Fellow SABC analyst, Doc Khumalo, praised Broos and his technical team for being positive by bringing on the Baroka forward. He also made mention of what he believes was a sign of increased maturity from the up-and-coming 21-year-old Makgopa.

"It's 2-1 now, let's shut the back door. But he (Broos) saw something, and we need to praise also his assistant coaches,” said the former Kaizer Chiefs midfielder.

"Because, clearly, they were very instrumental in terms of sharing ideas.

"And Makgopa, this young boy, I said it at some stage, Japan did wonders," Khumalo said in reference to the Baroka striker's participation at the Tokyo Olympic Games earlier this year.

"Because you can see, a young man that used to miss chances that are supposed to be easy to score. But today, he showed more maturity because it was an individual brilliance. These are the basic skills of a striker. He saw an oncoming keeper, he just lobbed it."

The morning after Thursday’s shock defeat at the hands of Central African Republic, for many fans of the Nigeria national team, assumed a very dream-like quality.

Much has been made of the fact Nigeria had previously not lost a home World Cup qualifier for 40 years, an entire generation witnessing the Super Eagles defeated on their own patch for the first time. However, even that piece of momentous history paled in comparison to the standing of the victor concerned; 1981’s defeat to Algeria stung and scarred, but it did at least come to the side that had contested the Africa Cup of Nations Final a year prior, and that would stun the mighty Germans a year on at the World Cup in Spain.

Central African Republic have no meaningful footprint of any kind in African football.

Think David against Goliath, but in this instance David with one hand tied behind his back and wearing a patch over one eye.

Still, the victory was comfortable and well earned. Gernot Rohr crowed after the game about missed chances, but the closest his side came was Victor Osimhen hitting the frame of the goal with a miscued cross. It was a siege, but one lacking in conviction, logic or contemplation and so easily rebuffed.

The visitors seemed clear in the conception of their own game plan, and took great care in implementing it.

The most damning aspect of the defeat was that, save for throwing on the entire bench’s worth of forwards, Nigeria failed to offer a different look at any point during the proceedings.

Instead, there was panic, a frenzied state that built confidence in the hearts and minds of the Wild Beasts and directly culminated in their late winner.

To finish the game with Ahmed Musa unconvincingly moonlighting as a quasi-midfielder, even if the score had remained goalless at the final blast of the referee’s whistle, would have been excellent validation for the Central African Republic’s efforts by itself.

So it is that Nigeria retain top spot in the group, but by a smaller margin than anyone would have envisaged after three matches: both Cape Verde and Central African Republic being only two points behind. This then imbues Sunday’s rematch with greater significance, as anything less than a win would see Cape Verde level up the points’ differential or even go top. It is now all so needlessly perilous.

However, that broader view is one which Rohr’s side cannot afford to take.

It would be helpful to tune out every other consideration, and reduce the occasion to a simple meeting of the respective teams. Within that dynamic, individual quality (let’s face it: that is the only edge, especially as Nigeria’s German boss has already shown himself to be tactically inferior to Raoul Savoy) should guarantee superiority nine times out of ten, especially with a couple of factors taken into account.

For one thing, by its very nature a performance like that from the visitors is unlikely to repeat itself, born as it was of a historic effort.

The hand has been played, and will have been noted by Rohr and his staff. In theory it will be a lot easier to assess (and access) any chinks in the armour and raise the stakes.

Also, the surface in Douala will offer more security underfoot, and make execution easier for Nigeria. The pitch at the Teslim Balogun Stadium was and has been a handicap, albeit a self-inflicted one. Creation is a more difficult, more precise action than destruction, and so on Thursday the bumpy terrain was the ally of the Central African Republic. This will not be the case in Cameroon on Sunday.

Of course, this just means there can be no excuses, and nowhere to hide for Nigeria and their 68-year-old coach should lightning strike twice.

That carries its own pressure, but also an imperative to be the protagonist on the day. The question though is: what exactly can Rohr do differently?

His midfield selection has already significantly hamstrung the team, limiting his range of solutions, and if Thursday taught anything, it is that more forwards into the fray is no answer in itself without the means to disrupt the opponent’s organisation and supply ammunition to them.

A three at the back system – preferably 3-4-3 – would seem a reasonable compromise, especially as Central African Republic showed little appetite for attacking through the wide areas in the first game. The task of creativity would then go onto the inside forwards, in the absence of a proper creator in the squad.

That is one solution of many possible, of course; what is clear is that Rohr must do something different in Douala. With two extra days of swotting under his belt, the German now faces probably the sternest examination of his time in charge of Nigeria, but from the unlikeliest of sources.

South Africa maintained their unbeaten record in the 2022 Fifa World Cup qualification Group G by securing a 3-1 win over Ethiopia at Bahir Dar Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Goals from Fasil Gebremichael (own-goal), Mothobi Mvala, and Evidence Makgopa inspired Bafana Bafana to victory as they avenged their 2-1 loss to Walia Ibex in the 2014 World Cup qualifier which was also played in Ethiopia in June 2013. 

Terrence Mashego and Tshegofatso Mabasa were handed their Bafana debut by coach Hugo Broos, who was looking to mastermind South Africa's second consecutive victory in Group G having guided his side to a 1-0 win over Ghana last month.

While the Ethiopian attack was led by former Bidvest Wits and University of Pretoria striker Getaneh Kebede and Aschalew Tamene who scored Walia Ibex's winning goal against Zimbabwe last month started in defence for coach Wubeto Abate's side.

Ethiopia had more of the possession and they also had better of the attempts with Ronwen Williams being the busier of the two goalkeepers as he produced an incredible save from Surafel Dagnachew's effort - finger-tipping the ball over the crossbar.

The Bafana captain had to be alert after Siyanda Xulu had given the ball away in his own box and the ball fell kindly for Abubeker Nasser, but Williams pulled off a magnificent one-handed reflex save from close range, before denying the same player again a few minutes later.

Broos made what seemed like a tactical change in the 35th minute as he pulled out Mabasa, who looked uninjured and he introduced Victor Letsoalo, who has been in great scoring form for Royal AM having netted in four successive goals in the PSL. 

The visitors were then gifted a goal on the stroke of half-time when goalkeeper Fasil Gebremichael made a mistake as he allowed a tame shot from Teboho Mokoena's free-kick to slip through his fingers to hand South Africa a 1-0 lead heading into the break.

Bafana continued to surge forward in search of another goal after the restart with Mokoena hitting the side-netting, before Rushine De Reuck's powerful header hit the woodwork with Grebremichael well-beaten, but the defender was ruled offside.

Walia Ibex were awarded a free-kick in a promising area after Surafel Dagnachew was fouled by Thabiso Kutumela and Kebede beat Williams with a stunning strike from the resultant set-piece to make it 1-1 in the 67th minute.

However, the goal did not deter Broos' charges as they pressed the hosts and they restore their lead in the 71st minute when Mvala scored from close range after a long throw created defensive confusion in the Ethiopian box and the 27-year-old midfielder was there to make it 2-1 to South Africa.

Despite his side leading with 11 minutes left, Broos introduced a striker - Evidence Makgopa - who vindicated the Belgian tactician's decision as he sealed South Africa's 3-1 win by looping the ball over Grebremichael after being set-up by Letsoalo in stoppage time.

The victory saw South Africa open a four-point gap at the top of the group standings, while Ethiopia remained third on the table and the two teams will meet again on Tuesday at FNB Stadium.

The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) has revealed it has entered into a deal with gaming firm MozzartBet that will see the national team receive Ksh3 million in sponsorship funds.
 
The deal is meant to boost FKF's financial muscle ahead of the remaining 2022 World Cup qualifiers. The partnership has been launched days after the Harambee Stars suffered a 5-0 defeat to Mali on Thursday.

"The Football Kenya Federation has unveiled a new national team Harambee Stars partner, MozzartBet," an FKF's statement said.

"The partnership will cover the remainder of the World Cup qualifying campaign and started with the Stars’ away game in Agadir, Morocco, against Mali. 
 
"As part of the deal, FKF will receive Ksh3 million from the leading online gaming firm to prepare the team for the remaining qualifiers against Mali, Rwanda, and Uganda."
 
MozzartBet general manager Sasa Krneta said it was time to work with the Harambee Stars after they had been involved with the lower leagues.
 
"We believe in supporting Kenyan football. We have been working at the grassroots level, but we have always wanted to work with the national team and this is our time," said Krneta. 

"Thank you for believing in Kenyan football, and for believing in the Harambee Stars. We were able to send the team to Morocco comfortably and we thank you for that," he said at the announcement.
 
"We did not get the result we wanted in Agadir but I believe in this team, I know its potential and I am sure better results are on the way. We have a chance to make a statement in the remaining matches, and I am confident that we can get a positive result in the end if we give it all as a team."
 
Kenya will host Mali for the reverse clash on Sunday at the Nyayo National Stadium before concluding the qualifiers against Uganda and Rwanda.

The Harambee Stars remain on two points after three games and are under pressure going into matchday four against the West African nation.

When he was signed for Real Madrid from Chelsea in the summer of 2019, Eden Hazard declared that he wasn't a 'Galactico'.

“I'm not a 'Galactico', not yet, [but] I hope to be one day,” the Belgian stated. “Here I start from scratch. I don't consider myself a 'Galactico', but a very good player."

However, the playmaker's €100 million (£88.5m/$112m) price tag and status tells a different story. Madrid sign Galacticos and Hazard joins a long list of superstars who fall into that category.

But what exactly is a Galactico? Goal takes a look at the origin of the term as well as the signings who became poster boys of the transfer policy.

What is a Galactico?

Galactico is the Spanish word for 'galactic' and it is used to describe footballers who are deemed to be superstars or boast ability levels that are 'out of this world'.

As well as being supremely talented, a Galactico tends to be famous the world over and usually commands a hefty transfer fee.

The term was popularised during the 2000s during Florentino Perez's first term as president of Real Madrid when he and the club aggressively pursued a recruitment policy that prioritised the signing of such players.

Of course, the idea of assembling a team of superstars predates the Perez presidency and is not exclusive to Real Madrid.

Johan Cruyff's Barcelona side of 1988 to 1996 could be said to have featured plenty of Galacticos. It featured the likes of Romario, Michael Laudrup and Hristo Stoichkov, and was known as the 'Dream Team'.

Prior to that, Madrid boasted a team of Galacticos in the 1950s and 1960s, with players such as Alfredo Di Stefano, Ferenc Puskas and Raymond Kopa.

First Galactico era

For much of the 1990s, Real Madrid were forced to play second best to Barcelona in La Liga, with Cruyff's Barca 'Dream Team' and later Louis van Gaal's side dominating the domestic landscape.

Los Blancos did end a three-decade-long European Cup drought during that period by winning the Champions League in 1998, repeating the feat in 2000, but the club was crying out for new leadership by the turn of the millennium.

Step forward Perez, who promised to overhaul the vaunted institution, with one of his campaign avowals being to bring the best players in the world to the Santiago Bernabeu each season.

Luis Figo, who arrived in the summer of 2000 from arch-rivals Barcelona for a then-record 10 billion pesetas (£37.2m/€62m), was the first Galactico acquisition of the Perez tenure. The capture of Figo was a fitting statement of intent and they went on to win their first Liga title in four years that season.

The following season, Madrid continued the aggressive pursuit of the world's best when they completed the signing of Zinedine Zidane from Juventus in what was another world-record fee: 150 billion lire (12.8 billion pesetas or €77.5m).

The club secured their ninth Champions League title that season, with the France star vindicating Perez's lavish policy by scoring a sensational winner in the final against Bayer Leverkusen.

Zidane was already a world and European champion with France prior to his arrival in the Spanish capital and the club added another globally revered world champion the season after that, with Brazil icon Ronaldo joining from Inter for a fee of €46 million. O Fenomeno scored 23 goals in his debut season for Los Blancos, helping them to their 29th Liga crown.

David Beckham followed Ronaldo in 2003 when he joined from Manchester United. While Beckham's talent levels may not have come close to that of Figo, Zidane or Ronaldo, he was a European champion and England captain.

However, he was also a commercial behemoth, whose appeal stretched across the world, something Perez alluded to upon landing the midfielder.

"He is a man of our times and a symbol of modern-day stardom," the Madrid president stated at Beckham's unveiling. "And what is certain is Real Madrid have signed Beckham because he's a great footballer and a very dedicated professional."

Another Englishman was the next Galactico to arrive at the Bernabeu, with Michael Owen joining his compatriot Beckham from Liverpool in 2005, but the policy began to unravel somewhat in the middle of the decade. Robinho followed in 2005, as did Sergio Ramos, and they are perhaps the last of the first Galacticos, with Perez resigning in 2006.

During the 2000s, the term Galacticos eventually became synonymous with the entire Real Madrid team, with high-profile pre-Perez signings such as Roberto Carlos and Steve McManaman, as well as youth team products Raul and Guti sometimes referred to using the tag.

Second Galactico era

The second Galactico - and current - era arose out of a similar context as the first, with Perez returning to the role of Real Madrid president in 2009 amid a period of relative decline at the Bernabeu.

Pep Guardiola had delivered a treble for Barcelona during the 2008-09 season and the Catalan giants were practising an exciting brand of football that would soon become known as tiki-taka. The tide was turning in Barca's favour when it came to El Clasico too, with the Blaugrana winning both games that season.

Perez replaced Ramon Calderon in 2009 and immediately set about addressing the imbalance by securing the services of Kaka from AC Milan, Karim Benzema from Lyon, Xabi Alonso from Liverpool and most crucially, Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United.

The acquisition of the aforementioned four players amounted to a total cost of €225 million. It was Perez's new and improved Galacticos policy in action.

Angel Di Maria and Mesut Ozil followed in 2010, joining from Benfica and Werder Bremen respectively, with Luka Modric signing from Tottenham in 2012.

Madrid broke the world transfer record in 2009 to sign Ronaldo from Manchester United and they did it again in 2013 when Gareth Bale arrived from Spurs for €100 million. Isco was another new addition that summer, signing from Malaga, with Toni Kroos joining the following year from Bayern Munich.

While not all of Perez's second-era Galacticos have lived up to expectations and domestic dominance still hasn't materialised in the past 10 years, the recruitment policy certainly laid the foundations for Madrid's recent hegemony over European football, which remarkably saw them collect four Champions League titles in five years between 2013 and 2018.

During that period, the nature of the club's signings noticeably changed, with more younger, less established talents being targeted ahead of marquee names.

However, the departure of Ronaldo at the end of the 2017-18 season and the team's subsequent decline in fortunes has seemingly forced a change of tack.

Hazard, despite his modest protestations to the contrary, was the latest Galactico, arriving as he did as one of the world's best players with a €100m price tag around his neck.

However, injuries have plagued his time in the Spanish capital and he has been unable to live up to expectation. He has made just 22 competitive appearances in his first season and 31 in his second. He has had an easier time in 2021-22 but will have to get back to his best to go down as a Galactico.

Striker Luka Jovic, who also joined the club in 2019, is less accomplished than the Belgium midfielder and cost the club €60m. He was expected to go on to be categorised as a Galactico in time, but he was loaned back to Eintracht Frankfurt last year. So far in 2021-22, he has been given playing time but has not been able to secure a place in the starting XI.