Overpaid Madrid players must deliver

MONACO – Real Madrid’s mammoth spending spree may have grabbed headlines, but former striker Emilio Butragueno says the likes of world-record signing Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka now have to deliver.

“Of course, we have been able to draw the world’s attention,” Butragueno said. “But now we have to expect that the performance of these players on the field is what the people have been waiting for.”

Madrid has spent $360 million in its bid to knock arch rival Barcelona off its perch. Barca was the best team in Europe last season, winning the Champions League and a La Liga and Copa del Rey domestic double.

Desperate to recapture the club’s glory years, Madrid’s president Florentino Perez has plundered Europe’s other top leagues to bring in Ronaldo from Manchester United, Kaka from AC Milan and Karim Benzema from Lyon.

Speaking after the Champions League draw on Thursday, Butragueno said Madrid had no choice but to spend to end Barca’s success and curtail the dominance of the English Premier League – which has provided three out of four semifinalists in the Champions League for the past two seasons.

“You want to have the best players, you have to invest some money on them,” Butragueno said. “The Premier (league) has, over four or five years, been very successful in Europe, we have to admit that. The Premier as a brand is very strong.”                               (AP)