‘Madrid Is Very Much Like Liverpool’ – Similarities Seen Between Superpowers

The expectation to deliver major silverware on an annual basis makes life at “Real Madrid very much like Liverpool”, says Steve McManaman.

The former England international graced the books at Anfield and Santiago Bernabeu in his playing days.

Trophies
were collected with both the Reds and Blancos, with McManaman held in
held regard by loyal fan bases on Merseyside and in Madrid.

He
claims to have revelled in the expectation which accompanied the
pulling on of two iconic jerseys, with success demanded rather than
longed for by two European heavyweights.

Real and Liverpool
have continued to stock their respective trophy cabinets on a regular
basis in recent times, with Champions League triumphs commonplace.

Jurgen
Klopp also has his side on the brink of a Premier League title win – a
first top-flight crown in 30 years – while Zinedine Zidane has Madrid in
the hunt for La Liga honours.

Both men will be expected to
get over the line if and when competitive action resumes after the
coronavirus outbreak, with McManaman seeing similarities between a
couple of legendary sporting institutions.

He told BBC Radio
5 Live: “Real Madrid is very much like Liverpool, as in two huge clubs
in their particular countries, steeped in history, always looking at the
past.

“You have got these pictures all over the walls at
Liverpool – it will be Emlyn Hughes, it will be Graeme Souness, Phil
Thompson lifting these European Cups. In Madrid it was the same, you’ve
got [Alfredo] Di Stefano, [Francisco] Gento, [Ferenc] Puskas, you’ve got
pictures everywhere and the pressure is on every single season to win a
trophy.

“And if it’s not the league, it’s the Champions
League. You have to deliver silverware, and that was exactly the same at
Liverpool.

“So when I went to Madrid, the faces were
different and they spoke a foreign language but the pressure to win
trophies was all that mattered.

“If you had a barren year –
the year before they had finished second in the league and hadn’t won
any silverware, the pressure was on again for Real Madrid. You had to
achieve.

“It was quite easy for me. Of course settling in
and getting on with your team-mates who all speak a foreign language
that you’re trying to learn as quickly as possible, that’s difficult and
can be lonely but you have to try your best.”

Merseyside
native McManaman made 364 appearances for Liverpool before leaving for
Madrid in 1999, with a further 158 outings for the Blancos.