Abu Dhabi: UAE-based former Real Madrid defender Michel Salgado believes his old side’s La Liga fortunes this season can be ‘reinforced’ by another Fifa Club World Cup win ahead of next week’s El Clasico.
Third-placed Real are at home to Barcelona on December 23 where they will seek to put a dent in Barca’s eight point lead over them.
“There are always dips over a long season, good moments and bad moments,” Salgado told ESPN of Real’s worst campaign start since 2008.
“They have had some poor results in La Liga, but the team are still strong and are getting back important players from injury.
“I believe they will be fully motivated and give everything in this Club World Cup.
“Winning trophies can bring this extra boost, the extra vitamins that the team needs sometimes during a season. Madrid can come out of it reinforced.”
Salgado played over 250 games for Real over a decade from 1999 to 2009, during which he won four La Liga titles, two Champions League trophies and one Intercontinental Cup — the old name for the Fifa Club World Cup.
He lost one Intercontinental Cup to Boca Juniors in Tokyo in 2000, but then made up for it with victory over Olimpia of Paraguay in Yokohama in 2002.
“Of course, the Champions League is bigger, but to be world champion as a player is also something that maybe does not get the recognition it should.
“It’s something I’ll always remember and a medal every player wants in his collection.
“Before it was just one game and the whole thing did not have enough support,” he added. “But it is now getting stronger all the time.
“It’s great for this country that a competition of this level comes here. It’s a competition that merits attention: it decides the world club champion. That’s very big for any player, any club. Bit by bit the competition is gaining the importance that it deserves.
“It’s difficult for many reasons. It comes at a tricky moment of the season, when there are a lot of big games in December.
“When we travelled to Japan, it really affected your season, with the jet lag and everything. There is no doubt about that. So there are pros and cons, but it’s still something that everyone wants to win.”
