Real spending spree not normal, says Platini

There is something "not normal" about the huge sums of money spent by clubs like Real Madrid in the transfer market, UEFA president Michel Platini was quoted as saying yesterday.

Real took their recent spending spree to around €215 million when they signed French forward Karim Benzema from Lyon on Wednesday.

Benzema will follow Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo, Brazilian playmaker Kaka and Spanish defender Raul Albiol to the Bernabeu Stadium.

"Does the club making such enormous transfers have the money or not?," Platini asked in an interview in yesterday's French sports daily L'Equipe.

"The Ronaldo transfer, personally, puts a question to me, but then, if Real has a guarantee from banks....

"Personally, I can't understand that you can spend €90 million on a player," Platini added. "But I remember the transfer of (Diego) Maradona from Barcelona to Naples (in 1984). It must have been for the equivalent of €6.5 million and people already found it indecent.

"I think there's something not normal in there. I don't like all that, and even less the fact that today, contracts are being signed only to be breached. But then again, if the clubs have the money, what can I do?"