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David Beckham, Michael Owen and Jonathan Woodgate have all
decamped from the English Premier League to play in the sunnier climes of
Madrid. Was it the lure of the greatest football club in the world that
brought the players to the Spanish capital? Real Madrid is a name which
conjures up images of footballing brilliance, having been voted FIFA's
most successful team of the twentieth century. Perhaps it was the lure of
the money? Real Madrid want the best players and pay the highest wages
outside of West London. Perhaps, and probably most likely, it was the lure
of living in one of Europe's most beautiful and interesting
countries. |
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Spain has long held allure for English people -
thousands leave for a life on the Costas every year. Here in lies one of
the great dilemmas of moving to Spain: to learn Spanish before leaving home
or to learn Spanish in Spain? For the
footballers, this choice generally makes itself - their transfers go through
so quickly and unexpectedly that to learn a foreign language is often an
afterthought dealt with by the player's new club, who then lay on high-quality,
one-on-one language courses for their new assets. Former Liverpool player
Steve Macmanaman
proved to be extremely popular amongst fans of Real Madrid because of his
enthusiasm for Spain
both on and off the pitch. He was quick to learn Spanish and adapted to
the culture quickly, which lead to him becoming England's most successful
football export of all time. |
| Many other people choose to take up a Spanish Course in a Spanish School in
Spain , for a number of different reasons. It could be that they want
to see another country at first hand or perhaps would like to learn a new
language while enjoying the benefits of total cultural immersion. Courses
are offered all over Spain, and demand for places is understandably high.
Some organisations offer Spanish language courses outside of Spain. Large
international organisations are increasingly able to provide whatever you
want, wherever you want. Organisations like Cactus Language allow you to
choose a course online from the comfort of your living room or local
internet cafe.
Evidence proves that the most successful English footballers abroad are
those who made the greatest effort to learn their new country's culture
and language - perhaps there is a lesson to be learnt from this? |
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If you wish to find further information on either of the language websites
mentioned in this article, we suggest the following links: |
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