Football: Legend believes in real fairytales

Former Real Madrid striker Emilio Butragueño, believes the NZ side can do more than just make up the numbers. Photo / Getty Images

Auckland City's participation in the upcoming Fifa Club World Cup in Morocco has received the royal seal of approval.

Not from King Mohammed VI of Morocco - although that may come in December - but from Spanish football royalty.

Former Real Madrid striker Emilio Butragueo, one of the world's most feared strikers in his playing days, believes the New Zealand side could do more than just make up the numbers.

"In football, you play 11 versus 11," said Butragueo, in Morocco as part of the Madrid delegation for the Club World Cup draw and preparations over the last week. "It means anything can happen. It's a unique sport. Of course it will be difficult but they will be great ambassadors for your country and they have to hope that anything is possible."

Auckland City and the Spanish giants were singled out by the Fifa host at the official draw ceremony last Monday as the only two teams at this year's tournament to have previously played in the event.

That might be as close as the two teams will come but Butragueo, who serves as a director at Madrid, added that the sport is changing for the better as less recognised nations challenge the football elite.

"[Look at] the last World Cup, with [teams such as] Costa Rica, Algeria, Nigeria," Butragueo said. "And New Zealand [in 2010]. Who believed they could draw with Italy? Nowadays in football, everything is very even."

In a club hardly lacking star alumni, Butragueo is a hero. Nicknamed El Butre (The Vulture), he was at the forefront of a home-grown renaissance at Madrid, after the club had slipped into the doldrums in the early 1980s.

Small (1.68m) and slight, he was an elusive dribbler who scored 171 goals for Los Merengues. He also finished second-top goal scorer at the 1986 World Cup, including a memorable four goals against Denmark.

"It is true we had a great opportunity in 1986 but we could not take it," Butragueo said. "Spanish football has grown so much since then, especially with the recent generation - not just because they won [major tournaments], but how they won. They have left a fantastic legacy for the next players to come."

Though some European teams (especially Chelsea in 2012) seemed to treat the Club World Cup with disdain in recent seasons, Butragueo says Madrid will be focused on success in December.

"We won the Champions League after 12 seasons, which was a great achievement for us," he said. "Now we are in this tournament, which is the best of all the continents, and it's very important for us to get it. Every time Real Madrid play, we try to play well, with style and to win. That is part of our history."

Real Madrid have been crowned intercontinental champions on three occasions, in 1960 (beating Uruguay's Penarol Montevideo), 1998 (over Vasco de Gama of Brazil) and 2002 (at the expense of Olimpia Asuncion from Paraguay).