Russia coach Guus Hiddink rued Real Madrid's tight budget when he was in charge of the Spanish titans over a decade ago. The Dutch manager had an unsuccessful year-long spell at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu starting 1998. Hiddink, who was relieved of his duty as Real's boss after Los Merengues suffered a string of bad results, highlighted the drastic change to the club's fortunes in these days. "During my time there was not a single peseta to spend," he told EFE. "I had to work with the squad I had at the time. "Now it seems there is no limit to the money and it is possible to buy, like (president) Florentino Perez has demonstrated, a great team. "I hope with the spending made by Real Madrid they will be in the Champions League final at the Santiago Bernabeu." Real have adopted a free-spending policy since Perez was re-appointed as the club's chairman this summer. They have spent around €250 million on super signings in Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Karim Benzema and Raul Albiol.
