In this football language post we explain a newspaper headline from the Telegraph from February 27th 2020 and reports on Manchester City’s win at Real Madrid in the last 16 first leg tie. Don’t forget we have hundreds more explanations of football language in our football glossary. If you have questions or comments about this or any other phrase then email us at:admin@languagecaster.com.Newspaper Headline: The Real deal
The phrase ‘the real deal’ suggests that some one or something is authentic or genuine that they are ‘real’. Manchester City travelled to Madrid to play Real Madrid in the Champions League this week and they not only won; they also played really well and demonstrated their true qualities – they can now be described as genuine favourites for the title.
Of course, the newspaper headline writers are also playing with the reader as they have used the word ‘Real’ with a capital letter as this now refers to Manchester City’s opponents Real Madrid – the pronunciation might be different but the spelling of the two words are the same. Therefore, we can say that the headline means that Manchetser City’s win in Madrid shows they are an authentic challenger to win the Champions League title. The Real deal.
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