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Real Madrid's excellence in world football over the last 10 years has depended hugely on their signings during that span. While local rivals Atletico Madrid have enjoyed a slice of the pie on a couple of occasions, it has predominantly been a two-way battle.
While Real Madrid lost out to Barcelona in terms of overall domestic title wins between 2012 and 2021, they've gone on to dominate the European scene. Los Blancos won the Champions League four times, including the historic La Decima back in May 2014.
Signings becoming the key to success for Real Madrid
Club president Florentino Perez, despite the controversies he's stirred up, has played a crucial role in that success, thanks to the signings he's managed.
The Spanish businessman made headlines with the signing of Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United back in the summer of 2009. Over the course of the next nine years, the Portuguese went on to score 450 goals in 438 appearances. He was instrumental in the club winning three Champions League titles in a row between 2015 and 2018.
The managers taking charge at the Bernabeu never had any reason to complain when it came to signings. Aside from Ronaldo, there have been a number of world-class signings who've etched their names in the club's history books.
Let's look at five players who've proven themselves to be the best signings for the Spanish giants in the last decade.
#5 Thibaut Courtois
Despite initial difficulties, Thibaut Courtois has quickly gone on to establish himself as an indispensable member of the Real Madrid squad, replacing Keylor Navas as their first-choice goalkeeper.
Courtois forced the hands of the Chelsea board when he refused to show up for training following the summer break back in 2018.
The move was finalized for a fee in the region of £35m, making him one of Europe's most expensive goalkeeping signings. Perez's decision has since borne fruit, with the six-foot-seven-inch tall keeper going on to keep 52 clean sheets in 129 appearances.
He has added one La Liga, one Supercopa and one Club World Cup title to his name so far.
Despite the heroics of Navas, Courtois is probably one of the best goalkeeping signings Real Madrid have made in the last decade.
#4 Toni Kroos
The Spanish giants pulled off quite a coup when they signed Toni Kroos from Bayern Munich back in the summer of 2014, for a fee in the region of £21m.
The 31-year-old had been close to a move to Manchester United but the deal failed to materialize following a managerial change. That allowed Real Madrid to swoop in, and it has since proved to be one of the club's biggest signings.
The six-foot-tall midfielder has stood as a brickwall at the heart of the Real Madrid midfield. He's played a pivotal role in their two La Liga titles and three Champions League trophies.
In 320 appearances for Los Blancos, Kroos has scored 22 goals and, more importantly, helped set up 80 more for his teammates.
#3 Casemiro
Some signings have immediate effect while others take time to set in. When Real Madrid announced a loan deal for young Brazilian Casemiro back in January 2013, he was just 21. Initially slotted into their B team, he had to wait until April of that year to earn his La Liga debut. They eventually made the move permanent in June.
There was no easy route into the Real Madrid first team though, and he was loaned out to Porto the following year.
However, following a successful spell in Portugal, Casemiro went on to establish himself as a first-team regular at the Bernabeau. He's since featured in almost 300 games for the Spanish giants, scoring 30 goals and setting up 24 more for his teammates.
Despite the many signings Real Madrid have made since the midfielder's arrival, he's still managed to retain his spot. Which goes a long way towards proving the quality offered by the 29-year-old.
#2 Raphael Varane
French international Raphael Varane joined Real Madrid from French outfit Lens, becoming one of their five signings that summer.
Varane was also the youngest of the lot, and while the others have since faded away, he's flourished. He had good chemistry with skipper Sergio Ramos at the back until they decided to part ways this summer. Ramos joined Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer while Varane went to Manchester United for £41m.
Over the course of his 10-year stay in Spain, Varane's made 360 appearances, adding three La Liga and four Champions League honors to his repertoire.
Varane became the second of Manchester United's two high-profile signings this summer, with Jadon Sancho being the other. The English giants know quite well the quality the French international will bring to Old Trafford next season.
#1 Luka Modric
Any discussion of Real Madrid's top signings over the last decade is incomplete without the mention of Croatian legend Luka Modric.
The 2018 Ballon d'Or winner was one of the major signings of the 2012-13 summer transfer window, arriving for a fee of £30m from Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur.
His creative play has since changed the way Real Madrid approach their game. Modric helped them clinch as many as four Champions League, two La Liga, three Club World Cup and three UEFA Super Cup trophies.
Age has never been an issue for him and the Player of the Season award he earned at the end of last term, at the age of 35, is proof of that.
Modric is just nine short of notching up 400 appearances for Real Madrid and has contributed toward 89 goals, which includes 61 assists.
Honourable mentions: Keylor Navas and Dani Carvajal
While the players listed so far are undoubtedly five of the best signings Real Madrid have made this decade, there are two more that deserve special mention.
Keylor Navas is one of them. The 34-year-old deserves more acknowledgement than he's gotten at Real Madrid. Despite the uncertainty regarding his future at the club, the Costa Rican has gone about his job silently ever since his arrival in 2014. With 52 clean sheets in 162 appearances, he was an integral part of their European success.
Spaniard Daniel Carvajal, on the other hand, has continued to play a key role in the right-back position for Los Blancos ever since 2013.
While some high-profile signings such as James Rodriguez, Gareth Bale and Eden Hazard have failed to live up to their price tags, those two relatively low-profile signings have flourished.
There will almost certainly be plenty more high-profile signings arriving through the Barnabeau doors in the near future but it will be key for the Madrid giants to recruit the right profile. Their challenge will be to match the levels of those that have already etched their names in the history books.
