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Real Madrid are one of the most successful teams in European club football.
Over the years, the 13-time Champions League winners have attracted the best talents in the history of the game, which includes Zinedine Zidane, Alfredo Di Stefano, Raul, Roberto Carlos, Ferenc Puskas and the two Ronaldos, to name a few.
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez devised the famous 'Galacticos' transfer policy, where the Spanish champions recruited some of the biggest names in the game.
Five baffling Real Madrid transfers
The 'Galacticos' have provided a massive return on Real Madrid's investment, winning six La Liga, five Champions League and five Club World Cup titles since the turn of the century.
However, all Real Madrid signings have not gone to plan, while others made little to no sense. On that note, let's have a look at five baffling Real Madrid transfers.
#5 Thomas Gravesen
Danish midfielder Thomas Gravesen's €3.4m transfer from Goodison Park to Real Madrid in 2005 made little sense.
Although Real Madrid were in need of an aggressive and tough holding midfielder, there were arguably better options out there.
Despite numerous chances, Thomas Gravesen failed to establish himself at Real Madrid for the long term. The Dane made 49 appearances for Los Blancos but accrued 20 yellow cards and a red.
After widespread condemnation of his playing style by fans and pundits alike, Thomas Gravesen found himself on the fringes of the team.
Moreover, he was involved in a training ground bust-up with his then-teammate Robinho, which resulted from a hard tackle by the feisty Danish. The midfielder's inauspicious time with Real Madrid reached concluded in 18 months when he moved to Celtic.
#4 Elvir Baljic
Elvir Baljic's €26m transfer to Real Madrid in 1999 - an amount reserved for the best talent in the game - shocked the footballing world.
Although Real Madrid scouts weren't impressed by the Bosnian, the insistence of their former manager John Toshack led to the forward's signing.
While Baljic was a willy operator, he was a clear misfit at Real Madrid, spending most of his time in two different loan spells. The Bosnian's debut season featured 19 appearances, and that turned out to be his last season, as he was loaned out for the remainder of his three-season Real Madrid contract.
The signing of Baljic was the biggest sum paid for a player from ex-Yugoslavia, which was surpassed by Edin Dzeko's move to Manchester City about a decade later.
#3 Javier Saviola
The transfer of Javier Saviola shocked the football world when he made the move from Barcelona to bitter rivals Real Madrid.
Unlike Luis Figo and a few others, the Argentine was well past his prime when he joined Los Blancos, and arguably, Perez just wanted to take a dig at the Blaugrana by picking up one of their players.
Saviola had a tough time securing a spot in the Real Madrid starting lineup, as he was kept out by the likes of Ruud van Nistelrooy, Raul, Robinho, Arjen Robben and Gonzalo Higuain. The former Barcelona man was restricted to appearances in Cup and other 'lesser' matches, accruing 28 appearances in his two-season stay.
The Spaniard managed notched up five goals in the whites of Real Madrid before moving to Benfica, where he regained his mojo once again. However, Saviola would have been better off spending these two years elsewhere, as Real Madrid signed a player they had absolutely no need for.
#2 Julien Faubert
Next up, we have the former Hammers full-back, Julien Faubert. While Faubert was a decent player, his loan move to Real Madrid shocked one and all, as he looked like a fish out of water in Madrid's star-studded lineup.
Like most names in this list, Real Madrid went ahead with the Frenchman's loan signing, ignoring his long history with injuries.
Despite being a loan signing, Faubert cost Real Madrid €1.5 million for his 54-minute appearance in six months at the club, failing to make an impression. Faubert never found a consistent spot at Real Madrid, let alone their world-class starting XI, as he was evidently not at the same level as his teammates.
Moreover, Faubert infamously dozed off on the bench in a game against Villarreal and also ended up missing training the next day, as he mistakenly thought he had an off day. Six months later, his loan deal was not extended, and the option to buy was understandably not exercised.
Faubert undoubtedly remains one of Real Madrid's most peculiar signings.
#1 Jonathan Woodgate
Taking pole position in our list is Englishman Jonathan Woodgate, who lasted just one season in the Real Madrid whites. Although Woodgate was considered one of the Premier League's finest defenders, he consistently found himself on the sidelines due to injury.
While that put off some of Europe's top clubs, Real Madrid persisted with Woodgate's signing, who spent a year out injured with a thigh problem.
Despite a medical being the first and foremost condition to signing a new player, Real Madrid's team doctors seemingly failed to detect Woodgate's ongoing injury issues. He was injured at the time of his transfer from Newcastle.
The current AFC Bournemouth manager made just nine La Liga appearances for Los Blancos, doing gross injustice to the €18.3 million Real Madrid shelled out for his services.
Jonathan Woodgate was arguably the worst debutant for Real Madrid, scoring an own goal and getting sent off.
