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More often than not, Real Madrid have had the liberty to pick whatever fruit they fancy from the orchard of players. Footballers have flocked for the chance to sign for the 34-time La Liga champions ever since the club was founded in 1902.
Due to their rich and illustrious history, Real Madrid have been able to occupy a position of power in all financial dealings they are involved in. Even so, their track record in signings is punctuated by some occasional duds.
Transfers that Real Madrid could not capitalize on
James Rodriguez's humongous €75m transfer of 2014 serves as the perfect case in point. Due to a conflict of ideologies, the Portuguese playmaker failed to make a place for himself in Spain. After six years of constant uncertainty, he was allowed to join Everton on a free transfer.
Another notable occasion with a plethora of failed opportunities occurred in 2019 when Real Madrid went full out to secure their targets. Similar to their infamous spending spree of 2009, Los Blancos attempted to reap big by splashing big. Unfortunately, only Ferland Mendy has been able to integrate himself into the Madrid first-team. Luka Jovic and Eden Hazard have been the biggest disappointments from that spree so far, failing to justify their combined cost of €178m.
In hindsight, Real Madrid have had their fair share of failures in the transfer market. Aside from the signings that flopped astronomically at the Bernabeu, the men in white have also tasted defeat on another front. Despite their obvious pulling power, Real Madrid have been left frustrated in their pursuit of certain footballers, time after time.
On that note, let's take a look at 5 such players that the Spanish giants failed to sign:
#5 Paul Pogba
Kicking off the list in fifth place is French sensation Paul Pogba. The creative midfielder has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford ever since Jose Mourinho set foot in town. Even though it's been three years since the Portuguese manager's sacking, Pogba's future with Manchester United still hangs in the balance.
In multiple transfer windows, Real Madrid have been the favorites to land his signature. The two parties were really close to signing an agreement during Zinedine Zidane's tenure as Madrid manager. Pogba has long been an admirer of his compatriot, going as far as to label him his idol. An unsettled feeling at the Red Devils, coupled with an apparent desire to play under his hero, made Real Madrid the frontrunner to sign Pogba.
His agent, Mino Raiola, has always been vocal about Pogba's future destinations, with Real Madrid's name popping up in every conversation. However, all rumors have gone cold ever since Carlo Ancelotti was announced as the successor to Zidane's throne at the Bernabeu. Adding salt to their wounds, United's acquisition of Raphael Varane and Cristiano Ronaldo has almost confirmed an extension to Pogba's stay at Old Trafford.
#4 Steven Gerrard
Real Madrid are connected to the who's who of the footballing world in every single transfer window. Therefore, Steven Gerrard's supposed transfer to the Spanish capital came as little surprise to fans of the club. With the aforementioned Jose Mourinho at the helm, Los Blancos came just inches away from signing the one-club man.
In 2010, Jose Mourinho had become obsessed with the English midfielder. Having almost signed him at Chelsea, the Portuguese manager tried his level best to accomplish this task in Spain. Years later, Gerrard revealed that although he was tempted by Real Madrid's offer, he decided to stay put. The Liverpool legend stated:
"I think I had a couple of options throughout my career to go to Real Madrid, but I resisted temptation because of the big connection I had with my hometown club. Basically, Madrid wanted me to cause a war at Liverpool to get out. That was the only way that could've happened."
The La Liga stalwarts would've been unstoppable had they been successful in adding Gerrard to their ranks. Regrettably for Real Madrid, the 114-times capped England international stayed at Anfield for another five seasons, forcing them to sign Sami Khedira instead.
Also read: 5 world-class footballers Barcelona failed to sign
#3 Ronaldinho
A bizarre exclusion by the Real Madrid hierarchy, Ronaldinho could well have been a Madridista at the turn of the century if Florentino Perez was not in charge of affairs. Reportedly, the Brazilian magician was rejected by the Real Madrid president on the pretext of 'not having the right looks'.
Instead, the erratic politician decided to hijack Barcelona's pursuit of David Beckham, announcing the marketable Englishman as their marquee signing of 2003. As a direct consequence of this debacle, Blaugrana were forced to find a quick replacement for their desired target.
Even though Beckham went on to have a decent career with Real Madrid, their decision to pass on a perfectly viable option came back to bite them. Ronaldinho was quickly snapped up by Barcelona in what is now considered to be a turning point in the Catalans' history. To add insult to injury, the magestic dribbler even earned a standing ovation from the Bernabeu in Barcelona's 3-0 drubbing of Real Madrid.
#2 Francesco Totti
Transfers where both parties are eager to put pen to paper have seldom failed to materialize. Nevertheless, such was the case with Francesco Totti's move to Real Madrid that never happened. Los Blancos were on the verge of completing this transfer in 2004, which eventually fell through solely due to Totti's dedication to Roma.
The Italian maestro revealed in an interview that Real Madrid were ready to offer him wages rising to €25m. If agreed, such a contract would've made him the second-highest earner in the Madrid squad, just pennies behind club captain Raul. Totti said:
"It was not the best period at Roma and they offered me a lot - I was to have a contract of about €25m. They offered [me] everything except the captaincy because Raul was there. I don't reject it, I think about it a lot. As I said before, 80% [intention] was there. Do something different from what other players had always done. Many went to [Real] Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern. I felt differently."
Instead, Totti established his legacy as the quintessential one-club man with Roma, spending every minute of his professional career with Giallorossi. He retired in 2017 at the ripe old age of 41. Real Madrid truly lost out on a legendary player in Totti.
#1 Neymar
To think Lionel Messi's best mate could've ended up with his former club's arch-rivals Real Madrid long before their friendship took form. In similar fashion to their current trend of snapping up young Brazilian playmakers in their teens, the men in white were on the cusp of adding Neymar to their ranks in 2013.
Florentino Perez disclosed that the enigmatic attacker had already undertaken a medical test with Los Merengues and was awfully close to joining the club. Neymar's former agent, Wagner Ribiero, even claimed that Real Madrid had tried to poach his client on two additional occasions, with one of the attempts coming as recently as 2019.
Having failed to lure him to the Bernabeu in the summer of 2013, Real Madrid decided to bring in Gareth Bale as his alternative. While the Welsh playmaker has enjoyed success with the Spanish giants, Neymar could've been the talisman they are searching for in the likes of Eden Hazard and Kylian Mbappe. Another case of what could have been in Real Madrid's history.
Also read: 5 most injury-prone footballers in the world right now
