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Real Madrid has always been the dream destination for a number of players. Several professional footballers aspire to play for Los Blancos at least once in their career.
A number of players have signed for the Spanish giants and made the best out of it. The likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric, Sergio Ramos, Toni Kroos and many others have made it worth their time in recent history.
Real Madrid have made some poor signings as well
While many signings have worked out well for Los Blancos, there are players who have struggled with them as well. Despite having a high reputation before joining Madrid, these footballers couldn't capitalize when given the opportunity.
Eventually, they left Madrid but made it count at the clubs after. Here, we take a look at the top players who failed at Real Madrid.
#5 Klass-Jan Huntelaar
The Dutchman made a name for himself in the Eredivisie while playing for both Heerenveen and Ajax. During his time in the Netherlands, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar scored 172 goals in 263 appearances across all competitions.
His amazing positioning and clinical finishing were a delight to watch. This instigated Real Madrid to sign the Dutch striker. A transfer fee of €20 million was agreed to sign Huntelaar in January 2009.
Unfortunately, the move did not reap much success as the former Ajax striker managed to score only eight goals in 20 appearances. More than that, he struggled to start regularly and joined AC Milan in the summer of 2009. Huntelaar joined FC Schalke the following season and went on to become their second highest goal-scorer of all time with 128 goals.
#4 Arjen Robben
After winning two Premier League titles with Chelsea, Arjen Robben attracted a lot of interest from other European clubs. In the summer of 2007, Real Madrid signed the Dutchman for a transfer fee of £24 million.
In 106 matches at Chelsea, Robben scored 19 times and registered 22 assists in the process. In comparison to that, the Dutch winger scored 13 times and registered 15 assists in 65 games at Madrid.
With the arrival of Florentino Perez and the arrivals of Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo, Robben struggled to find a regular place in the first team. He left to join Bayern Munich in 2009 and went on to become a legendary player for them.
#3 Wesley Sneijder
Real Madrid have had some fantastic midfielders over the years. The likes of Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Zinedine Zidane, Casemiro, Xabi Alonso and many others have made a mark with Los Blancos.
Wesley Sneijder was expected to achieve the same with Madrid when he joined them in the summer of 2007. The transfer fee received by Ajax was around £15 million. With his amazing playmaking abilities, the Dutch midfielder was touted to impress many with the Spanish giants.
Sneijder struggled to make an impact at the club as he did at Ajax after suffering from untimely injuries. Despite winning the league in his first season, his performance wasn't up to the mark. He recorded 11 goals and 12 assists in 66 games for Madrid.
He left to join Inter Milan in the summer of 2009 and went on to win the treble with them under Jose Mourinho.
#2 Nicolas Anelka
The French forward has played for a number of European clubs in his career. One of Nicolas Anelka's best phases came with Arsenal.
He joined them in the winter of 1997 and went on to become a regular goal-scoring outlet for the Gunners. In his 72 appearances for Arsenal, Anelka scored 24 goals and registered 12 assists. In the summer of 1999, the Frenchman decided to sign for Real Madrid for a transfer fee worth £22.3 million.
Anelka signed for Los Blancos despite being suggested otherwise by his well-wishers. The move came back to haunt him as he struggled at Madrid and fell out with then manager Vincente Del Bosque. With only seven goals in 33 appearances, he left after one season to play for Paris Saint-Germain.
#1 Eden Hazard
During his time in the Premier League, Eden Hazard was one of it's best players. He was signed by Chelsea in the summer of 2012 and turned out to be a sensational player for them.
Using his mind-boggling dribbling, amazing creativity and goal-scoring abilities, Eden Hazard was a delight to watch. In his 352 appearances, the Belgian scored 110 goals and registered 92 assists. He was named 'Premier League Player of the Season' in the 2014-15 season.
The dynamic winger left for Real Madrid in 2019 for a whooping transfer fee of £89 million. Since then, Eden Hazard has failed to make a significant impact with Los Blancos, having scored six times in 63 appearances. The move has gone horribly wrong for the Belgian and it will be interesting to see if he can turn it around any time soon.
