Ranking the 5 biggest flops in Real Madrid history

Some world-class players have failed at Real Madrid
Some world-class players have failed at Real Madrid

#3 Wesley Sneijder

Real Madrid v Murcia - La Liga
Real Madrid v Murcia - La Liga

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

Nicolas Anelka for Real Madrid
Nicolas Anelka for Real Madrid

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

FC Internazionale v Real Madrid: Group B - UEFA Champions League
FC Internazionale v Real Madrid: Group B - UEFA Champions League

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.

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