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Real Madrid is undoubtedly the biggest club in the world, claiming followership by fans running into their hundreds of millions around the globe, and they have an illustrious history to go with their status, being one of the most successful football clubs of all time.
Los Blancos have paraded some of the most iconic footballers throughout history, which increases the appeal to play for the club, with players finding it hard to turn down the opportunity when Real Madrid comes calling, as it is every boy’s childhood dream to put on the white of the club.
When it comes to the international scene, there is no country bigger than Brazil, with the yellow and blue of the Samba Boys known throughout the world, and with their five World Cup wins, no other national team comes close to matching the success of La Canarinhas, with over 200 million football crazy Brazilians obsessed with the success of their national team.
Some of the most legendary players in history have come out of this South American nation, and plenty of their stars of yesteryears are considered by many to be the greatest of all time, with the average Brazilian expected to possess flair and technique owing to the exploits of their predecessors such as Ronaldo, Pele and Zico to name a few.
It, therefore, comes as no surprise to see Real Madrid closely associated with Brazil, as the two have been thrust into a mutually beneficial relationship, owing to their respective status’ as the best teams on the national and club scenes.
Real has a history of seeking the most marketable players around the world who also possess the technique and requisite talent to succeed at a club its size, and when it comes to talent, there is arguably no bigger production line than Brazil.
Real Madrid’s association with Brazilian players dates far back to 1935, and Vinicius Junior’s unveiling at the Bernabeu in the summer made him the 24th Brazilian to arrive at the club. Of his previous 23 compatriots, some have cemented their name in Gold at the club and departed as legends, while most have failed to live up to the hype. In this piece, we take a look at five Brazilians who had the most endearing legacies at Real Madrid during their stay there.
Note – This list focuses on just the respective players’ impacts at Real Madrid, and as such their achievements elsewhere no matter how legendary is not factored in.
Honourable mentions – Canario, Savi Bortolini, Evaristo, Julio Baptista
#6 Robinho (2005-2008)
Earmarked as the ‘new Pele’ by none other than the GOAT himself for his exploits in his native Brazil, Robinho started receiving rave reviews from all over the world as early as 18 years after guiding Santos to its first league title since Pele himself represented the club.
With major European clubs seeking his services. Real Madrid specifically identified him as their next target, and he arrived Santiago Bernabeu amidst much fanfare in 2005 as the last galactico signing of Florentino Perez’ first tenure.
Robinho enjoyed a spectacular debut match against Cadiz and ended his first season with the club scoring 14 goals in 37 appearances.
In the next season, Robinho found himself out of the first-team picture, mostly used as a substitute by Fabio Capello, but still played a minimal role in helping Real Madrid to her 30th La Liga trophy and first since 2003, scoring six goals.
The following season was unarguably his most productive at the club, as he was given a central role by Bernd Schuster, and he reciprocated, being the club’s best player that campaign as Real retained their La Liga crown.
He, however, faced much criticism from sections of the Madrid fanbase owing to his lifestyle off the pitch, and despite his undoubted talent, Robinho failed to fully cement his legacy at the club.
After feeling unwanted by the club due to its intention to use him as a makeweight to bring Cristiano Ronaldo to the Bernabeu in 2008 (which did not materialize), Robinho rejected contract talks with the club and sought a transfer to Manchester City.
He ended his three year spell at Real Madrid with 35 goals from 135 appearances, and was the third highest goalscorer behind Raul and Van Nistelrooy and well as the second highest assist provider behind Guti during his time at the club, but he departed with a sense of unfulfilled potential, and did not live up to expectation at the Bernabeu.
Robinho currently plays for Turkish club, Sivasspor as a forward.
#5 Kaka (2009 -2013)
Ricardo dos Santos Leite or better known worldwide as Kaka arrived Real Madrid in 2009 alongside Cristiano Ronaldo as the marquee summer signings of Perez’ first transfer window during his second spell as president, but while his Portuguese counterpart went on to write his name in gold as arguably the greatest player in the club’s history, the Brazilian struggled to live up to his reputation.
Kaka was the World Best Player and Ballon d’Or winner in 2007, and it is on the back of his excellent performances with the Giallarossi of Milan that Real Madrid splashed €67m to get him (which at that time was the second highest fee paid for a player behind Zinedine Zidane, until it was surpassed by Ronaldo’s just a few weeks later).
Madridistas worldwide expected Kaka and Ronaldo to be the men to lead the club into a new era of success after the debacles of the last few years, but it sadly never materialized, as injuries hampered the Bernabeu from seeing the best of the Brazilian.
He ended his first season at the club with nine goals and eight assists in all competitions, as Real finished runners-up in the league to Barcelona and got knocked out of the UCL round of 16 by Olympic Lyon.
He picked up a knee injury in August 2010 just a few days to the commencement of the new season which ruled him out for four months, and this was to be the beginning of his injury rampaged stay at Real Madrid.
He still showed his class on occasions for Real over the next three years, but sadly for Real Madrid fans, it was not as frequent as would have been expected when he was signed.
He departed the club in September 2013 after winning one La Liga and Copa Del Rey trophies apiece, scoring 25 goals in 120 appearances in all competitions for the club. However, it could have been so much more for the man who is among only eight players to have won the Champions League, World Cup, and Ballon d’Or.
Kaka's latest stint before retirement was with Orlando City in the MLS.
#4 Casemiro (2013 -)
Signed in 2013 after convincing for three seasons in Brazil with Sao Paulo, Casemiro was loaned out to FC Porto in Portugal in 2014 to gain playing time and returned to the club after a season in the Portuguese Primeira Liga.
On his return, the Brazilian international found playing time hard to come by, as then manager Rafa Benitez preferred to field a luxury side based on their price tag rather than what they offered the team, with the result being that the technically limited Casemiro found himself used sparingly.
All that changed when Zinedine Zidane mounted the helm, as the Frenchman realized that Casemiro offered the team the balance it was lacking (having himself seen the effect of lacking an anchorman after Makelele departed in a team full of flair players during his playing days).
Zidane thrust Casemiro straight into the starting line up, and the decision reaped instant dividends, as he offered the cushion to the defense, giving the more attack-minded players on the field the license to roam around the pitch freely and cause opponent's harm
His position on the field and rather an unattractive style of play means that Casemiro rarely gets the adulation his contributions deserve (as most other holding midfielders), but his impact can always be felt whenever he doesn't play, as Real Madrid generally tends to struggle in his absence.
His time at the Bernabeu has been hugely successful, with Casemiro playing a part in all the recent successes enjoyed by the club, which has seen him lift 11 trophies including the last three Champions Leagues consecutively.
#3 Ronaldo (2003 -2006)
The ‘original’ Ronaldo grabbed global headlines when he made the squad of the victorious Brazil team at the 1994 World Cup aged 17, and just a year later, he was terrorizing defenses across the Netherlands and Europe with PSV Eindhoven, leading Barcelona to pay a record fee of $19.5m (rather small by today’s standards) for him after just two years in the Eredivisie in 1996.
His spell at Nou Camp was extremely short but so immense (he won the European Golden Boot and was named the youngest ever FIFA Best Player of the Year aged 20) that only a season later in 1997, he was on his way to Italy with Inter Milan for another world record fee $27m (making him only the second player after Diego Maradona to twice be the most expensive player and first to do so in consecutive years).
He performed creditably well at Inter and was largely instrumental to helping Brazil lift the 2002 World Cup in Korea/Japan (despite a very long injury layoff), finishing as top scorer at the tournament, and leading him to be named as the Ballon d’Or winner and FIFA Best Player of that year.
It is on the back of his World Cup heroics that Real signed him for €46m, making him the third Galactico of the first Perez era after Figo and Zidane, and El Fenomeno rapid back instantly, finishing as top scorer in the league with 23 goals in his debut season and helping Real to her 29th La Liga title.
From then on it went downhill for Real Madrid as despite the plethora of superstars in the squad, it did not translate to success on the field and Los Blancos went three seasons without a trophy which was an aberration to a club its size.
Ronaldo also saw a drop in performances, as he struggled with his lifestyle choices, and had weight problems, preferring to live the nightlife (as with most Brazilians) as against putting in work at training which invariably affected his contributions on the field.
He did show his talents on occasion, but they were largely few and far between which was a far cry from the beast who was arguably the most complete center forward of all time in his prime.
He departed Real Madrid in December 2006 for AC Milan, and his goals record at the Bernabeu reads 104 goals from 177 appearances which is a fairly good return, and was enough to earn him a favorable spot among the Madrid faithful.
#2 Marcelo (2007-
Marcelo arrived Real Madrid midway through the 2006/2007 season just a few months after Roberto Carlos departed, and rightly so, as he has held down the left-back spot at both club and country in a manner not seen since Roberto Carlos himself roamed the flanks.
After his debut season at Fluminense where he was named into the Brazilian Serie A team of the season aged just 18, Marcelo joined Real Madrid, and has gone on to establish himself as the premier left-back in the world over the last decade, and unarguably one of the greatest of all time in his position.
Quick, possessing extreme technical abilities on the ball (Roberto Carlos confirmed that Marcelo had better technicality), and excellent with his pinpoint crosses, Marcelo was deployed as a left winger in the early part of his Real Madrid career to not much success until he was reverted back to his preferred position by Jose Mourinho in 2010.
Since then, Marcelo has grown from strength to strength, establishing himself firmly in the first team, and being integral to all of the successes enjoyed by Los Blancos in recent times.
He is the vice-captain at the club behind Sergio Ramos, and his stay at the Bernabeu has been tremendously successful both on a collective level (with 19 trophies won including four Champions Leagues with the last three won on the trot), and on a personal level (he has been named into the FIFPro five times overall and in each of the last four seasons).
He would undoubtedly depart Real Madrid a bonafide legend, as his excellent displays on the left flank of the side where he combines defense with attack beautifully (although tilting more towards the attacking aspect) have been unmatched by no other in the club’s history except his countryman, which brings us to….
#1 Roberto Carlos (1996 -2007)
Fast, strong, possessing a blistering shot and extremely tenacious in defense, Roberto Carlos is one of the greatest Brazilian defenders in history, and undoubtedly the best left-back of all time at Real Madrid, and one of the best ever to grace a football field anywhere.
For 11 seasons, fans of Real Madrid (and opponents rather painfully) watched as the diminutive full-back stormed back and forth on the left flank for Real Madrid, terrorizing opposition defenses with his blistering pace and crosses, as well as thwarting their attacks with his resolute defending.
The ‘Bullet Man’ (in reference to his scorching shot power) was an ever-present in Real Madrid throughout the Galactico era and before, winning a plethora of individual awards owing to his performances in the whites of Real Madrid.
Till date, he remains the foreigner with the highest appearances in Real Madrid’s decorated history (584 matches), which yielded 13 trophies, with Carlos contributing his part with 71 goals.
Widely considered as the most offensive full-back in the history of the game, Roberto Carlos is a certified Real Madrid legend of the highest level, and his most endearing legacy in the club was his pinpoint delivery to Zinedine Zidane from the left flank which enabled the Frenchman to score what is widely considered by many to be the greatest goal in the history of the Champions League in the 2002 final against Bayer Leverkusen.
