Real Madrid's incredible sold XI

Central midfielder: Asier Illarramendi (Real Sociedad)

Villarreal CF v Real Madrid CF - La Liga

The second-most expensive Spaniard that Real Madrid has ever bought, Asier Illaramendi’s time at the Bernabeu was rather forgettable. The now 28-year-old had stamped his authority as an exciting prospect by virtue of his showings for Real Sociedad before joining Real Madrid in 2013.

Unlike a number of other Real Madrid stars, Illarramendi was given 90 games to demonstrate his abilities but he failed to make the grade and was later unloaded back to Real Sociedad in 2015.

However, Illarramendi once again proved himself after rejoining Real Sociedad and is the fulcrum of their midfield. In the 2016-17 season, he had the second-highest number of interceptions across Europe's five major leagues behind only Chelsea's N'Golo Kante.

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Edited by Sundaresh Kumar