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During the turn of the 21st Century, Real Madrid under the rule of Florentino Perez established the "Galácticos". This world famous concept is centered around the idea of buying the best players in the world and putting them into one single team.
There have been two clear eras of the Galácticos and, with the new signing of Eden Hazard, we may be entering a third. In the first era of the Galácticos, Los Blancos bought the likes of Luis Figo, Zidane, Ronaldo, Beckham, and Michael Owen, to name a few.
Despite these huge signings however, the club 'only' managed to win a single Champions League and a couple of La Liga titles during this period. However, this didn't deter Real Madrid from ushering in a second era of the Galácticos in 2008, when Perez was once again elected to serve as Real Madrid's club president.
This article will look at this second period and list arguably the 5 best signings by Real Madrid during this time.
#5 Xabi Alonso
Although Xabi Alonso may not have been afforded the same praise that his Spanish compatriots Xavi and Andres Iniesta received, he was nonetheless one of the best midfielders in the world during his peak.
Having come from Liverpoo, Alonso was the midfield maestro needed for Madrid back in 2009. Along with Angel Di Maria, Mesut Ozil and Kaka, Alonso was part of one the best midfield lineups in the early 2010s.
He left Liverpool for £30 Million in the same transfer window as Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo rated the Spaniard so highly that in 2012 the Portuguese said his Spanish teammate was "irreplaceable".
He helped the team win the Copa del rey, La Liga, and the Champions League during his tenure with Real Madrid, before leaving the club for German giants Bayern Munich in the summer of 2014.
#4 Gareth Bale
Gareth Bale will perhaps remain the greatest enigma for Real Madrid over the last 5 years or so. Despite winning so many trophies at the club, many view his time at Real Madrid as unfulfilled.
This may seem odd, but when considering his purpose was to inherit Ronaldo's throne, it becomes clearer why some think that way about the Welshman. Nevertheless, Bale was instrumental in Real Madrid's 2013/14 season, arguably his best ever, scoring in both the Copa del Rey Final and Champions League final.
He followed this season with another strong showing in the 2014/15 season but since then he has had a mixed time at the club. Injury has plagued his career and one can imagine that he would've been far more successful on a personal level, had his body allowed him to.
Although it looks as though Bale will depart from the club this summer, his heroics at his best moments in Madrid shirt mean he is definitely one of the club's best signings since 2009.
#3 Toni Kroos
Coming in at number 3 is Germany's Toni Kroos, who, despite only joining the club in the 2014/15 season, has had an undeniable impact on Real Madrid. Sitting in central midfield with his partner Luka Modric, Kroos has been part of arguably the best midfield pair since Xavi and Iniesta.
Having already won the Champions League and the World Cup upon his arrival to Madrid, the German brought a prestige worthy of Los Blancos. He has offered far more than this however, being an architect in all of Real Madrid's success. Serving as not only a pass master, but also an occasional direct goal threat, scoring many long range stunners for the club.
Even more startling is that the German cost a mere £20 Million, which he has paid back ten fold. As well as extreme talent, Kroos has brought leadership and experience to the team, having won all the biggest trophies with Germany and Bayern Munich as well as Madrid.
All of these combined traits have meant that Kroos has proven himself as an invaluable asset for the club and continues to demonstrate this talent and leadership to this day, despite the many problems that the club currently faces.
#2 Luka Modric
Luka Modric joined Real Madrid from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2012 with the London club selling him for a reported £30 million. As we also saw with Kroos, midfielders seemingly cost a lot less than forwards, and it seems laughable how cheap Modric was bought for considering his success at the club.
Not only has Modric won countless domestic and European titles with Real Madrid during his tenure, he also won the Ballon d'Or in 2018. Since Xavi and Iniesta's midfield powers have largely waned upon their departures to new pastures, many have felt that Modric has been their successor as the greatest midfielder in the world.
This hasn't always been the case however as, earlier on in his career at Real Madrid, fans voted Modric as the club's worst signing in 2012. He would soon prove not only those fans wrong, but also show the entire footballing world how unbelievably talented he truly is.
As the central ethos of the Galácticos is to bring the best players in the world to Real Madrid, Modric's Ballon d'Or victory in 2018 validates the success of his transfer to the famed Los Blancos.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo
It comes with little surprise that Cristiano Ronaldo takes up the number one place on this list. Although his £80 million price tag may seem like small change compared to transfers of the ilk of Neymar to PSG, at the time this was a huge deal. As a matter of fact, it was a world record fee, shattering Zinedine Zidane's record.
Ronaldo had already won the Champions League and the Ballon d'Or upon signing for Madrid, and with it brought a lot of expectation from both the club and the fans.
The Portuguese arrived when Barcelona were in the midst of their dominance over the football world and many saw Ronaldo as the one to spearhead a challenge to Madrid's Catalan rivals.
Many would be fazed by this daunting task being put on their shoulders, but Ronaldo wasn't. During his time at Madrid, Ronaldo scored an unrivalled 450 goals in 438 games, won 4 Ballon d'Or's, 4 Champions League titles and more.
Despite being there for 9 years, Ronaldo now owns virtually every significant record at the club and is arguably the club's best ever player. He may be at Juventus now, but his absence is painfully clear in Madrid and it seems certain that he is an irreplaceable player that Real Madrid were lucky to have had among their ranks.
