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Sounds quite weird, doesn't it? Since time immemorial, the club has earned a notorious recognition for robbing several clubs of their star talents. They have been one of the dominant forces in the transfer market; they have purchased almost every player they have laid their eyes on.
If you ever care to read their history, there's an array of legendary footballers who have played in their ranks.
However, as much as they have bought almost all the superstars of a generation, Real Madrid have also decided on rejecting a few others. As a result, they might certainly rue about not making moves for certain players in the past.
On that note, let's have a look at five such footballers the club decided against signing.
#5 Francesco Totti
Rightly labelled Il Re di Roma (The King of Rome), Francesco Totti is a peerless legend, given his faithful 25-year service for AS Roma. The Italian was pursued by almost every big club in the world in his prime but turned them down out of the love for his boyhood club.
One of those clubs was Real Madrid. Totti's case is different in contrast to other players on this list. Los Blancos tried desperately hard to sign him when he was 26, but all attempts went futile. As much as the Spanish giants rue their failure, so does the Italian.
When asked about the biggest regrets in his career, he said,
"My regrets are not playing with Ronaldo, the Brazilian one, and not winning the Champions League with Roma."
Apparently, Real Madrid tried to sign him in 2003, in order to bolster their attack and partner him with Il Fenomeno in their star-studded lineup. Just imagine what a fearsome force they would have become if Totti has swapped clubs!
#4 Paul Pogba
Real Madrid made desperate attempts to sign Paul Pogba in the summer of 2016. However, they were trounced by his former club Manchester United, who paid a record fee to bring him back to Old Trafford. Come to think of it, Real could have been saved of all that trouble, had Florentino Perez not rejected signing the Frenchman twice in the past.
Pogba was offered to Real Madrid for the first time in 2012 when he was looking for frequent first-team opportunities. The move would have been a wrong decision for both the parties since Real already had Xabi Alonso in their ranks and Bernabeu isn't exactly a good place for youngsters to shine.
The second chance came in 2015 when director Jose Angel Sanchez successfully brokered an agreement with Mino Raiola, the player's agent. However, the president rejected him yet again, only to see him joining the Red Devils in England.
Today, the Frenchman is regarded as one of the finest midfielders in the world and he would have been the perfect successor to an ageing Luka Modric, had Real signed him in the past. Deciding against going for Paul Pogba will surely remain one of the biggest modern day regrets of Los Merengues.
#3 Neymar
Neymar has come under intense scrutiny in recent days following rumours about his interest in a Real Madrid move. Florentino Perez would jump at the chance to sign the Brazilian today, watching Zinedine Zidane's misfiring front line. However, Neymar would cost an arm and a leg and Los Blancos will also have to carry the regret of not signing him for a cheaper price in the past.
Neymar's hide and seek with Real Madrid started in 2006 when he rejected a chance to join their youth academy. Later, he rebuffed a better package offered by the giants to join arch-rivals Barcelona. History repeated itself for the third time when he chose Paris Saint Germain over Real Madrid in 2017.
That's what we know. But, coming back to the second time, it was vice-versa. Real Madrid pulled out of the race to sign Neymar in 2013 because, according to Perez, he was just using them to get a better package at Barcelona. Back in 2013, he had even completed a successful medical at the Bernabeu before the club decided against signing him.
Of course, they did sign Gareth Bale later, but the Welshman hasn't been exactly as good as the Brazilian, has he? There's a series of injuries that has haunted him since his move to the capital.
Had they known how future would pan out, Florentino Perez would have gone to any lengths to bring Neymar to the Bernabeu for sure.
#2 Paolo Maldini
Frankly speaking, anyone who rejects Paolo Maldini is definitely touched in the head. But not Real Madrid, because they didn't exactly turn down the chance to sign Il Capitano.
Maldini is one of football's most celebrated one-club men, having seen out his 25-year career at AC Milan. He rejected a number of giants like Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United in his playing days. Perhaps, that could be the reason why Real Madrid didn't try to break the Milan-Maldini marriage, knowing how strong their bond was.
However, the Los Blancos did try to poach him when he was in the twilight of his career.
Back in 2007, when asked about the club he would have joined had he left Milan, he said,
"The only club in the world where I could have found the same tradition and ambition as Milan is Real Madrid, but they never contacted me. Perhaps last year they did, but I was already a 34-year-old."
Oh, Paolo! If only you had revealed your desire earlier...
#1 Ronaldinho
Real Madrid's decision to repudiate Ronaldinho is one of the worst transfer decisions ever taken. And it's not their rejection alone, but the reason behind it is also more than just pathetic.
Apart from signing the players based on their quality, Real Madrid also make sure they prove to be a good marketing brand for the club. That's the reason why they rejected the Brazilian grandmaster -- because, according to Perez, he was too ugly! Instead of signing him, they went and poached David Beckham from Manchester United.
No disrespect to the Englishman; he was one of a kind, but certainly not in the same league as Dinho. Los Blancos will surely have incurred huge monetary gains by signing Becks since he was a global icon during his time.
But, when it came to 90 minutes on the pitch, Ronaldinho didn't leave a single chance in compelling Real Madrid to regret rejecting him. The wizard conjured a brand of football that made even his rivals adore and love him. Remember the Santiago Bernabeu ovation, eh?
Florentino Perez's alleged 'hatred' for black players was also highlighted by Iker Casillas's agent Santos Marquez, who accused him of selling the likes of Claudio Makelele and Samuel Eto'o because of their dark complexions. No need to mention how those two achieved a legendary status in the sport following their departures.
Beauty goes skin deep, Florentino. The sooner you understand this, the better.
