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Real Madrid were once notorious for the reckless acquisition of the biggest stars on the planet.
It all started with club president Florentino Perez's ambitious 'Galactico' project at the turn of the millennium. One by one, he poached stellar names such as Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo, David Beckham, and Michael Owen.
The philosophy worked to a certain extent as it yielded quite a few trophies. In 2009, irked by Barcelona's treble glory, he launched the second version of the same in the hope of emulating similar success.
Los Blancos went all guns blazing in the transfer market that summer. They pillaged eight players away to Santiago Bernabeu, including some really high-profile ones, with net expenditure amounting to a staggering €261 million!
Eleven years on, let's see where are they now:
Real Madrid's second batch of 'Galacticos':
#8 Alvaro Negredo
Wait, he was at Real Madrid? When on earth did that happen? Technically speaking though, the club had exercised the buy back option from his Almeria contract in the summer of 2009, but he only featured during the pre-season.
Manuel Pellegrini, the Real Madrid manager at the time, couldn't guarantee him regular football due to numerous star players in the squad. So he left for Sevilla without ever making his professional debut for Los Blancos. Since then, he has played for five other sides, including Manchester City and Valencia, and currently plies his trade with Al Nasr in Dubai.
#7 Ezequiel Garay
If you had a dollar for every person you met who remembers Garay in the white of Real Madrid, you'd be broke, since almost nobody does. The Argentine was a fringe player and could never cut teeth at the Santiago Bernabeu, and even fell further behind in the pecking order under Jose Mourinho.
In fact, he made only five appearances for Real Madrid in the league during the 2010/11 season. He left for Benfica later in the summer, where he found his feet again. After another memorable spell with Zenit St-Petersburg, returned to LaLiga with Valencia in 2016. Earlier this year, he unfortunately tested positive for COVID-19.
#6 Raul Albiol
One-season wonders are rare at Real Madrid, and Raul Albiol is certainly the most famous. He was stellar during the 2009/10 season even though the side finished title-less, but the arrival of Ricardo Carvalho soon relegated him to the bench thereafter.
He primarily featured in cup games, but injury issues robbed him off even the bit part role, and the Spaniard set sail for Napoli in 2013, where he revived his career. After six successful years, he returned to LaLiga with Villarreal last year, where he's once again a key cog in the defense.
#5 Alvaro Arbeloa
Arbeloa actually came through the ranks at Real Madrid's youth set-up, but only featured in the senior side after impressing with Liverpool. He immediately established himself in the defense, but after Jose Mourinho took charge at Real Madrid, he was no longer a regular.
Nevertheless, the ex-Spanish international was a part of the squad which won several trophies. After injuries reduced to him to just a fringe player, he left for West Ham in 2016, with 233 appearances under his belt. His return to the Premier League was catastrophic though, and he made just four appearances all season.
He then hung up his boots at the end of the campaign.
#4 Xabi Alonso
A Liverpool legend at the time, Alonso's purported differences with Rafael Benitez prompted him to join Real Madrid in 2009 for £30 million.
In the first few seasons at Real Madrid, especially under Jose Mourinho, the Spaniard was an indispensable force in the midfield. Hard working, versatile, technically gifted, and possessing an excellent passing range, he played his deep-lying playmaker role to perfection.
In the 2013/14 season though, injuries took a toll on his influence and he joined Bayern Munich later that summer. After three successful years, he retired in 2017.
#3 Kaka
One of the best playmakers of his time, plenty was expected from Kaka when he came to the Spanish capital. But the Bernabeu faithful were left utterly disappointed to see a poor imitation of his rip-roaring self which set the stage alight with Milan.
He found himself more on the treatment table than on the field, and his best efforts only came in bits and parts. The Brazilian ace never even hit double digit figures in terms of goals or assists.
He returned to AC Milan in 2013 but couldn't revive himself, so left for MLS side Orlando City just a year later, before announcing his retirement there in 2017.
#2 Karim Benzema
It speaks volumes about your talent if you make a case for yourself despite having the likes of Raul, Cristiano Ronaldo, Gonzalo Higuain, and Kaka in the ranks.
Benzema also spent the vast majority of his Real Madrid career in the shadows of the Portuguese star. Still, he has played an instrumental role in all the success in the last decade and firmly established himself as one of the best ever players at Real Madrid.
The Frenchman is also the last remnant of Perez's 'Galactico 2.0' project, since which he's made a remarkable 501 appearances for Real Madrid, and has contributed 374 goals and assists combined!
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo
Well, well, well, where do we even begin with this guy? Oh wait, a better question would be - what more's left to discuss about him that hasn't been already?
Nine years. 438 games. 450 goals. 131 assists. 15 trophies (including four Champions League). Four Ballon d'Ors. And countless records and milestones. He came, he saw, and he sure as hell conquered everything at Real Madrid.
So in 2018, the Portuguese wizard sought newer challenges and moved on to Juventus, where he's now scripting another fairytale.
