Ten biggest ‘Galactico’ signings for Real Madrid.
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For those still unfamiliar with the term, ‘Galactico’ refers to a world-famous, big-money signing made by Real Madrid under the notable reigns of president Fiorentino Perez. Some of the all-time greats of the game fall under this category, while some have proven to be over-priced flops upon moving to the Bernabeu.
With the last two summers seeing exciting names such as Gareth Bale, James Rodriguez and Toni Kroos arrive at Real Madrid and fall into the ‘Galactico’ category, CaughtOffside looks at how this current crop compares with the older generation of the early 00s, with big names such as Zinedine Zidane and Luis Figo still the original Hollywood signings by the Spanish giants.
10) Kaka
Briefly the most expensive player of all time, Kaka was no doubt a huge signing from AC Milan when he joined for around £56m in the summer of 2009. The Brazilian playmaker became one of the biggest names in world football during his time at the San Siro, where he masterminded the club’s Champions League final victory over Liverpool in 2007, and his arrival was met with great excitement at the Bernabeu. Unfortunately, Kaka will now go down as one that didn’t quite live up to expectations in Madrid, but he is up there with the biggest Galacticos of all time nevertheless.
9) Fabio Cannavaro
Perhaps the only defender that could fall into this category, Fabio Cannavaro was not exactly a Galactico in terms of his price tag, but he arrived at Real Madrid in 2006 as a World Cup winner with Italy that summer and was only available on the cheap due to Juventus’ relegation to Serie B in the Calciopoli match-fixing scandal that year. An all-time great centre-back, Cannavaro certainly made his mark at the Bernabeu, winning two La Liga titles in just three seasons with the club.
8) Toni Kroos
A recent addition, but another who arrives at Real Madrid as a World Cup winner and as one of the most talked about midfielders in world football at the moment. German playmaker Toni Kroos has all the potential to become a great signing for Real Madrid, as his superb performances have inspired Bayern Munich to treble glory in recent times, as well as his clear influence in the side for world champions Germany this summer.
7) James Rodriguez
The undisputed star of this summer’s World Cup, Colombia’s James Rodriguez is up there with the most expensive signings of all time after joining Real Madrid from AS Monaco this summer in a move worth roughly £63m. The 23-year-old looks like having the world at his feet at the moment, and was the Golden Boot winner at this summer’s tournament in Brazil with a superb record of six goals in five games. A player with great natural flair and ability, Rodriguez should prove a big hit in the Spanish capital and continue their Galactico tradition.
6) Ronaldo
Sensing a theme here? The original Ronaldo was another Galactico brought in by Real Madrid on the back of a memorable World Cup showing. The Brazilian striker may have been somewhat past his best when he made the move to the Bernabeu from Inter Milan, but his eight goals in seven games, including two in the final against Germany, fired Brazil to World Cup glory in the far east. Despite also playing for Barcelona earlier in his career, Ronaldo is now more famous for his spell with Madrid, where he scored 104 goals and won the 2002/03 La Liga title.
5) David Beckham
An absolutely huge signing at the time, David Beckham made all the headlines in the summer of 2003 as he left Premier League champions Manchester United for La Liga champions Real Madrid. The England international was and still is one of the most recognisable names in the sport, and he proved some of his doubters wrong with some fine performances alongside the many other Galacticos at the Bernabeu at the time, which finally resulted in a La Liga title win in his final season with the club in 2006/07.
4) Luis Figo
One of the most controversial Galactico signings, but also one of the best, Luis Figo made the big-money move from Barcelona to Real Madrid in the summer of 2000, costing a then-world record fee of £38.7m. The Portuguese winger is one of the greats of the modern era, despite suffering something of a dip in form in his final few years in Madrid.
3) Gareth Bale
The most expensive player of all time, Gareth Bale may have only joined Real Madrid in an £85m move from Tottenham Hotspur last summer, but has already shown himself to be well worth the investment with a highly promising debut season in Spain. The Welshman’s future took up many of the headlines last summer as Real were determined to bring him in above anyone else, and he looks all set to make his mark at the club and join their all-time greats.
2) Cristiano Ronaldo
Overshadowing the signings of big names such as Kaka, Karim Benzema and Xabi Alonso in the summer of 2009, Cristiano Ronaldo has to go down as one of the most successful of all of Real Madrid’s Galactico signings. The Portuguese superstar is well on his way to breaking almost every record there is to break for his club and in Spanish top flight history, with an immense record of 252 goals in 246 games for Madrid. In doing so, Ronaldo has achieved other records such as becoming the fastest player in La Liga history to reach 150 goals, the only player alongside nemesis Lionel Messi to score more than 25 goals in five consecutive seasons, and the player with the most Champions League goals in a calendar year, with 15.
1) Zinedine Zidane
Despite Ronaldo’s rapid rise as one of Real Madrid’s best players of all time, Zinedine Zidane remains top of this list for the time being as he arguably is the definitive Galactico. Signed for a then-world record fee of £50m from Juventus, the French playmaker was certainly the best player in the world at the time and immediately paid back his transfer fee with a stunning winning goal in the Champions League final against Bayer Leverkusen. Few players in history have played with such grace and flair as Zidane, and although he doesn’t fit the same celebrity status as some of the others on this list, he is a deserving first place due to his legendary status in the game as a whole.