Will any of this summer’s signings join the ranks of these ten failures…
James Rodriguez might have been his team’s hero at the World Cup, but he’s quickly learning that he’s far from the main man at Real Madrid, despite the Spanish giants paying £63m for him this summer.
SEE ALSO:
Best teenagers in world football
Best Premier League players 2014/15
Greatest football team of all time! Check out the best XI of the 21st Century
Fears are already growing among the Madrid hierarchy that the Colombian become an expensive mistake if he does not quickly settle to life with the European Champions.
Below, CaughtOffside counts down the top ten players who didn’t quite work out after their big-money moves. Could the likes of Rodriguez, Luis Suarez, Angel di Maria or David Luiz be joining this list in the future?
10) Marouane Fellaini (Everton to Manchester United, £27.5m)
A lack of games, no goals, played out of position and looked hopelessly out of his depth. Surely he can’t change that under Louis van Gaal?
9) Juan Sebastián Verón (Lazio to Manchester United, £28.1m)
Endured two fairly forgettable years at Old Trafford before being sold on to Chelsea.
8) Gaizka Mendieta (Valencia to Lazio, £29m)
Played just 27 games in all competitions for the Italian side before seeing out the rest of his contract on loan.
7) Andriy Shevchenko (AC Milan to Chelsea, £30m)
The Ukrainian was past his best when he arrived in England, and his performances reflected that with just nine league goals in 48 games.
6) Robinho (Real Madrid to Manchester City, £32.5m)
The first major purchase by Manchester City ahead of their era of dominance. The Brazilian managed 16 goals in 53 games before departing for £15m.
5) Andy Carroll (Newcastle United to Liverpool, £35m)
Scored just 11 goals in 58 games in all competitions, before West Ham ended the player’s Anfield nightmare, with the Hammers paying £15m to make his loan move permanent last summer.
4) Fernando Torres (Liverpool to Chelsea, £50m)
Scored 45 goals in 172 games for Chelsea after netting 81 in 142 for Liverpool, that says it all.
3) Radamel Falcao (Atletico Madrid to AS Monaco, £51m)
The French giants spent big to land the Colombian forward, who managed just 13 goals in 22 games before moving on loan to Manchester United.
2) Kaka (AC Milan to Real Madrid, £56m)
Injuries restricted his impact at Madrid, with the Brazilian playing 85 league games in four years. He never quite hit the heights of his first spell at AC Milan.
1) Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter Milan to Barcelona, £59m)
The big Swede has been a huge success at most clubs he’s played for, and he hit 16 goals in 29 league games during his time with Barcelona. But he failed to fit their style, and lasted just one year before moving on.
SEE MORE: FIFA 2015 Player Ratings Revealed.