David De Gea looks set to swap Manchester United for Real Madrid, but should the Spain keeper move, he won’t be the first to swap Old Trafford for the Bernabeu.
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In fact, De Gea will be treading an oft-trotted pathway from the north-west to the Spanish capital, and would be walking in some illustrious footsteps.
In this feature, we rank the five best players to leave United for the chance of La Liga glory with the Merengues.
Gabriel Heinze
Argentine hardman Gabriel Heinze arrived at United from Paris Saint-Germain in 2004 and went on to enjoy three successful years at Old Trafford.
He quickly repaid that £6.9 million Sir Alex Ferguson spent on his services, and became a fan favourite with the Red Devils.
However, he fell out of favour due to the emergence of Patrice Evra, and while a move to Liverpool was rejected, Heinze left for Madrid in 2007.
David De Gea
Obviously, unlike the other players on this list, De Gea is yet to make the move to the Bernabeu, but it’s surely only a matter of time until the goalkeeper completes his Old Trafford departure.
With only a year left on his contract, there’s only so long that United can play hard-ball with this valuable asset.
De Gea, who is still only 24, could go on to become a Real icon, and looks to be the natural successor to Iker Casillas.
Ruud van Nistlerooy
Ruud van Nistlerooy’s stay at Old Trafford may have ended in acrimony, but the Netherlands forward is remembered fondly for his successful stay with the Red Devils.
The Dutch hitman won the Premier League in 2003, and also lifted the FA Cup a year later. In total, he managed 95 goals in 150 league appearances in England.
However, he would arguably go on to achieve greater success in Spain—albeit with injury concerns—as he twice became a Liga BBVA champion.
David Beckham
A teammate of van Nistlerooy’s in both Manchester and Madrid, Beckham generated international headlines when he left Old Trafford and moved to the Bernabeu in 2003.
He was one of Florentino Perez’s Galacticos, but after missing the early successes of that iconic era, he had to wait until 2007 before winning the Spanish title.
Becks also won the Champions League with United in 1999.
Cristiano Ronaldo
The greatest player to ever move from Old Trafford to the Bernabeu, Ronaldo was already a superstar when he said goodbye to Sir Alex Ferguson, but has become one of the greatest players of all time in Spain.
His goalscoring records and his duelling with Lionel Messi will go down in history, and the forward was influential as Real lifted their tenth European Cup last season.