Ranking real madrids 15 weirdest signings this century
What a delightful task! Real Madrid has had its fair share of intriguing signings over the past century. Here's my ranking of the 15 weirdest signings in the 21st century:
15. Antonio López (2007): A 35-year-old defender who was signed as a backup, only to play 12 minutes in his entire Madrid career.
14. Antonio Cassano (2006): A talented but troubled forward who was signed from Roma, only to leave after a year due to disagreements with the coach.
13. Gabriel Heinze (2007): A left-back who was signed from Manchester United, but struggled to adapt and was eventually sold to Marseille.
12. Royston Drenthe (2007): A talented but erratic winger who was signed from Feyenoord, only to be loaned out multiple times and eventually sold to Everton.
11. Mahamadou Diarra (2009): A defensive midfielder who was signed from Lyon, but struggled with injuries and was eventually sold to Queens Park Rangers.
10. Kaka (2009): A world-class midfielder who was signed from AC Milan, but struggled to adapt to the Spanish league and was eventually sold to Orlando City.
9. Karim Benzema (2009): A talented forward who was signed from Lyon, but was initially criticized for his lack of goals and was eventually replaced by Cristiano Ronaldo.
8. Lassana Diarra (2012): A defensive midfielder who was signed from Portsmouth, but struggled to adapt and was eventually sold to Lokomotiv Moscow.
7. Nuri Sahin (2012): A talented midfielder who was signed from Borussia Dortmund, but struggled to adapt and was eventually loaned out to Liverpool and then sold to Borussia Dortmund.
6. Michael Essien (2012): A talented midfielder who was signed from Chelsea, but struggled with injuries and was eventually sold to AC Milan.
5. Ángel Di María (2010): A talented winger who was signed from Benfica, but struggled to adapt and was eventually sold to Manchester United.
4. Ricardo Carvalho (2010): A talented defender who was signed from Chelsea, but struggled with injuries and was eventually sold to AS Monaco.
3. Raphaël Varane (2011): A talented defender who was signed from Lens, but was initially criticized for his lack of experience and was eventually replaced by Sergio Ramos.
2. Alvaro Morata (2016): A talented forward who was signed from Juventus, but struggled to adapt and was eventually sold to Chelsea.
1. Luka Jović (2019): A talented forward who was signed from Eintracht Frankfurt, but struggled to adapt and was eventually loaned out to Fiorentina.
Honorable mentions:
- Dani Parejo (2009): A midfielder who was signed from Getafe, but struggled to adapt and was eventually sold to Villarreal.
- Pedro León (2011): A midfielder who was signed from Getafe, but struggled to adapt and was eventually sold to Paris Saint-Germain.
- Denis Cheryshev (2013): A winger who was signed from Villarreal, but struggled to adapt and was eventually loaned out to Sevilla.
Note: This ranking is subjective and based on a combination of factors, including the player's performance, transfer fee, and overall impact on the team.