Power ranking Real Madrid’s last 20 signings.
Real Madrid are one of the biggest forces in the transfer market with their lavish spending on Galactico signings almost every summer, but is the policy working? Here’s a run-down of their last 20 buys ranked from worst to best, with more misses than hits…
20) Nuri Sahin
Signed on a free transfer, Nuri Sahin basically never played since moving from Borussia Dortmund, and later flopped at Liverpool, clearly not being good enough for a big club.
19) Hamit Altintop
Another strange signing during Jose Mourinho’s reign, the Turkish midfielder barely played for Madrid and didn’t stay at the Bernabeu for long.
18) Michael Essien
Signed from Chelsea on loan when he was clearly past his best and struggling with injuries, Michael Essien barely made any impact in his brief time with Los Blancos.
17) Emmanuel Adebayor
Another weird loan signing for the Spanish giants, Emmanuel Adebayor had one or two good games for the club but never looked good enough for a team of that calibre.
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16) Casemiro
Promising on loan at Porto last season, but Casemiro has not proven a particularly useful signing for Real Madrid, looking out of depth among the other big names in the side.
15) Diego Lopez
A backup goalkeeper who filled in for Iker Casillas at points, Diego Lopez was never really good enough to be first choice and was promptly sold to AC Milan.
14) Keylor Navas
Another backup keeper who has not yet managed to impress, Keylor Navas looked a decent signing at first but has proven a bit of a waste of money given his lack of playing time.
13) Javier Hernandez
Signed on loan from Manchester United in a somewhat desperate move, Javier Hernandez played his backup role well enough but was never Real Madrid quality.
12) Lucas Silva
A promising youngster who has not yet had the chance to feature regularly and display his potential, Lucas Silva may not have long to prove himself at the Bernabeu.
11) Fabio Coentrao
A decent squad player but little more, Fabio Coentrao has not looked worth the money Real paid for him, but would probably be a regular at a large number of other clubs.
10) Jose Callejon
An underrated winger, Jose Callejon perhaps didn’t display his best form in a Real Madrid shirt, but has since looked very good upon moving to Napoli.
9) Lucas Vazquez
Signed this summer, it’s hard to know how Lucas Vazquez will do at Real, though it’s hard to imagine he’ll be a regular.
8) Danilo
A player with plenty of promise, Danilo is another of Madrid’s summer signings, arriving after impressing at Porto.
7) Daniel Carvajal
A good buy from Bayer Leverkusen in 2013, Daniel Carvajal has become first choice right-back for Real and looks a quality addition.
6) Gareth Bale
A mixed bag so far, Gareth Bale was excellent in his first season in the Spanish capital, but arguably flopped the following year. More to come from the Welshman.
5) Raphael Varane
One of the best young defenders in the world, Raphael Varane has proven a great find by Real Madrid since he joined as a teenager from Lens.
4) Isco
A world class playmaker on his day, Isco was slow to settle but can now be regarded as one of the team’s most important players.
3) Toni Kroos
After a superb first season since joining from Bayern Munich, Toni Kroos has slotted in perfectly in this Real side and should continue to impress.
2) Luka Modric
After a slow start, Luka Modric has actually proven a brilliant signing for Real Madrid, showing himself to be one of the finest playmakers in Europe and a hugely important part of the side with his range of passing and intelligence on the ball.
1) James Rodriguez
Despite an injury halting his progress somewhat, it’s clear that Real Madrid have a real star in James Rodriguez, who joined in a huge move from AS Monaco last summer after impressing for Colombia at the World Cup.
