Eden Hazard appears bound for Real Madrid in the summer with the Spanish giants prepared to offer Chelsea £100million for the Belgian star.
The player seems to have made up his mind that the Bernabeu is the right destination for him and has spoken warmly about Real in the past.
But Hazard would be far from the first player Real have signed from a Premier League club, and while some have been overwhelming successes, others most certainly have not.
Eden Hazard mocked up in Real Madrid colours as his move from Chelsea moves nearer
ROBERT JARNI
1998, signed from Coventry City, £3.4m
In one of the most curious – and suspicious – transfer dealings of all-time, Croatian World Cup star Robert Jarni made the move from Real Betis to Real Madrid in the summer of 1998 – via Coventry.
The left back had impressed as Croatia reached the semi-finals of that summer’s tournament in France and so there were certainly plenty of raised eyebrows when he moved from Real Betis to Highfield Road.
The Sky Blues had finished 11th in the previous Premiership season and yet had managed to pull off this coup for a bargain price of £2.6m.
A battered Robert Jarni playing for Croatia in the semi-final of the 1998 World Cup in France
It all seemed too good to be true – and it was. Jarni’s name would only ever appear on the Coventry shirts bought by excited supporters as he was off to Madrid a mere 10 days later.
Coventry made £1m profit and the theory was that Madrid needed a third party involved because Betis wouldn’t sell directly to a rival.
Jarni, however, has always maintained that his family didn’t want to move to England and there is nothing to see here.
STEVE McMANAMAN
1999, Liverpool, free
McManaman became only the second Englishman to play for Real Madrid – after Laurie Cunningham in the 1980s – when he joined on a Bosman free transfer in the summer of 1999.
But the flying midfielder’s time in Spain began in acrimonious circumstances with dressing room rancour and a debt crisis marking the end of Guus Hididnk’s time in charge.
‘The dressing room is a cesspit of lies, treachery and whispers,’ Raul told the press at the time. ‘I feel sorry for new players like Steve McManaman coming into the club.
‘If McManaman thinks he is coming to one of the world’s top clubs then he has made a big mistake.’
Steve McManaman volleys home as Real Madrid defeat Valencia 3-0 in the 2000 Champions League final at the Stade de France
Indeed, on the same day McManaman was being unveiled at the Bernabeu, Clarence Seedorf and Fernando Hierro had a massive bust-up in the dressing room at the training ground.
However, the club stabilised under John Toshack and Vicente del Bosque and McManaman impressed in a first season that saw Real win the Champions League. The Englishman scored a delicious volley in the 3-0 final win over Valencia.
But this bright start soon faded as McManaman became a victim of the club’s Galactico policy that saw stars arrive each summer and push him further down the pecking order.
NICOLAS ANELKA
1999, Arsenal, £22.3m
Perhaps one of the reasons for Real’s financial troubles was their willingness to spend £22.3m – peanuts in today’s football market but a hefty sum back then – on the likes of Anelka.
The often volatile Frenchman, whose nickname was ‘Le Sulk’, had scored 17 Premier League goals for Arsenal during the 1998-99 season, persuading Real to splash the cash.
But he failed to find the net in his first five months with the club, his first goal coming against Saudi Arabian team Al-Nassr at the inaugural FIFA Club World Championship in Brazil.
Nicolas Anelka’s sole season with Real Madrid wasn’t exactly a successful one
In March, Anelka was suspended by club president Lorenzo Sanz after refusing to train following an argument with manager Del Bosque.
And even though he returned to help Real win the 2000 Champions League, scoring in both legs of the semi-final against Bayern Munich, the writing was very much on the wall and he moved to PSG.
DAVID BECKHAM
2003, Manchester United, £25m
In one of the most high-profile transfer sagas in football history, Real and rivals Barcelona battled it out to sign Beckham from United in 2003.
The England star’s time at Old Trafford was as good as over when Sir Alex Ferguson kicked the boot that struck him above the eye following an FA Cup defeat to Arsenal.
Real won the race to sign Beckham, making him their latest ‘Galactico’ after Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo had arrived in previous summers of the Florentino Perez presidency.
David Beckham was the latest of Real’s Galactico signings when he arrived there in 2003
Beckham’s time at Real was not as successful as it might have been – he played 155 matches for the club, though they came during what turned out to be a lean period for such a successful side.
Before moving to LA Galaxy in 2007, Beckham did help Real win the league title but the potential of the team was never realised in that period.
MICHAEL OWEN
2004, Liverpool, £8m
Real’s strange desire to sign the stars of the England team continued when they took Owen from Liverpool for a snip at £8m in 2004.
The forward had a superb goal return at Anfield, scoring 158 times in 297 appearances for the club, and Owen certainly held his own in a star-studded team.
After a sluggish start, Owen began to score regularly and his sole season at the Bernabeu yielded 16 goals from 45 outings.
Unfortunately life moves fast at Real and the signings of Brazilian pair Robinho and Julio Baptista in the summer of 2005 saw Owen return to the Premier League with Newcastle.
Michael Owen celebrates scoring for Real Madrid against Real Betis in the 2004-05 season
JONATHAN WOODGATE
2004, Newcastle United, £13.4m
It’s fair to say there was a mood of widespread bewilderment in Madrid when the club announced the signing of injury-prone defender Woodgate.
Real fans had heard of Michael Owen but Woodgate wasn’t quite the alternative most imagined when Milan refused to sell Alessandro Nesta.
It didn’t bode well that Woodgate was actually out injured at the time of his £13.4m signing and a calamitous debut against Athletic Bilbao in which he scored an own goal and was sent off only increased fears.
But when fit, Woodgate did successfully establish himself at the heart of Real’s back line and one Spanish newspaper even described him as ‘Madrid’s true leader.’
Unfortunately all that was short-lived as the injury curse struck again and with that in mind, it was a bit harsh that Real fans voted him the worst Madrid signing of the 21st century in an online poll in July 2007.
Jonathan Woodgate’s arrival at the Bernabeu was greeted with widespread bemusement
THOMAS GRAVESEN
2005, Everton, £2.45m
The no-nonsense Danish midfielder didn’t himself believe that he’d just been transferred to Real Madrid in the January 2005 transfer window.
Especially when the club president Perez is saying things like: ‘He is without doubt the player we are missing.’
It is true that Real were in urgent need of a defensive midfielder but Gravesen’s tough-tackling approach wasn’t ever likely to find favour among the footballing purists in Madrid.
It didn’t help Gravesen that there was a change of manager but he didn’t help himself by going in hard on star player Robinho during a training session, leading to an altercation.
Manager Fabio Capello wasn’t impressed: ‘He’s just a little bit particular. I don’t mess with him. His behaviour is like this, and I don’t like it, everything has to be done like he wants it to be done.’
Gravesen was sold to Celtic shortly after, at the start of the 2006-07 season.
Thomas Gravesen’s infamous training ground bust up with Robinho in Austria in 2006
JOSE ANTONIO REYES
2006, Arsenal, loan
You would lose count of the number of times Real have used the Spanish media to unsettle a player purely by linking them with the club.
This is what happened with Arsenal’s Spanish striker Reyes (and midfielder Cesc Fabregas) in the summer of 2006 to the fury of Arsene Wenger.
In the end, Reyes went to Madrid on loan with the out-of-favour Baptista moving in the opposite direction for the season.
Reyes managed seven goals during his loan spell but that was enough to remain in Madrid… he signed for Atletico in the summer of 2007.
Jose Antonio Reyes in action for Real Madrid during his season on loan from Arsenal
RUUD VAN NISTELROOY
2006, Manchester United, £11m
Goals are everything for Real Madrid and there were few more reliable scorers in Europe at that time than Van Nistelrooy.
The prolific Dutchman had scored 150 goals in 219 appearances over the course of five seasons at United and the £10m fee paid by Real was a snip.
Van Nistelrooy was excellent during his debut season, scoring 33 times in all and his 25 in the league were enough to win the Pichichi Trophy for leading scorer as well as the league crown.
But Van Nistelrooy was in his thirties and increasingly prone to injury, undergoing exploratory surgery on a knee problem during the 2008-09 season.
Things weren’t the same afterwards but a return of 64 goals in 96 games for Real underlined just how good ‘Van Gol’ (as he was nicknamed in Spain) was in his pomp.
Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy celebrates one of his many goals for Real Madrid
JERZY DUDEK
2007, Liverpool, free
Dudek’s heroics for Liverpool in the 2005 Champions League final comeback against AC Milan assured the Polish keeper legendary status on Merseyside.
Indeed the double save he made from Andriy Shevchenko in extra time in Istanbul was voted the greatest Champions League moment of all time in a poll clearly rigged by Scousers.
Dudek was 34 when Real signed him as cover for Iker Casillas in 2007. He was a popular presence around the place during his four seasons with the club but made just the 12 appearances.
Jerzy Dudek gives a thumbs-up after moving from Liverpool to Real Madrid in 2007
GABRIEL HEINZE
2007, Manchester United, £8m
When Sir Alex Ferguson allowed Argentine defender Heinze to find a new club following a lack of game time, he didn’t have Liverpool in mind.
Hell would freeze over before Fergie would sell to United’s greatest rivals and so Heinze found himself on his way to Real for £8m, which was actually more than Liverpool’s £6.8m offer.
Heinze played fairly regularly during his two seasons with Real and he helped them win the league title in 2007-08, finishing eight points clear of Villarreal.
Gabriel Heinze smiles upon arrival at Real Madrid having not been allowed to join Liverpool
ARJEN ROBBEN
2007, Chelsea, £24m
To be honest, Heinze’s arrival at the Bernabeu was completely overshadowed by that of Dutch wing wizard Robben, who was unveiled alongside him.
Speculation over a move from Chelsea had slowly grown over the summer, with Real also interested in Michael Ballack.
In the end, Real got their man towards the end of the transfer window in August 2007 for £24m and Robben played often during their victorious league campaign.
He continued to play an important role during 2008-09, scoring eight goals, but was then bumped out to make room for the imminent arrivals of Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka.
As he was pushed out to Bayern Munich, Robben claimed he was ‘forced’ to leave, saying that he ‘didn’t want to go, but the club wanted to sell him.’
Luckily, he proved an enormous success with Bayern.
Arjen Robben in the colours of Real Madrid just before he was ‘forced’ out to Bayern Munich
LASSANA DIARRA
2009, Portsmouth, £20m
France defensive midfielder Diarra had played for Arsenal, Chelsea and Portsmouth in the Premier League and clearly shown enough talent to persuade Real to shell out £20m for him in January 2009.
Diarra’s work rate earned him favour with the notoriously fickle Madridista support and in three-and-a-half seasons with the club, he played 117 times.
He helped Real win the league title during the 2011-12 season having lifting the Copa del Rey the year before.
Like pretty much everyone who comes to Madrid, Diarra fell down the pecking order and concluded his career with Anzhi Makhachkala, Lokomotiv Moscow, Marseille, Al Jazira and Paris Saint-Germain.
Hard-working defensive midfielder Lassana Diarra proved £20m well spent for Real Madrid
JULIEN FAUBERT
2009, West Ham, loan
The confused expression on the face of Real legend Alfredo di Stefano’s face as he presented Faubert with the No 18 shirt perfectly summed up one of the bizarre transfers in football history.
Here was a man who barely played for West Ham being signed on loan by one of the greatest clubs in the world with the deal including the option to sign him on a three-year contract if all went well.
As pundit Paul Merson said at the time: ‘His agent should be knighted by the Queen.’
There was never any danger of Faubert extending his stay in Spain – he played just 54 minutes of football and found the dug-out seats so comfortable he famously fell asleep on the bench during a game with Villarreal.
Faubert later claimed that he was merely resting his eyes because of boredom, something he presumably was doing when he missed a training session because he thought it was a day off.
After that surreal interlude, Faubert did, to be fair, win a place in the West Ham side and made over 100 appearances for the Hammers.
Alfredo di Stefano trying to work out who on earth Julien Faubert is back in 2009
CRISTIANO RONALDO
2009, Manchester United, £80m
From the ridiculousness of Faubert to the sublime Cristiano Ronaldo, with Real breaking the world transfer record to bring him from Manchester United in the summer of 2009.
The Portuguese was already regarded as one of the best players in the world having inspired United to Champions League success in 2008 and a raft of domestic trophies.
But his career ascended to even greater heights at the Bernabeu. During nine seasons with the club, Ronaldo broke record after record, scored 450 goals in 438 matches, and helped them to four Champions League wins.
Not exactly cheap, but unquestionably one of the best pieces of transfer business the club has ever done.
Cristiano Ronaldo won four of his five Champions Leagues while with Real Madrid
ALVARO ARBELOA
2009, Liverpool, £5m
Right-back Arbeloa had come through the ranks at Real Madrid but managed just four appearances for the first-team before joining Deportivo La Coruna and then Liverpool.
In the summer of 2009, Real signed their former player for a low-price £5m and Arbeloa would go on to play 233 times for them over the next seven seasons.
He achieved copious success during that time, winning the Champions League twice as well as the La Liga title and two Spanish Cups.
Alvaro Arbeloa celebrates with Cristiano Ronaldo against CSKA Moscow back in 2012
XABI ALONSO
2009, Liverpool, £30m
The larger of the two deals Real did with Liverpool that summer saw midfield maestro Alonso join for £30m.
It has been suggested that Alonso wasn’t particularly keen on the move, which came about following disagreements with manager Rafa Benitez and he was contracted at Anfield until 2012.
But their loss was most certainly Real’s gain with the Spaniard playing regularly and often impressing in their midfield.
Alonso played 236 times for the club between 2009 and 2015, helping them end their long wait for a 10th European Cup success in 2014 though he missed the final through suspension.
Xabi Alonso pictured in familiar passing pose shortly after joining from Liverpool in 2009
RICARDO CARVALHO
2010, Chelsea, £6.7m
Carvalho certainly appeared keen on a reunion with his former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho at the Bernabeu, saying: ‘If there was a possibility to sign with Real Madrid, I would go there right now swimming or running.’
Luckily the rumours turned out to be true though presumably Carvalho took a faster form of transport to complete his £6.7m switch.
Mourinho, in his first season at the club, installed Carvalho at the heart of his defence and he played regularly during his first season in Spain.
However, a back injury saw him sidelined for much of the following campaign though he still played enough to claim a league winners’ medal.
Despite Mourinho saying he could leave at the start of the 2012-13 season, Carvalho saw out his contract before moving on to Monaco in 2013.
Ricardo Carvalho jumped at the chance of a reunion with Jose Mourinho at Real in 2010
EMMANUEL ADEBAYOR
2011, Manchester City, loan
Colourful character Adebayor had fallen down the attacking pecking order at City under Roberto Mancini but somehow went up in the world when Real took him on loan in January 2011.
The Togo forward scored eight times during his few months in Spain including two against Tottenham, the club he would end up playing for, in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Things quickly unravelled when he returned to Manchester, with Adebayor refusing to train with the club’s reserve and youth sides before being sent out on loan again to Spurs.
Emmanuel Adebayor celebrates scoring against Tottenham in a 4-0 win for Real in 2011
LUKA MODRIC
2012, Tottenham Hotspur, £33m
Croatian midfield master Modric was ranked among Europe’s best when Real moved to sign him from Spurs in the summer of 2012, a year after Chelsea had failed in their pursuit of him.
Naturally, Spurs drove a hard bargain to get £33m from the Spanish club but Modric has proved his worth many times over since.
Amassing almost 300 appearances in Real white, Modric has helped them win the Champions League four times in five seasons as well as a host of other honours.
The fact Modric, aged 33, won the Ballon d’Or last year for his role in helping Real retain the Champions League and also help Croatia to the World Cup final, proved his undying class.
He was linked with a move to Inter Milan over the summer but Real would be wise to hang on to a man with an unnatural ability to split opposition defences for a little longer yet.
Luka Modric, winner of last year’s Ballon d’Or, continues to show his class at Real Madrid
MICHAEL ESSIEN
2012, Chelsea, loan
Another reunion between then-Real manager Mourinho and one of his former charges at Chelsea.
Indeed, such was their close relationship, Essien referred to Mourinho as his ‘daddy’ during the unveiling press conference after the manager called him ‘his son.’
Alas, both men were to last just one more season at the Bernabeu with Essien making 35 appearances during his loan spell before heading back to Stamford Bridge and then AC Milan.
The father-son relationship between Jose Mourinho and Michael Essien was rekindled
GARETH BALE
2013, Tottenham, £85.3m
A year after their swoop for Modric, Real were again knocking on Tottenham’s door for Bale, the former left back who’d developed into one of European football’s most dangerous wingers.
Again Spurs dragged things out and forced Real to break the world transfer record once again to get their man.
Bale’s first season started slowly but once he had adjusted to Spanish football, he impressed, scoring a ridiculous solo winner against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final and a goal against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League final.
Despite that, it took a fair bit of time for Bale to be fully accepted by the hard-to-please locals in Madrid, with injury setbacks and strong competition for places not helping him.
But after a superb return of 99 goals in 216 matches and a part in four Champions League wins, the Welshman has certainly earned hero status.
The European Cup has become a familiar companion for Gareth Bale at Real Madrid
JAVIER HERNANDEZ
2014, Manchester United, loan
The Mexican goal poacher had found himself out of favour in the post-Fergie gloom at Old Trafford and one of Louis van Gaal’s first acts was to loan him out to Real Madrid.
The deal included the option of a permanent move at the end of the season but Chicharito scored nine goals in 33 matches and so Real passed on the chance.
There was an important strike among them, however, coming against Atletico Madrid in the quarter-finals of the Champions League to send Real through.
Mexican star Javier Hernandez spent a season on loan at Real from Manchester United
THIBAUT COURTOIS
2018, Chelsea, £35m
In what could become a template for their purchase of Hazard, Real assured Thibaut Courtois they would make the move happen if he pushed his way out of Chelsea.
The Blues didn’t want to sell him but Courtois was eager to move back to Spain, where his family were still living after an earlier spell with Atletico Madrid.
He finally got his wish once Chelsea had signed Kepa as a replacement and became Real’s new No 1 at the start of the current season.
Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois moved to Real Madrid from Chelsea last summer
BRAHIM DIAZ
2019, Manchester City, £15.5m
Part of the great exodus of talented players from Premier League academies abroad, Diaz signed for Real last month with six months left to run on his City contract.
The 19-year-old midfielder may have wanted to return home to Spain, or may foresee greater playing opportunities with the European champions.
He has already appeared in three matches so maybe he is going to be proved right.
Brahim Diaz, signed from Manchester City, in action against Sevilla last month
