Parshva Shah takes a look at the sales of five players that could’ve helped Real Madrid create more history and could’ve possibly retired at the Bernabéu.
2010 was a very important year in Real Madrid’s history. The sales of homegrown legends Raúl and Guti led the club to a period of transition, with José Mourinho taking over as manager.
However, there have been a lot of transfers that did not go down well with the Bernabéu faithful in the past decade.
Here are five such players, in my opinion, that should’ve never been sold.
Mesut Özil (2010-2013)
After an impressive World Cup campaign with Germany in 2010, a lot of the European powerhouses such as Manchester United, Barcelona, and Real Madrid lined up for the-then 21-year old’s signature.
Mesut Özil joined Real Madrid from Werder Bremen for a fee reported to be in the region of €15 million. Brought in as an understudy to Kaká, Özil nailed a spot in the starting line-up under Mourinho because of his exceptional performances in the absence of Kaká, who had undergone treatment following a serious injury.
In his three seasons donning the famous white jersey, the German playmaker managed to make 159 appearances (averaging 53 appearances per season), scored 27 goals and assisted 81 times.
He was instrumental in the 2011/12 La Liga title-winning Real Madrid team that achieved the 100-point mountain, becoming the first Spanish club in history to achieve the feat.
What made Özil so special was that he created an unbreakable bond with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo who benefited from Özil’s service a whopping 27 times. He had the eyes of an eagle, and registering 81 assists in 159 games are unrealistic numbers even by his insanely high standards.
He would often sling a killer pass that would slice the defense in two and his technique and ball control were enchanting. He was loved by his teammates and the decision to sell Mesut to Arsenal on deadline day of the summer transfer window in 2013 left both the fans and the players with a sour taste in their mouths.
He was a fan-favorite at the Bernabéu, often receiving standing ovations for his scintillating displays.
His transfer to Arsenal was an infamous saga and fans miss his presence to this day. Isco, who was one of the reasons why Mesut was sold, hasn’t replicated the sort of performances the German put in consistently.
He could have gone down as one of the best Real Madrid players ever but his memories will be etched in the hearts of all Madridistas forever nonetheless.
Gonzalo Higuaín (2007-2013)
Signed as 19-year-old prodigy from River Plate in December 2006, Gonzalo Higuaín spent six and a half seasons with Los Blancos.
After spending a season and a half as a substitute, Higuaín cemented a spot in the starting XI after Ruud van Nistelrooy suffered an injury. He scored 24 goals in all competitions, of which 22 came in the league.
This was his breakout season in Europe as he transformed into the focal point of the attack at just 21. There was no looking back for him after that season.
The Argentine carved out a niche for himself in a squad that had the likes of club legends Raúl and van Nistelrooy as forwards. In fact, in Cristiano Ronaldo’s debut season, Higuaín outscored him in the league, with the former netting 26 goals and the latter hitting 27.
Surprisingly, that was the only season in Cristiano’s Real Madrid career where he didn’t finish the season as Real’s top-scorer in the league.
Karim Benzema’s arrival didn’t deter his situation either, as he was Mourinho’s preferred striker over the Frenchman.
Higuaín scored 107 La Liga goals for Real Madrid, making up for a slow start at the club. Although he wasn’t as influential for Real in the UEFA Champions League, he always delivered in the league and captured the league title thrice while in the capital .
Had he stayed with Real Madrid, he could have gone on to become one of the club’s highest goalscorers. He could have also been a part of the famous La Decima winning team of 2013-14.
Higuaín was an important part of the roster, and is often not given enough credit for his services to the club.
His goal scoring instincts and a desire to achieve with Real Madrid puts things in his favor, which is why he makes the cut to this list. He scored 121 goals in 264 appearances for the club.
Ángel Di María (2010-2014)
He won it all in his four seasons at Real Madrid: the Champions League, La Liga, and the Copa del Rey. Ángel Di María was signed from Benfica in 2010 for a fee of €25 million.
While at Real Madrid, Di María was deployed as a winger, a wide midfielder (under Mourinho), or as an attacking-minded central midfielder in a midfield three (under Carlo Ancelotti during the 2013-14 season).
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This showed how versatile he was for Real as he could play down either flank.
Di María was actually like an ‘angel’ for Real Madrid. He had the ability to decide matches with a single-foot, as his gem of a left foot created chances for other players to feed on. His crosses were pinpoint and whether they came from the left wing or the right didn’t matter as he was a cognoscente.
He would also use his innate ability to slalom past defenders and score solo goals that would leave the fans dazzled.
He played a primordial role in the historic 2011-12 La Liga triumph, even though his performances at the beginning of the season were pedestrian. Not only that, his final season with the club saw him hit lofty standards, as he was crucial in the Copa del Rey final win over Barcelona and won the Man of the Match award for the UEFA Champions League Final in 2014, running the defense ragged as Real won 4-1 against their noisy neighbors Atlético Madrid.
The former Benfica prodigy scored 36 goals and had 85 assists to his name in 194 appearances. Had his relationship with the big heads in the Real Madrid hierarchy not turned sour, he could have still been wearing the white jersey.
Xabi Alonso (2009-2014)
After having a highly successful spell with Liverpool (a club he didn’t want to leave but had to, thanks to his rifts with manager Rafa Benítez), Xabi Alonso signed for Real Madrid in 2009.
Another player who was infinitely loved by the Bernabéu faithful, he emanated Madridismo every time he put on the white jersey and stepped on the pitch. He was deployed as a holding midfielder, either in a double-pivot in a 4-2-3-1 formation or as the sole anchor in a 4-3-3.
Alonso redefined the defensive midfielder role because he was a mixture of all types of midfielders in the mold of a central defensive midfielder. His style of play was sumptuous, and coupled with his tactical nous made him an indispensable figure.
The way he passed the ball, the manner in which he would switch the play or lay a long ball to someone near the opposition box was privy of his hawk-eyed vision.
The Spaniard garnered respect from his teammates and was looked upon as a leader. He was vital in Real Madrid winning two Copa del Rey titles against Barcelona. Although he did not feature in the 2014 Champions League final, his contribution en route the final cannot be ignored.
He was the key to Ancelotti’s system as his defensive aspect of the game allowed Ángel Di María to thrive as a central midfielder-winger hybrid.
The prospect of Alonso mentoring Casemiro had he stayed for a few more seasons before eventually retiring can get every Madridista excited. He has registered legendary status and is considered to be one of the best defensive midfielders the club has ever had, making a place for himself alongside players like Claude Makélélé and Fernando Redondo.
Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid career came to an end when he was sold to German giants Bayern Munich shortly after the 2014 World Cup. He appeared in 236 matches for Los Blancos.
Cristiano Ronaldo (2009-2018)
Epoch-making, hard-working, world-beating, extraordinary, one of a kind leader, never-say-die attitude, charismatic, elegant, ubiquitous, goal machine, hungry, success-oriented; these are some of the very few adjectives and phrases that describe this man, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Subject to a world record transfer fee at the time in 2009, Real Madrid landed the Portuguese international from Manchester United for a swashbuckling €94 million. Ronaldo arrived amidst fanfare and adulation and his presentation had at least 80,000 attendees at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Cristiano ran amok at Real Madrid, slaughtering opposition defenses and breaking almost every goal-scoring record associated with a Real Madrid player.
What’s more, he scored 50+ goals for six successive seasons. He evolved from a left-winger to a center forward as he completed the ‘maturity’ he had began as a player in his final seasons at the Old Trafford.
Ronaldo was the nucleus of a team that conquered Europe four times in five years, with the last of those coming in his final game as a Real Madrid player.
Bailing out the team from difficult circumstances and winning big games on his own were the ‘prima facies’ of Ronaldo’s tenure at Real Madrid. For instance, scoring a hat-trick in the return leg against Wolfsburg in 2015-16 to overturn a 2-0 first-leg deficit.
He has also scored most goals in El Clasico than any other Real Madrid player with 18 goals in 30 appearances. He silenced the Camp Nou on numerous occasions, with the highlight in particular being the 2017 Supercopa, where he came off the bench to score an important goal. He celebrated it by taking his shirt off and showing it to the crowd.
Ronaldo was the biggest reason why Real Madrid was once again feared in the UEFA Champions League and scored over a hundred goals in the competitions, ending as the top-scorer six consecutive seasons for Real Madrid.
Scoring 451 times in 438 appearances, Ronaldo left Los Blancos as the club’s all-time highest goal-scorer. He scored 34 hat-tricks and carried forward the no.7 legacy of Raúl.
Fans clamor for his return even to this day. Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid was a love story for the ages, one which unfortunately had to come to an end sooner rather than later. He will go down as unarguably the greatest Real Madrid player ever for his unprecedented bravado.
Honorary Mentions
Raúl (1994-2010)
A product of La Fabrica, Raúl will go down as one of the greatest and most important players in the history of Real Madrid. He holds the record for the most appearances (741 in 16 seasons) and the second-highest number of goals at 323, second only to Cristiano Ronaldo.
Making his debut at just 17 years of age, he holds the record for being the youngest player to score a UEFA Champions League hat-trick.
Having spent 16 seasons with the club, Raúl should have been allowed to retire at Real Madrid rather than being sold to Schalke 04 at the end of the 2009-10 season.
On the bright side, he is currently the coach of Real Madrid Castilla and is a probable candidate to manage the first team someday in the future.
Iker Casillas (1999-2015)
Another player who rose through the Real Madrid ranks, Iker Casillas will go down in history as the greatest Real Madrid goalkeeper ever.
He was heroic in the 2000 Champions League final, becoming the youngest goalkeeper to play in a Champions League Final at just 19 years and four days of age. He became the first-choice goalkeeper in no time and saved the day by his goalkeeping extravagance.
Casillas fell just 17 games shy of Raúl’s record 741 appearances. He was the face of the club during his tenure and is a through and through Madridista. Even though his performances saw a dip towards the back end of his career, he shouldn’t have been sold to Porto.
Keylor Navas (2014-2019)
The Costa Rican was at the club for only five seasons, yet he started between the posts in the UEFA Champions League three-peat. With him as the starting goalkeeper, Real Madrid never faced elimination from the competition and a lot of it can be attributed to Navas’ astute goalkeeping.
He had a lot to offer Real Madrid, but Thibaut Courtois’ signing meant Navas was sidelined and eventually sold by Zinedine Zidane, to whom Navas had been a very loyal player.
He appeared 162 times for the club, winning 12 titles. His sale to French club Paris Saint-Germain didn’t go down too well with the Madridistas, as Navas had managed to create room for himself inside every fan’s heart.
I myself miss him sometimes.