WALTER SAMUEL- A FLOP SIGNING THAT TURNED OUT TO BE A LEGEND
In the summer of 2004, Real Madrid broke the bank to sign Walter Samuel from AS Roma. Los Blancos paid 25 million euros for the Argentine defender which was a huge chunk of money back in the day, especially for a defender.
Walter Samuel was considered to be the next big centre-back after a promising tenure at AS Roma, however, at Real Madrid, the defender was a mere shadow of his past form. So much so, that Samuel only lasted a season at the Spanish capital before being sold to Inter Milan. Despite playing over 25 fixtures in his first season at Real, Walter Samuel just didn’t click.
However, a move out of the Bernabeu to the San Siro saw Walter Samuel turn a new leaf in his career. At Inter, Samuel regained his past form and was hailed as one of the world’s best centre-backs. During his stint at Inter, the defender was part of treble-winning squad and also won 5 Serie A titles in the process.
The question remains: what went wrong with Walter Samuel at the Spanish capital? Fabio Capello also share his thoughts on the same topic.
"“The fact that he did not make a name for himself at Real Madrid still surprises me,” the Italian later admitted. “Perhaps it was the wrong time.”"
Maybe the Argentine defender was the right signing for the club, however, it was at the wrong time. Today, Samuel is known as a legend of Inter Milan but an unheard player to many Los Blancos supporters.