21 – Santiago Solari
The left-footed Argentine was a menace down the left flank. He was an industrious player and had the ability to create some chances from the wing. He was an instrumental player in his five years at the club and played over 200 matches for the club. He won six trophies, including the 2002 Champions League triumph. He didn’t have a great career as a manager at Real Madrid, and fortune did favour him. But he had a fearless approach as a manager, and his presence brought the best out of youngsters like Vinicius Jr, Sergio Reguilon, and Marcos Llorente.
22 – Christian Karembeu
He had spent just two and a half seasons at Real Madrid, but those were enough to make an impact. He was a highly energetic player, someone who liked to play it the hard way. He was technically sound and had a great range of passing. In his short stint at Real Madrid, he had won four trophies including two European cups in 1998 and 2000.
23 – David Beckham
When someone builds their whole election campaign around a single player, everyone can get a measure of how important the player might have been. Joan Laporta might have won the elections at Barcelona using Beckham’s signing as his weapon, but it was Florentino Perez who brought the magical Englishman to Real Madrid.
David Beckham was a popular figure by then, and he brought a lot of hype along with him. His singing made a lot of money for Madrid off-the-field, while he bamboozled everyone with his magic on the pitch. Though he won just two titles in his four seasons, he had flattered everyone with his skills, particularly his passing. It was a pleasure to watch the Englishman in full flow.
24 – Claude Makelele
In football, a defensive midfielder’s role might be one of the most underappreciated ones, but at the same time, it’s the most important role for any team. Makelele’s case was the team. The team had excelled in the field with Makelele in front of the back-four, acting as the backbone and the natural ball winner of the team.
His importance wasn’t realised until he was gone, as the team collectively struggled as a unit after his departure to Chelsea, and many senior players did express their displeasure with the club regarding Makelele’s departure. But all this doesn’t change the fact that Makelele is perhaps the greatest Real Madrid player to wear the number 24 of Real Madrid. In his three seasons as a Real Madrid player, he won seven trophies including the La Novena win at Glasgow.