Real Madrid: Five most underrated players in the club’s history

2. Keylor Navas

Real Madrid triggered Keylor Navas’s 10 million Euros buyout clause as he made his move from Levante to Real Madrid in 2014. He was signed for a six-year contract while the legendary goalkeeper, Iker Casillas was still in the squad. He had to spend much of his first season on the bench though he made few crucial appearances for Los Blancos like his UCL debut against the Swiss side, FC Basel where he maintained a clean sheet.

After Iker Casillas departed for Porto in 2015, Keylor Navas inherited the Number 1 shirt. A deal failed that tried a swap between David de Gea and him due to untimely paperwork. Navas then became Los Blancos’s first-choice keeper. Though it was decided to let him go, he didn’t let that impact his performances and became one of the best keepers in the league for the seasons that he played.

The biggest reason behind him being underrated was the players that preceded and succeeded him, Iker Casillas and Thibaut Courtois. He was a transitional keeper between the two big names but it cannot be denied that he was a fine talent between the sticks.

During his time at Real Madrid, he surpassed several records like being the only non-Spanish keeper to go past 100 appearances in LaLiga for Real Madrid and the first and only Costa Rican player to win the UCL. He won three UCL titles, one Copa del Rey, one Supercopa de Espana, four FIFA Club World Cups, and three UEFA Super Cups with Real Madrid before joining PSG in 2019.