For a club like Real Madrid, it is hard for them to convince their players to retire in-house. This is because they are historically the best club in the world, meaning competition for places is always tough, especially in a player's later years. That said, there are some examples of players who made the difficult decision to retire in the Spanish capital. Here are the 5 greatest players who retired at Real Madrid...
Ranking the 5 greatest players who retired at Real Madrid in history
1. Zinedine Zidane
A player who was an exceptional investment and for eight years, the most expensive player in the world. However, his price tag is hardly mentioned because he repaid Real Madrid tenfold.
In many ways, Zidane is the epitome of what it takes to be a Real Madrid player. His grace on the pitch made him the perfect example of what it takes to be a Galactico and due to this, he redefined what it meant to be a midfielder in the famous white Real Madrid jersey.
Zidane is one of the greatest midfielders of all-time but after hanging up his boots in 2006, he wasn't done there. Taking a bit of time to learn, Zidane returned as Real Madrid manager in 2016, after two years with the B team. Famously, he won three Champions League trophies in a row as manager. It is an honour for Real Madrid to be the club where Zidane hung up his boots.
Continued on the next slide...