5 players Real Madrid should regret selling
With 91 titles in all competitions during their illustrious history, Real Madrid are the joint-most successful club in Europe's top five leagues.
Their most recent title triumph was a record-extending 34th La Liga title won last season, which was Los Blancos' first Spanish top-flight title in three years. Apart from their domestic league titles, Real Madrid's 13 wins in the European Cup/ UEFA Champions League are at least six clear of the next most successful team in the competition.
In that backdrop, it is not surprising that some of the greatest players to have graced the game have worn the famed Madrid whites. However, some of these players could not break into the Real Madrid first team often enough and were soon deemed surplus to requirements.
These players then went on to make their names at other clubs, leading experts and fans alike to rue Real Madrid's impatience and hastiness to prematurely jettison them to pastures anew. On that note, let us take a look at five such world-class players who once played for Real Madrid but went on shine elsewhere.
Five former Real Madrid players who shone brighter elsewhere:
#1: Clarence Seedorf (Real Madrid to AC Milan in 1999)
Clarence Seedorf, the only player to win the UEFA Champions League with three different clubs - Ajax (1995), Real Madrid (1998) and AC Milan (2003, 2007).
Seedorf was a hard-tackling and versatile midfield player who was renowned for his strength and pace and operated in a plethora of offensive and defensive roles with aplomb.
Arriving at Real Madrid from Sampdoria in the summer of 1996, the 20-year-old Seedorf missed only seven league games during his first three seasons at the club as Real Madrid lifted the 1996-97 Liga title.
Seedorf played a key role in the Real Madrid midfield as Los Blancos lifted their seventh Champions League title in 1998. However, with the arrival of new manager Guus Hiddink, Seedorf's game-time began to drop before the player was shipped out to Inter Milan in 1999.
The then 23-year-old stayed for two years with the Nerazzurri before joining their fierce cross-town rivals AC Milan, with whom the midfielder enjoyed the most fruitful phase of his club career.
During a glorious 10-year stay at the San Siro, Seedorf scored 63 goals in 431 appearances in all competitions as Milan won two Champions League titles, as many league titles and a plethora of other domestic and continental honours.
#2: Claude Makelele (Real Madrid to Chelsea in 2003)
Claude Makelele was perhaps one of the most underrated players at Real Madrid.
The Frenchman made a controversial arrival at Madrid in the summer of 2000 after allegedly refusing to train at his former club Celta Vigo. Makelele soon made his name as a fine defensive midfielder who was happy to operate under the radar.
Although adept in a more advanced role, Makelele mostly operated just in front of the defensive line, breaking up opponents' play with his superb tackling and positional awareness.
Despite the Frenchman playing key roles in Real Madrid winning two La Liga and one Champions League title, he was grossly underpaid compared to his other teammates like Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Raul, Ronaldo and Steve McManaman.
After winning the Liga title in his debut season, Makelele recollected a conversation with the then Real Madrid president Florentino Perez:
“During this time I had two years left on my contract, after we won our first La Liga title, Afterwards, the club president said to me ‘maybe we’ll renew your contact for another year’."
However, two years later, Florentino Perez reneged on his promise and ruled out a pay hike for the player after bringing in David Beckham in the summer of 2003. That made Makelele feel underappreciated at the Bernabeu despite having the backing of his manager Vicente Del Bosque.
“The club then signed [David] Beckham and even more of the ‘Galacticos’. When we came back, I got my manager (Vicente Del Bosque) to see the President for my new contract. “But he said there was no money left after signing Beckham,” rued Makelele in a later interview.
But with Del Bosque being shown the door, Makelele's position at the club became even more vulnerable and he went on to join Chelsea.
As things turned out, Madrid's 'Galacticos' policy didn't reap the rewards expected and the club missed someone like Makelele to do the 'dirty' work. The Frenchman, on his part, received his due recognition at Chelsea, making the London club's gain Madrid's loss.