Ranking Real Madrid's 5 best left-footed players in the 21st century
According to people good with numbers, only 35 percent of professional footballers are left-footed. Real Madrid have somehow still managed to field a surprisingly healthy number of left-footed players since 2000 itself.
These players have tried to follow in the footsteps of the great Alfredo Di Stefano and Ferenc Puskas, hoping to go down in Real Madrid history.
Today, we will take a look at six left-footed players in the 21st century who have lit up the Santiago Bernabeu time and again. Now without further ado, let us get straight to it.
Special mentions: Iker Casillas, Arjen Robben, James Rodriguez.
#6 Mesut Ozil (2010 - 2013)
Following an impressive World Cup campaign in 2010, Mesut Ozil joined Spanish giants Real Madrid in an €18m transfer. Jose Mourinho deployed the German as an attacking-midfielder and the former Werder Bremen did not disappoint.
Ozil was not the quickest player in the squad, but he surely knew how to dispatch a match-winning pass. He became an integral part of Jose Mourinho’s counter-attacking machine and formed a telepathic connection with Cristiano Ronaldo.
Mesut Ozil turns 33 today, any excuse to watch this assist for Cristiano Ronaldo when they were both at Real Madrid 🤩
(via @LaLigaEN) https://t.co/2uppGxnqfX
Between 2010 and 2013, Ozil featured in 159 games for Real Madrid, registering 27 goals and 80 assists.
#5 Angel Di Maria (2010 - 2014)
Like Mesut Ozil, Angel Di Maria also signed for Real Madrid in the summer of 2010. The Benfica man added pace and width to Real Madrid’s midfield, and that is exactly what he did over the coming seasons.
Di Maria’s world-class left-foot and one-on-one dribbling ability allowed him to venture into the opposition box more often than not.
Thanks to a stacked midfield, Di Maria took a while to cement his position in the team, but his efforts eventually paid off. Under Carlo Ancelotti, Di Maria emerged as one of Real Madrid’s best performers in the Champions League.
Florentino Perez’s biggest Mistake before Cristiano Ronaldo was Angel Di Maria. A serious footballer, scores vital goals, clocks 20+ assists, immense work rate & still a top footballer in 2021. Better than all attackers barring Benzema in currently Real Madrid squad! RESPECT! https://t.co/y5HtgQbp0r
The Argentine was chosen as Man of the Match in the 2013-14 Champions League final, but he was sold to Manchester United the following transfer window.
#4 Gareth Bale
Real Madrid made Gareth Bale the most expensive player in the history of the sport in the summer of 2013. The objective was to build a team capable of winning the Champions League, and Bale was the final piece of the puzzle.
Gareth Bale's Copa del Rey winner is one of the most legendary El Clasico goals of all time 🏎
Stream the latest version of El Clásico this Sunday exclusively on @ESPNPlus. https://t.co/Noyhtm53TU
The left-footed Welshman was one of Real Madrid’s best players in the 2013-14 campaign, scoring in both the Copa del Rey and UEFA Champions League finals.
He performed admirably over the next two seasons as well but has not been able to replicate his heroics since.