Real Madrid’s best non-Galactico signings since 2000: Surprise names head the list

Real Madrid are renowned for making big splashes in the transfer market but TEAMtalk have identified eight non-Galactico signings who you might think fall into the opposite category.

The 14-time champions of Europe and widely regarded as the most glamourous club in world football, Real Madrid are renowned for their ‘Galactico’ signings, big-money deals for the biggest names in the game.

Many of the superstars that Los Blancos have bought at great expense – from Luis Figo and Zinedine Zidane to Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and now Jude Bellingham – have driven the club to unprecedented continental success.

But amid all the headline-grabbing transfers, Madrid have made their fair share of shrewd signings over the years, too.

Here are Real Madrid’s best non-Galactico signings of the 21st century…

Marcelo

Real Madrid’s signing of Marcelo in 2007 was not only one of the club’s shrewdest moves but one of the best bargain buys in modern football history.

Acquired from Fluminense in his native Brazil for just €6.5 million, the thrillingly attack-minded left-back went on to play for Los Blancos 546 times, scoring 38 goals and winning six La Liga titles, five Champions Leagues and four FIFA World Club cups.

He left in 2022 for a brief spell in Greece with Olympiacos before returning to Fluminense to see out a career that has seen him establish himself as one of the greatest of all time in his position.

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Sergio Ramos

In the summer of 2005, a teenage Sergio Ramos was the most expensive signing Real Madrid made in a splurge that saw them also sign Brazilian trio Robinho, Julio Baptista and Cicinho.

While that might have been enough to earn him the Galactico distinction, the fact that Ramos had only one full season of senior football under his belt with Sevilla meant he was anything but a certainty to succeed under the glare of the Bernabeu lights.

But succeed his certainly did. Ramos became arguably the most decorated centre-back in football history across 16 and a half years in Madrid, racking up 671 appearances and, incredibly, 101 goals, plus a trophy haul that included five La Liga titles, four World Club Cup, two Copas del Rey and four Champions Leagues.

Luka Modric

For the purpose of this article, Toni Kroos’ 2014 signing from Bayern Munich, while an absolute steal at €30 million, falls into the Galactico category as the German playmaker had already been key to Champions League and World Cup glory before arriving.

Luka Modric, on the other hand, came with a more humble résumé. He was signed from Tottenham for €34 million in the summer of 2012 and midway through his debut season in Spain, he was named the worst signing of the year in a poll by sports publication Marca.

But by the end of his second campaign in the immaculate white of Madrid, the Croatian was a Champions League winner and had established himself and one of the best central midfielders in the world.

Modric has since added another four Champions League winners’ medals to his haul, as well as four La Liga titles and the 2018 Ballon d’Or. Still going strong at 38, he is regarded as one of the best players of his generation.

Karim Benzema

The fact that the €35 million signing of one of Europe’s hottest young strikers was a distant third in terms of Madrid’s headline-grabbing moves in one transfer window tells you all you need to know about Los Bloncos’ historical splurge in the summer of 2009.

They broke the world transfer record to sign Kaka from AC Milan, then shattered it again with the capture of Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United.

Benzema’s purchase was less seismic, but the French forward would become a pillar of the club’s most successful period of the modern era. He served as the selfless facilitator in between Bale and Ronaldo for four Champions League victories, then when Ronaldo left he became the star attraction, scoring a career-high 44 goals in the 2021-22 season to add another Champions League title and claim the Ballon d’Or.

Casemiro

For seven seasons, Casemiro was the man who tied everything together for Madrid.

His path to Bernabeu stardom was somewhat convoluted. Initially signed on loan from Sao Paulo to play for Madrid’s second string, he made the move permanent shortly after. He was loaned to Porto in 2014, after which the Portuguese club triggered an option to buy the midfielder. But Madrid exercised their own contractual option to re-sign the Brazilian in the summer of 2015, bringing him back for just €8 million.

With his mastery of the dirty work, shielding the backline and allowing his more skilled team-mates to shine, Casemiro became a vital figure in four Champions League-winning campaigns and three La Liga titles before signing for Manchester United for £60 million in 2022.

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Raphael Varane

Raphael Varane was the most highly coveted young defender in Europe after his breakthrough season as a teenager at Lens in 2011. The continent’s biggest clubs scrambled

to sign the gifted French centre-back and it was Madrid who won the race, sealing an €8 million deal.

The move could hardly have worked out any better for player or club. Varane flourished at the Bernabeu, realising his full potential to form a formidable partnership with Sergio Ramos that served as a foundation for three La Liga titles and four Champions League triumphs.

Federico Valverde

Versatile, hard-working and able to impact the highest-stakes games with both his defensive efforts and his skill and technique in attack, Federico Valverde is one of the most well-rounded and reliable midfielders in the world.

And he only cost Madrid €5 million when they signed him from Penarol in his native Uruguay in 2016. The 25-year-old has already played more than 250 games for the storied club from Spain’s capital, contributing to three La Liga titles, a Copa del Rey, a Champions League and two World Club Cups.

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Keylor Navas

Initially signed as a back-up to club legend Iker Casillas, few could have imagined the impact Keylor Navas would make at Real Madrid when Los Blancos paid €10 million to sign the Costa Rica international from Levante in 2014.

But after just one season playing second fiddle to the long-time Spain No.1, Navas took over between the sticks at the Bernabeu and enjoyed three seasons as the undisputed first-choice goalkeeper for three Champions League triumphs and a title-winning La Liga campaign.