Real Madrid signed Cristiano Ronaldo for a world-record fee of £80m back in 2009 – but what happened to the other seven players who arrived at the club that summer?
Ronaldo was 24 at the time and had taken the Premier League by storm during his initial six-year spell at Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United.
The Portuguese joined Madrid in a summer of change at the Santiago Bernabeu, as Madrid were beginning to fall behind Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona side, who secured La Liga during the 2008/09 campaign.
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Barca had Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi, so Madrid were in dire need of superstars.
That summer, Los Blancos spent a reported €258.50m (£221.6m) on transfers - but how did they fare?
Kaka - £57.4 million
At the time, Kaka was arguably the most high-profile recruit, having made a name for himself at AC Milan, where he had won the Ballon d’Or in 2007.
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The Brazilian joined Real for an eye-watering fee of €67 million (£57.4 m).
And despite showing glimpses of his world-class ability, his time at Los Blancos was heavily affected by injury troubles - which stopped him from truly fulfilling his potential.
He returned to Milan in 2013 before spells at Orlando City and Sao Paulo, where he retired in 2014.
Xabi Alonso - £30 million
Xabi Alonso left Liverpool for Real Madrid in 2009 and went on to make 236 competitive appearances for the 15-time European champions, a period in which he helped them win multiple trophies, including La Liga and the 2014 Champions League.
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He went to join Bayern Munich, where he retired in 2017.
The Spaniard is now head coach of Bayer Leverkusen and has been linked with taking over as Real boss if Carlo Ancelotti leaves this summer.
Raul Albiol - £12.8 million
Raul Albiol was 23 when he arrived at Real after impressing at fellow La Liga outfit Valencia.
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He featured sporadically for Los Blancos and struggled to nail down a first-team place with centre-backs Pepe and Sergio Ramos blocking his path.
Albiol left for Napoli in 2013 and forged a respectable career in Italy before returning to Spain when he signed for Villarreal in 2019.
He is still going strong at the age of 39 and has featured 15 times in La Liga this term.
Alvaro Negredo - £4.3 million
Alvaro Negredo made the switch from UD Almeria in 2009 but failed to make a competitive appearance for Real.
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He left for Sevilla in the same summer before going on to play for clubs such as Valencia and Manchester City.
The forward announced his retirement in March 2025, having last played for Real Valladolid in 2024.
Alvaro Arbeloa - £5 million
Like his Spanish counterpart, Alonso, Alvaro Arbeloa joined Madrid from Liverpool in 2009.
The former right-back made 238 appearances for Los Blancos and won two Champions League trophies, a Club World Cup, a UEFA Super Cup, a La Liga title, two Copa del Rey crowns and a Spanish Super Cup at the club.
A short spell at West Ham United followed before he hung up his boots in 2017.
Esteban Granero - £3.5 million
Esteban Granero was 22 when he joined Real from their Madrid-based rivals Getafe.
The Madrid-born player had previously come through Madrid’s ‘La Fabrica’ academy, but found it hard to break into the first team.
However, this changed when he re-signed, and he made 32 appearances for the club in the 2009/10 season, but Los Blancos failed to win a trophy.
His opportunities became limited, and he left for then-Premier League side Queens Park Rangers in 2012 for a reported £9m fee.
Spells at Real Sociedad, Espanyol and Marbella followed.
He now owns an Artificial Intelligence (AI) company called Olicip.
Karim Benzema - £30 million
Karim Benzema was just 21 when he left Lyon for Real in 2009.
The Frenchman went on to make 648 appearances for the club and registered 354 goals and 151 assists during this period.
Benzema left Madrid for Al-Ittihad after 14 years at Los Blancos in 2023, and is one of the Spanish club’s most decorated players, having won 25 titles, including five Champions League crowns and four La Liga titles, as well as being awarded the 2022 Ballon d'Or.
Topics: Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo, Football, La Liga, Transfers, Kaka, Xabi Alonso
Luke Alfred Davies