Real Madrid Missed Out on Signing World-Class Midfielder After Zinedine Zidane Deal

Florentino Perez declared Real Madrid's interest in signing another midfielder following the £46.2 million arrival of Zinedine Zidane, but they ultimately failed to get a deal over the line.

Back in 2001, Real Madrid were on a mission to build a squad of "Galácticos" following the big-money arrival of Luis Figo from Barcelona.

Los Blancos president Florentino Perez was determined to put a marker down, merging financial power with success on the pitch as Raul, Roberto Carlos and Claude Makelele, amongst others, flourished.

But it was the world-record arrival of Zinedine Zidane from Juventus that would elevate the Spanish club to new heights.

"A while back I said the amount of money was enormous and that I was not worth that much," said Zidane at his unveiling. "It is indeed a lot of money. I am fully aware of that and my thoughts on the matter have not changed."

Zinedine Zidane is presented with his shirt by Real Madrid president Florentino Perez and club legend Alfredo Di Stefano. Image credit: Getty

He added: "A new challenge is at hand. I was really in need of something different. Things came into focus today."

At the time, Real Madrid were tracking a number of midfielders, including Rui Costa and Gaizka Mendieta, who had helped guide Valencia to consecutive Champions League final appearances.

Mendieta was at the peak of his powers, and Los Blancos were keen to make a move. In fact, after signing Zidane in the summer of 2001, club president Perez publicly declared the club's interest.

He said: "If [Gaizka] Mendieta leaves Valencia, Real would be interested in him."

However, a report from Sky Sports suggests Valencia did not want to sell their star midfielder to a Spanish rival, and he instead joined Serie A giants Lazio for a reported £29 million in 2001.

A year later and Mendieta expressed his regret after a poor campaign in Italy. "I've had a shocking year and I've had many problems in Italy," he said.

"The team has done bad. We went out of the Champions League early on and that affected the players. There was a change of manager at Lazio and I didn't have the continuity that you need."

"I wouldn't mind playing for Real Madrid, but for now the Spanish team is my priority," added Mendieta. "It's very important for me to be going to the World Cup and play the way I know I can. I have to prove to people that I'm still a good football player."

Mendieta joined Barcelona on loan for the 2002-03 campaign.