5 STARS DISCARDED BY REAL MADRID WHO WENT ON TO ACHIEVE GREAT SUCCESS ELSEWHERE

Netherlands and Bayern Munich superstar, Arjen Robben recently announced his retirement from the sport after enjoying an illustrious career.

The Dutchman at one time was signed by Real Madrid and sold despite impressive performances and here, we take a look at five footballers who enjoyed great success after being sold by Los Blancos:

5. ROBERTO SOLDADO



Roberto Soldado came through the B team at Real Madrid and after impressing during his four years with them, he was promoted to Los Blancos' senior team. However, his stint with them was not the best for him as he was not given regular minutes on the pitch and eventually left them in 2008 to Getafe after numerous loan spells.

The Spaniard went on to make a name for himself after leaving Madrid, especially at Valencia where he netted 81 goals in 141 appearances. However, since then he failed to live up to his promise at Tottenham Hotspur and Villarreal, and is now currently plying his trade at Turkish club, Fenerbahce.

REAL MADRID STATS :

APPEARANCES : 27

GOALS : 4

TROPHIES WON : 1
4. WESLEY SNEIJDER




One of the greatest midfielders in Dutch history, Wesley Sneijder joined Real Madrid in 2007 after five-years at Ajax, where he emerged as the best young talent in the world. The 35-year-old enjoyed an impressive debut campaign, but an serious injury limited his gametime in the second season.


He was soon sold by Los Blancos to Inter Milan in 2009 where he established himself as one of the best in the world, leading the Italians to the treble which included the 2010 Champions League trophy.


Since being sold by the Bernabeu based club, Sneijder has bookmarked his name as one of the best midfielders in the history of the sport.


REAL MADRID STATS :


APPEARANCES : 66

GOALS : 11

TROPHIES WON : 1
3. ARJEN ROBBEN




Arjen Robben arrived at Bernabeu in 2007 on the back of brilliant performances for Chelsea and made an immediate impact for his new club, netting five goals in 28 appearances, helping them win the La Liga title.

Despite having another impressive 2008 season with Los Blancos, he was deemed surplus to requirements at the Bernabeu in 2009, following the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka. It can be argued that it is one of the biggest mistakes made by Florentino Perez as Robben went on to win innumerable honours at Bayern Munich.

Without doubt of the best wingers in the world and a gamechanger on the pitch, the 35-year-old, spent 10 successful seasons in Germany, before eventually retiring in 2019.

REAL MADRID STATS :

APPEARANCES : 65

GOALS : 13

TROPHIES WON : 2
2. SAMUEL ETO'O



One player that got away was Samuel Eto'o who came through Real Madrid's youth academy and while promoted to the senior side, he was not seen as good enough and hence sold to Mallorca.

The Cameroonian though showed just how wrong his former employers were going on to become one of the most important players for both Barcelona and Inter Milan, with whom he won back-to-back trebles.

The 38-year-old was at his best between 2004 to 2010, where he scored a combined 183 goals in 301 games across spells in Spain and Italy. Since then, Eto'o traveled the world and was last seen playing for Qatar SC in the Middle East.

REAL MADRID STATS :

APPEARANCES : 7

GOALS : 0

TROPHIES WON : 0

1. CLAUDE MAKELELE



So good, that there is a position on the pitch commonly named after him, Claude Makele was the engine room of the Real Madrid squad between 2000-2003, during which his influence was vital as he led the club to seven trophies.

Makelele went unheard of among the 'Galacticos' at the club, which he thrived on, but not Florentino Perez who felt he was too unglamorous for the image of Los Blancos. Perez's decision to sell him was questioned by both Zinedine Zidane and Fernando Hierro and it was soon seen as it was the end of the cycle of success for the club during that era.

Since his departure, the Frenchman went on to star for Chelsea, becoming the backbone of the team from which Jose Mourinho took them to success. Makelele is widely considered as arguably the best defensive midfielder since the turn of the Millenium and one who was rightly missed by the club.

REAL MADRID STATS :
APPEARANCES : 140
GOALS : 1
TROPHIES WON : 7