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Soccer

Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid: The six biggest Galactico signings in the club's history

Ash Rose
Kylian Mbappe to Real Madrid: The six biggest Galactico signings in the club's historyFRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images
The France skipper is set to be latest superstar to move to the Bernabeu.

Kylian Mbappe's dream move to Real Madrid is set to be completed according to reports over the weekend. 

The PSG superstar has long been linked with a move to the Spanish giants, and with his contract in Paris expiring at the end of the 2023/24 campaign, is set to move to Madrid on a free transfer ahead of next season. 

Mbappe's arrival will follow in a long line of big names they have moved to the Bernabeu over the years, but who are the biggest Galacticos to have ever held up the white shirt of Madrid? 

Kaka - 2009

Kaka Real Madrid_December2012

A Ballon d'Or winner whilst with AC Milan in 2007, Kaka moved to Madrid two years later after newly installed president Florentino Perez made good on his promise to sign the Brazilian. His £60 million move was somewhat overshadowed by Cristiano Ronaldo, who unbelievably also signed in the same summer, and Kaka never quite found the same form as he did at the San Siro. AOP.Press/Corbis via Getty Images

In four seasons at the Bernabeu, the midfielder scored 29 goals and racked up 32 assists in 120 appearances for the club. Kaka won a La Liga title and Copa del Rey before leaving the Spanish capital in 2013 to re-sign for Milan. 

Luis Figo - 2000

Luis Figo Real Madrid_2003JAVIER SORIANO/AFP via Getty Images

The most controversial Galactico signing Madrid ever made was quite comfortably Luis Figo, who joined from arch-rivals Barcelona for a world record £37 million fee in the summer of 2000. His arrival at the Bernabeu made him public enemy number one at Barca, and upon his return to the Nou Camp with his new club he was greeted with venomous jeers and boos. 

Just months into his Madrid spell Figo won the Ballon d'Or and he went on to become a key figure in the Madrid team that won the league title in 2001 and the Champions League a year later. In all, the Portuguese made 245 appearances for the club, scoring 58 goals, before moving to Inter Milan. 


David Beckham - 2003


David Beckham Real Madrid_October 2005PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU/AFP via Getty Images

Slap bang in the middle of Madrid's peak Galactico era came the signing of arguably the game's most famous name - especially at the time - in David Beckham. Becks' falling out with Sir Alex Ferguson had meant the writing was on the wall for the England skipper and he made the move to Spain - long blonde locks and all - in the summer of 2003 for a £25 million fee. 

Beckham's wand of a right foot enjoyed a roller-coster spell at Madrid, where he shared the pitch with some of the club's all-time greats, but collectively they failed to land major trophies. However, he did secure a La Liga title in his final season in Spain, spearheading a championship challenge after initially being frozen out by boss Fabio Capello. 

Ronaldo - 2002 

Ronaldo Real Madrid_February2006Denis Doyle/Getty Images

Before there was Cristiano, there was El Fenomeo or R9, who arrived in Madrid in the summer of 2002 having just won the World Cup Golden Boot after helping Brazil triumph in the Far East. Although injuries had taken their toll on the striker, his £40 million arrival was met with great excitement - especially after he scored twice on his long-awaited debut. 

His goals saw Madrid win La Liga in his first season and he'd go on to score over 104 goals in his five seasons with the club, before moving to AC Mian in 2006. 
 

Zinedine Zidane - 2000

Zidane_May2018FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images

Zizou and Real Madrid were somehow meant to be and his legacy with the Spanish club began with his world-record-breaking move to the Bernabeu in 2001. By this point, the French midfielder was already a Ballon d'Or and World Cup winner and in his first season led Madrid to Champions League victory thanks to a memorable goal against Bayer Leverkusen in the final. 

A La Liga title followed the following campaign and Zidane would go on to score 49 goals in 230 games for the club before bringing the curtain down on his career. The Frenchman later went back as manager, where he won two championships and became the first-ever boss to win three consecutive Champions Leagues. 
 

Cristiano Ronaldo - 2009 

Real Madrid UCL trophy RonaldoAngel Martinez/Real Madrid via Getty Images

In whatever Real Madrid list you write, there usually is only one name who can be on top of it, and that's Cristiano Ronaldo. Having reached another level in his final days at Manchester United, the 2008 Ballon d'Or winner made the inevitable move to Madrid in the summer of 2009 for a record £80 million fee. 

The rest is very much history. In eight seasons, Ronaldo ripped up the record books by scoring an incredible 450 goals in 438 games and won four Champions Leagues as the Portuguese cemented his legacy as arguably the club's greatest-ever signing and player. 

 

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