Steve McManaman
Steve McManaman is a legend of Liverpool and the Premier League. This romantic, speedy and artistic midfielder came to Real Madrid in 1999. After 4 seasons at Los Blancos, he returned to the Mist country to play for Manchester City for 2 years before retiring.
Although he only played for the Spanish Royal team for a short time, Steve McManaman managed to win 2 Champions Leagues, 2 La Ligas, 1 Spanish Super Cup and 1 European Super Cup.
Robinho
In 2005, President Florentino Perez spent 25 million euros to bring Robinho to Real Madrid from Santos. At that time, it was a real “blockbuster” deal when Robinho was only 21 years old. Both Real coaches at that time, Fabio Capello and Bernd Schuster, were fed up with the Brazilian striker’s indiscipline.
In 3 years at the Bernabeu, Robinho only scored 35 goals. The number disappointed many people because Robinho at that time was considered one of the most outstanding talents in football history. Ending his journey at Real, Robinho moved to Man City in the summer of 2008. At Etihad, “Little Pele” continued to indulge in a debauched lifestyle and was sold to AC Milan in 2010.
Nicolás Anelka
Anelka is known as a “nomad” player because he has been with more than ten teams during his playing career. In 1999, Anelka joined Real Madrid C.F. with a transfer fee of 22.3 million pounds, but after only 1 season in Spain, he returned home to play for PSG for 20 million pounds.
In the summer of 2002, the striker born in 1979 decided to choose Man City as the next stop in his career. In Manchester, Anelka quickly demonstrated the class of a top goalscorer by consecutively becoming The Citizens’ top scorer for two seasons (2002/03, 2003/04). In the middle of the 2004/2005 season, after loud arguments, Anelka decided to “make things up” with the Man City coaching staff before joining Fenerbahce.
Emmanuel Adebayor
Sau khi chói sáng tại Arsenal, Man City đã có được sự phục vụ của tiền đạo người Togo với giá 30 triệu euro vào mùa hè năm 2009. Chỉ 18 tháng từ ngày cập bến Etihad, tiền đạo này nhanh chóng bật bãi vì không đáp ứng được chuyên môn.
Moving to Real Madrid on loan in the second half of the 2010/2011 season, Adebayor was also not bought permanently by Los Blancos. Coming to Tottenham, Adebayor fell miserably due to his star disease, unpopularity with his teammates, and lack of practice. From here, the player born in 1984 never returned to his peak form.
Javi Garcia
As a member of La Castilla, Javi Garcia had a lot of expectations when he joined Real Madrid’s first team in 2007. But in front of many famous stars present at the Bernabeu at that time, this player could not show anything. After 18 appearances in the White Vulture shirt, Javi Garcia had to leave for Benfica to find opportunities.
In Portugal, the midfielder born in 1987 played extremely well to bring home a double domestic title for Benfica. This helped him be transferred to Man City with the expectation of being one of the cores of power building at Etihad. However, Javi Garcia only lasted 2 seasons.
Danilo
Danilo is one of the players transferred directly between Real Madrid and Man City. He was highly appreciated when he was still playing for Porto. However, at both Bernabeu and Etihad, the Brazilian defender only stayed for two short seasons. Currently, Danilo is on the Juventus payroll.
Álvaro Negredo
Born in Madrid, Negredo began his career at Rayo Vallecano, making his professional debut in early 2005. He was immediately noticed by Real Madrid and brought in the same year. However, the striker born in 1985 can only play in Los Blancos’ reserve team. In 2009, after failing to make his debut in Real Madrid’s first team, he joined Sevilla.
In Andalucia, Negredo had 4 wonderful years with 139 appearances and 70 goals. He was noticed by Man City and brought to the Premier League, in the same batch as Javi Garcia. But like his compatriot, Negredo also left Etihad after 2 seasons.
Brahim Diaz
Coach Pep Guardiola once compared him to Barca legend Andres Inesta, but Brahim Diaz has not been able to get a position at big clubs. Four years after leaving Malaga for Man City at the age of 15, for a transfer fee of 200,000 pounds, Diaz returned to his homeland with Real, for a sum of 15.5 million pounds.
But at home, he did not make much of an impression. He only made 15 appearances in La Liga during his 18 months at the Bernabeu. He was sent on loan to AC Milan at the beginning of last season and had a clearer opportunity to shine. In the end, Milan finished in 2nd place behind rival Inter and won a return to the Champions League after 7 years of absence. He will be retained at San Siro until 2023.