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Real Madrid is the pinnacle of club football; a club most men dream of playing for in their careers. In terms of success, financial muscle and popularity, seldom can any other club match the might of Los Merengues. And, the club's glittering past is down to the loads of legends that have donned the famous white shirt.
However, the club's salivating desire to sign all the best players has seen a bunch of fingers pointed at their transfer policy.
The Spanish giants have been ruthless enough, and in an attempt to accommodate the best of the best, they have let off some real gems who deserved to stay at the capital. Needless to say, the aftermath of their sales might have left the club in deep regret.
Let's take a quick look at these players:
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#10 Esteban Cambiasso
Real Madrid have always been blamed for failing to appreciate the hard work of their midfield anchormen, and for sacrificing them in lieu of signing attackers with flair. Esteban Cambiasso was a victim of this Galactico policy; he left for free to join Italian giants at Inter Milan for free at the end of 2003-04 season.
Needless to say, the Italian midfielder established himself amongst the very best in Europe and went on to win a treble along with a host of other trophies in his decade with the club. He won the UEFA Champions League in 2010 that completed the treble, on the same Santiago Bernabeu pitch he was cast out from, six years earlier.
Was there a better way to show Real Madrid how wrong they were in selling the bald-headed genius?
#9 Wesley Sneijder
Wesley Sneijder arrived at Real Madrid in 2007 from Ajax. The Dutchman was one of Real Madrid's stand out performers in the club's league triumphs in 2007 and 2008 respectively. However, he fell short of Florentino Perez's expectations, and was sold to Inter Milan following the signings of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and Karim Benzema.
Just a year later, Sneijder came back to rub salt on the wounds of Real Madrid's lacklustre first season in Perez's second tenure as the president of the club. Becoming an integral part of Mourinho's Inter, he lifted the UEFA Champions League title at the Santiago Bernabeu, probably making Los Merengues realise their mistake.
Also, he clinched a bunch of titles in Turkey and grabbed a runners-up and a third-place medal at the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups, respectively.
Following his Champions League triumph and Mourinho's appointment as Real Madrid manager, the club were rumoured to be interested in re-signing their former player. However, the disrespectful treatment in the past became the reason why Sneijder opted against a second spell at the Spanish capital.
#8 Gonzalo Higuain
Gonzalo Higuain left Real Madrid in 2013 after playing seven seasons for Los Merengues to join Napoli, and later Juventus. Since leaving, the Argentine has given eye-catching performances on a consistent basis, enough to make Real Madrid give a second thought on their decision to offload him.
24, 29,38 and 32. Those are the number of goals he has notched in the past four seasons in Italy. With the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema underfiring this season and Gareth Bale out injured, Gonzalo Higuain could have been the best option to carry on the scoring responsibilities for Real Madrid this season.
This is a striker who netted 24 times in his worst season, so just imagine how good he can be at the height of his powers.
Aged 30, the Argentinian has already netted 12 goals this season in all competitions, proving that he has a lot left to deliver. As for Los Blancos, the time isn't past yet. They can still rectify the blunder by re-signing him.
#7 Iker Casillas
The goalkeeper position is the one that has haunted Real Madrid the most in recent years. They have failed to poach David de Gea from Manchester United and the likes of Keylor Navas and Kiko Casilla have done little to ward off their misery between the posts.
At present, it looks like Real Madrid would jump at the chance to reverse their decision of selling Iker Cassilas to Porto. He might be a veteran now, but the World Cup winning captain is still better than the two goalkeepers Los Merengues currently have in their squad.
Iker Casillas joined Porto in 2015 and has nothing much to boast about in contrast to the medals he won at the Bernabeu. However, his sale can't be regretted more often than now, seeing how the club has struggled to find a shot-stopper worthy enough to fill his giant boots at the capital.
Casillas played 16 seasons at Real Madrid and retiring at the club would have been the fitting end to his fairytale career. Had Real kept him, there's no doubt they would have been saved from a seemingly endless headache.
#6 Samuel Eto'o
It feels weird to see how Los Merengues let Samuel Eto'o slip through their fingers for just £4.4 million to Mallorca. Any of Real's doubts regarding the eagle-eyed Cameroonian may have been cleared, looking at the host of trophies he amassed after leaving them.
In his prime, Samuel Eto'o established himself as one of the strikers you would rather avoid playing against, thanks to his silky finishing skills. He became an integral part at FC Barcelona and haunted his former club on multiple occasions.
Eto'o replicated his Barcelona success at Inter Milan and had a relatively efficacious Champions League career, winning the competition thrice. He also claimed the FIFA World Player of the Year Bronze award in 2005.
Adding to the regret, Florentino Perez will also rue the fact that Barca poached him from under Real Madrid's nose.
#5 Mesut Ozil
Since joining Real Madrid and leaving them, Mesut Ozil has established himself as one of the deadliest playmakers of the current generation. The German deserves an applause for establishing himself as a regular ahead of Brazilian legend Ricardo Kaka.
His impressive exploits became one of the reasons why the Samba star couldn't cement his place in the starting lineup.
He may not have won loads of trophies, but Mesut Ozil has hardly disappointed when it comes to individual performances since leaving the Spanish giants. He equalled Thierry Henry's record of 19 assists in a single season in the 2015-16 campaign.
He has been equally brilliant for the Gunners and it's sad to see that he has amassed fewer medals than he actually deserves.
At present, Real Madrid have the likes of Isco and Marco Asensio lining up for them. But, Mesut Ozil would have been the obvious first choice playmaker ahead of them, had Real decided against selling him.
#4 Angel Di Maria
Angel Di Maria joined Real Madrid in the summer of 2010 from Benfica. Five seasons later, it came as a surprise when Los Blancos sold the Argentinian to Manchester United, albeit for a hefty price tag. He failed in his only season at Old Trafford but was back to his best at Paris Saint-Germain.
Gareth Bale's arrival was one of the reasons why Di Maria shifted to a central role in his final season at the club. Nonetheless, the Argentinian was effective as usual and yet Real turned a blind towards his contributions to the La Decima campaign.
Today, Gareth Bale is having a rather torrid time battling a series of injuries whereas Di Maria is adding accolades to his trophy cabinet successfully at Paris Saint-Germain. Looking at the Welshman might make Real rue their decision about parting ways with Di Maria.
Considering Real's unexpected downfall and Bale's gradually decreasing contribution due to injuries, there's no doubt Di Maria's presence would have made a difference in uplifting them to their former glory.
#3 Arjen Robben
Apart from being one of the best footballers of his generation, Arjen Robben is also amongst the top three fastest players of the current era. The Dutch winger is almost unplayable on his day, thanks to his ability to leave defences in dumps with his sizzling speed.
Real Madrid seemed to have turned a blind eye towards his talents when they sold him to Bayern Munich in 2009. That was, of course, an aftermath of a second Galactico era under Florentino Perez. However, nine years down the line, it will be Real Madrid more than Arjen Robben who will rue the transfer.
The Dutchman has overseen a wonderful career since joining the Bavarians. He has a host of league titles to brag about, along with a UEFA Champions League medal and a bunch of individual awards.
Of course, Real Madrid have their own speed demon in Gareth Bale, but Robben definitely would have been the better choice, looking at the Welshman's constant battles with his injuries.
#2 Clarence Seedorf
Clarence Seedorf was probably the best anchorman of his generation, an explosive midfield package any major club would love to have on its team. However, Real Madrid's thoughts seemed exactly the opposite when they discarded the Dutch maestro at the beginning of his prime in 1999.
The box-to-box midfielder was quick enough to make Real see their mistake when he became one of the greatest midfielders the world has ever seen, following his spells at Inter Milan and AC Milan.
His decorated trophy cabinet boasts four UEFA Champions League medals apart from a host of other awards on the club as well as individual level.
Letting him off was a repeat of the mistake they committed with Claude Makelele. Imagine the two playing on the same side. It would have been nearly impossible to reach Madrid's defence, let alone break it!
#1 Claude Makelele
Claude Makelele's sale, in order to accommodate the iconic David Beckham, is the benchmark of Real Madrid's stupidity and a lacklustre transfer policy. Even Zinedine Zidane blamed the club for letting his teammate join Chelsea, a decision that further reaped losses for the giants.
Florentino Perez couldn't have been more naive in saying that Claude Makelele was an average player who failed to pass the ball three metres.
The French anchorman, in turn, made sure Perez ate his words after dazzling for Chelsea under Jose Mourinho. He is attributed to redefining the role of a modern defensive midfielder, named as 'The Makelele Role' after him.
Makelele's departure saw Real crumble whereas the Frenchman became the architect of Jose Mourinho's title-winning squad. Los Blancos' policy of sacrificing defensive players and replacing them with attackers later paid the price, as the power shifted to Barcelona in Spain.
Makelele's sale has been touted as the biggest transfer error of Real Madrid by many in the football world. The club has improved since then, signing the likes of Xabi Alonso and Sami Khedira. But, do they sit at the same table as Claude Makelele? Debatable.
