5 stars you probably didn’t know played for Real Madrid

#4. Alvaro Negredo

Negredo did not represent the senior team in a competitive fixture

Alvaro Negredo is a product of the Rayo Vallecano academy and he even played for the club’s senior team in the Segunda Division B before switching to Real Madrid Castilla in 2005.

Negredo scored 22 goals in 65 games for the Castilla team and his good run of form prompted first-team coach, Fabio Capello, to name him on the substitutes bench for a few Copa del Rey games but he never made an appearance for the club in a competitive game.

He was sold to La Liga newcomers, Almeria, in 2007 with a buyback clause and in two seasons, he scored 32 goals for them before Real signed him back for €5 million using the buyback clause.

However, he was sold to Sevilla for €15 million in the same summer as Manuel Pellegrini couldn’t guarantee him opportunities with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Gonzalo Higuain, Raul and Ruud van Nistelrooy already at the club.

Interestingly, Pellegrini signed the player for Man City in 2013 and Negredo played a part in helping the club win the Premier League title and League Cup in 2013/14.