5 world-class footballers Real Madrid failed to sign

#3 Ronaldinho

Ronaldinho is one of the most influential players in Barcelona's history

A bizarre exclusion by the Real Madrid hierarchy, Ronaldinho could well have been a Madridista at the turn of the century if Florentino Perez was not in charge of affairs. Reportedly, the Brazilian magician was rejected by the Real Madrid president on the pretext of 'not having the right looks'.

Instead, the erratic politician decided to hijack Barcelona's pursuit of David Beckham, announcing the marketable Englishman as their marquee signing of 2003. As a direct consequence of this debacle, Blaugrana were forced to find a quick replacement for their desired target.

1 more fact: #RealMadrid rejected to sign #Ronaldinho in 2003 because he was 'UGLY' and instead signed #DavidBeckham.Reason why I hate RM. https://t.co/8hV76BhHip

— Krunal Makwana 🇮🇳 (@mKunaaal) March 21, 2017

Even though Beckham went on to have a decent career with Real Madrid, their decision to pass on a perfectly viable option came back to bite them. Ronaldinho was quickly snapped up by Barcelona in what is now considered to be a turning point in the Catalans' history. To add insult to injury, the magestic dribbler even earned a standing ovation from the Bernabeu in Barcelona's 3-0 drubbing of Real Madrid.

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#2 Francesco Totti

Totti made a whopping 785 appearances for Roma

Transfers where both parties are eager to put pen to paper have seldom failed to materialize. Nevertheless, such was the case with Francesco Totti's move to Real Madrid that never happened. Los Blancos were on the verge of completing this transfer in 2004, which eventually fell through solely due to Totti's dedication to Roma.

The Italian maestro revealed in an interview that Real Madrid were ready to offer him wages rising to €25m. If agreed, such a contract would've made him the second-highest earner in the Madrid squad, just pennies behind club captain Raul. Totti said:

"It was not the best period at Roma and they offered me a lot - I was to have a contract of about €25m. They offered [me] everything except the captaincy because Raul was there. I don't reject it, I think about it a lot. As I said before, 80% [intention] was there. Do something different from what other players had always done. Many went to [Real] Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern. I felt differently."

Florentino Perez tried to sign Francesco Totti.Perez: I phoned him and asked him to come, but he told me couldn’t move from Roma.Totti years later: He asked me to sign a jersey for him saying 'The only player to turn down Real Madrid'Rare loyalty 👏 pic.twitter.com/3zgqV80jtT

— Elijah Kyama (@ElijahKyama) August 27, 2021

Instead, Totti established his legacy as the quintessential one-club man with Roma, spending every minute of his professional career with Giallorossi. He retired in 2017 at the ripe old age of 41. Real Madrid truly lost out on a legendary player in Totti.

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#1 Neymar

Neymar has taken PSG to new heights

To think Lionel Messi's best mate could've ended up with his former club's arch-rivals Real Madrid long before their friendship took form. In similar fashion to their current trend of snapping up young Brazilian playmakers in their teens, the men in white were on the cusp of adding Neymar to their ranks in 2013.

Florentino Perez disclosed that the enigmatic attacker had already undertaken a medical test with Los Merengues and was awfully close to joining the club. Neymar's former agent, Wagner Ribiero, even claimed that Real Madrid had tried to poach his client on two additional occasions, with one of the attempts coming as recently as 2019.

The unpublished photos from Neymar's trial at Real Madrid when he was 13 😄😄#RealMadrid pic.twitter.com/pGa8StyUhk

— RM_DNA (@officialrm_dna) June 1, 2019

Having failed to lure him to the Bernabeu in the summer of 2013, Real Madrid decided to bring in Gareth Bale as his alternative. While the Welsh playmaker has enjoyed success with the Spanish giants, Neymar could've been the talisman they are searching for in the likes of Eden Hazard and Kylian Mbappe. Another case of what could have been in Real Madrid's history.

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