6 players whose careers dipped after joining Real Madrid 

#4 Michael Owen

Michael Owen wasn't the same player after returning to the Premier League from Real Madrid.

Michael Owen, the last English player to win the Ballon d'Or, was an absolute beast in the Premier League with Liverpool, plundering goals at a phenomenal rate and even winning back-to-back Golden Boots in the late 90s before lifting the prestigious Golden Ball award for the world's best player in 2001.

Unsurprisingly then, Real Madrid soon came calling and secured his services for £8 million in 2004,when the Galactico project was in full swing with Ronaldo Nazario, Roberto Carlos, Luis Figo, Raul, Zinedine Zidane and compatriot David Beckham all in the mix at the time.

However, the Englishman failed to replicate his imperious form in the Spanish capital and became a pale shadow of his former self, netting only 13 times from 36 top-flight games.

Michael Owen's record for Real Madrid in all competitions:👕 45 games⚽ 16 goalsSomething for Eden Hazard to ponder. pic.twitter.com/7Lw4RHYsth

— Squawka Football (@Squawka) October 15, 2018

That prompted Owen to return to English shores in 2005, just a year after his dream move to the Santiago Bernabeu. But the player struggled with injuries for the rest of his career at Newcastle United, Manchester United and finally at Stoke City.

#3 Nicolas Anelka

A young Nicolas Anelka failed to deliver on his promise at Real Madrid.

Unlike many other players in this list, Nicolas Anelka wasn't an accomplished star when he first arrived at Real Madrid in 1999. He was just 20 at the time but was one of the most highly-rated youngsters in the circuit after his 17-goal salvo with Arsenal in the Premier League.

On this day in 1999: Real Madrid completed the signing of Nicolas Anelka for £22.5m, just two years after Arsenal had signed him for £500k from PSG.It is believed the sale of Anelka funded construction of the London Colney training facility (£10m) & Thierry Henry (£11m). #afc pic.twitter.com/sAgYs4kod0

— afcstuff (@afcstuff) August 4, 2020

He was touted for bigger things after arriving at the Santiago Bernabeu, but unfortunately, his development was stalled as the Frenchman struggled to dislodge the likes of Raul and Fernando Morientes in the Real Madrid starting-XI. Anelka only played 19 times in the 1999-00 La Liga season, with most of those appearances coming off the bench.

Dissatisfied with the lack of enough game-time at Real Madrid, Anelka left the club in the summer and became a proverbial 'journeyman' footballer, enjoying spells with the likes of Manchester City, Fenerbahce and Chelsea as he won 11 trophies in total.