5 of the worst strikers in Real Madrid's history

Real Madrid have had some amazing forwards in their long and illustrious history. Be it Alfredo Di Stefano, Hugo Sanchez or Raul Gonzalez, Madrid have always had some of the best strikers in world football don the famous All White jersey.

However, the same club has also had some strikers who have just not been good enough or not performed to their potential at the Santiago Bernabeu. While a number of articles have been written about the best attacking players in Real Madrid history, in this article, we take a look at the 5 worst strikers in Real Madrid’s history

#5 Nicolas Anelka

French international, Nicolas Anelka has had a successful career in many top clubs across Europe but his time at Real Madrid will certainly not count among them. Anelka who broke through at PSG was signed by Arsenal in 1997 as a 17-year-old for £500,000 and was sold one year later when Real Madrid came calling for a massive sum of £22.3 million.

Arriving as one of the most talented youngsters in world football, Anelka failed to score in his first five months at the club and was even suspended by the club for failing to train after a disagreement with then Real Madrid coach Vicente Del Bosque.

Although the Frenchman did make a return to the team and even scored in the Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich, his solitary season at the club was littered by missed chances and indiscipline and he left the Spanish Capital after just one season to join his youth team Paris Saint-Germain once again.

Anelka went on to play with a lot of success for top clubs like Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City, but at Real Madrid, he never quite cut it and is not at all remembered fondly by the Madridistas.

#4 Antonio Cassano

One of the most talented players to ever play the game, Antonio Cassano spent two seasons at Real Madrid without having any sort of positive impact on the Spanish giants. Having signed for Los Blancos in January 2006 for €5 million, the Italian managed to score only 3 goals in 29 appearances. Cassano even called it the biggest mistake of his life:

“My biggest mistake was the year and a half at Real Madrid because I did everything and more to ruin it. That is a huge regret,

“I was seduced by their offer. If I had listened to Totti, I probably would’ve stayed at Roma for 10-15 years along with him. That was the advice he gave me, and I had to listen. But I did my usual, and it went instinctively to my head.”

Soon things went downhill for Cassano at Real Madrid, as he started gaining weight and struggled to get into the first team ahead of Raul and Ronaldo Nazario. His weight problems got so out of hand that Madrid even started fining him for every gram he gained over his playing weight which earned him the infamous nickname 'Gordito'.

For all his talent, Cassano never made it at Real Madrid and is considered to be one of the worst signings made by Florentino Perez.

#3 Javier Saviola

More famous for his time at Barcelona, Javier Saviola made a controversial move to Real Madrid in 2007 on a lucrative three year contract. Known for his speed, dribbling ability and ability to score spectacular goals, Saviola was immensely talented and was even the youngest player to be named in Pele’s list of 125 greatest living footballers.

For all his ability and natural talent, Saviola failed to nail down a regular starting berth and was restricted to only cup appearances and sporadic appearances in the league mainly from the substitute bench.

In two seasons, the Argentine managed only 28 appearances and scored 5 goals. The arrival of Huntelaar further restricted his role and Saviola finally moved on to Portuguese giants Benfica in 2009.

While Saviola is largely considered to be one of the most successful foreign forwards in La Liga, he had a horrid spell at Real Madrid and had almost 0 impact at the Bernabeu.

#2 Perica Ognjenovi

Serbian Perica Ognjenovic was once considered to be one of the brightest young talents in the game. After first breaking through at Serbian powerhouse Red Star Belgrade, Ognjenovic was signed by Real Madrid in 1999 for a transfer fee of €2.5 million.

After his arrival at the Spanish capital, the Serbian forward struggled to get any regular playing time as the Real Madrid team was filled with a surplus of talented forwards. In tow and-a-half seasons, Ognjenovic could only manage 30 appearances scoring just one official goal in a Copa Del Rey game against Real Zaragosa.

Having arrived at Madrid as one of the most promising players in the game, Perica Ognjenovic never lived up to his potential and had a journeyman career playing in various clubs across Europe before calling time on his career with a spell at Serbian club Jargodina in 2011.

#1 Edwin Congo

Colombian footballer Edwin Congo is probably the least recognised name in the list having made 0 appearances for Madrid in the League. However, the Colombian did manage to make some appearances in cup competitions where it soon became evident that he was not a Real Madrid level player.

Congo was first signed by Real Madrid after his impressive spell at Once Caldas and although he stayed on Madrid’s books for 3 years, the Colombian forward spent only one season (2001-02) as he was sent on loan to clubs like Valladolid and Toulouse FC during his 3-year spell.

An average striker who failed to have any sort of impact at Real Madrid, Edwin Congo is definitely one of the most unheralded strikers to ever play for Los Blancos.