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#3 Sergio Ramos | €27m, Sevilla
In the summer of 2005, Perez sanctioned a whopping €27m for Los Blancos to sign one of the most sought-after properties in Spanish football, Sergio Ramos. The then-19-year-old became the most expensive Spanish defender in history and inherited the number four shirt, one that he dons to this very day with pride. Nearly 16 years since his move, Ramos has gone on to become one of the club's greatest players, let alone greatest captains.
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Ramos is the embodiment of what it means to play for Real Madrid. He's a pure winner, a player who will go to any extent to win football games for his side. He is a captain who leads the way by example and has etched his name into the club's record books as one of their most clutch players of all time, having scored some of the most important goals in their history, including two of them in UCL finals.
Ramos has represented Real Madrid on 671 occasions and scored a staggering 101 goals — the most of any Blancos defender in the 21st century — and only second to the predecessor of his number four shirt Fernando Hierro overall. Only four players in history have made more appearances for Real Madrid to their name.
Considering everything he's done for the record Spanish and European champions, Sergio Ramos is arguably one of their most successful signings ever.
#2 Zinedine Zidane | €77.5m, Juventus
Few players in Real Madrid's illustrious history embody the Galacticos policy better than French legend Zinedine Zidane. After a successful spell with Juventus and his heroics with Les Bleus, the 1998 Ballon d'Or winner was brought to the Bernabeu as Perez's second high-profile signing after Luis Figo the year before, he went on to make a monumental impact at the club.
He endeared himself to the Real Madrid faithful in his very first season as he made history by sealing their ninth UCL title in glorious fashion. Zidane dispatched a left-footed volley from the edge of the area in the 2001/02 final against Bayer Leverkusen to create one of the most memorable goals of all-time. The midfielder played 227 games for the club, scoring 49 goals and setting up a further 68.
If his sheer magical ability on the pitch wasn't enough, 'Zizou' came back to the Bernabeu to begin his career as a coach. After Rafa Benitez was unceremoniously sacked mid-season, the then-Castilla coach was called up to the first team and has never looked back since. Zidane became the first manager to retain the UCL in the 21st century and went on to complete a famous 'three-peat' in Europe.
The Frenchman, to date, remains in charge of Los Blancos, albeit in his second spell at the club. The man with the Midas Touch led Real Madrid to three successive UCL crowns and two LaLiga Santander titles so far. Zidane is comfortably one of the most influential figures in the club's history.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo | €94m, Manchester United
Florentino Perez has been at Real Madrid for nearly two decades and has spent an unfathomable amount of money at the club, but no signing made by the 74-year-old managed to have the impact that Cristiano Ronaldo did. The Portuguese arrived at the Bernabeu from Manchester United in 2009 as the most expensive player in the world at the time, and no record seemed out of his reach.
After already winning the Ballon d'Or during his time at Manchester United, the forward won a further four for his inexplicable goal-scoring feats with Real Madrid. Ronaldo practically shattered records at will, becoming the all-time top goalscorer in the UCL as well as Real Madrid history, with tallies of 135 and 450, respectively.
Ronaldo was crucial in helping Real Madrid establish an era of dominance as they enjoyed their best spell in Europe since the mid-1950s, with him leading the line. The 36-year-old fired them to four UCL titles in five seasons and boasted the three highest individual goal tallies in any Europe during this spell, including a 17-goal season to end Real Madrid's 12-year wait for La Decima.
Ronaldo was as big a Galactico as money could buy in the transfer climate at the time and, by the end of his trophy-laden nine-year stay in the capital, he proved to be worth every single Euro paid by the club. He arrived at Real Madrid as one of the best players in the world and left as one of the best in football history.
Also read: 5 clubs Cristiano Ronaldo could join after Juventus
