10 footballers whose careers dipped after joining Real Madrid

By Atharva Gosavi

Modified Jul 24, 2018 16:01 GMT

While many careers have been made at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium, many have been ended as well

#4: Rafael Van Der Vaart

Van der Vaart was a benchwarmer at Real Madrid.

Rafael Van Der Vaart joined Perez at the Santiago Bernabeu in 2008 from German outfit Hamburg.

The Dutchman was possible of producing moments of sheer brilliance at his best on the pitch.

Van der Vaart was a recipient of both the Golden Boy award and the Dutch Football Talent of the Year.

However, the Dutchman was never really given an opportunity to succeed at Real Madrid. Van der Vaart was left warming the benches as a substitute in the Spanish capital.

While his compatriot Arjen Robben did resurrect his career after joining German heavyweights Bayern Munich, the former failed to reach his peak even after leaving Real Madrid.

He joined Tottenham Hotspur in 2010 but never quite made it to the level he was at in his younger times.

Edited by Aakanksh Sanketh