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In the history of Real Madrid, there have been many transfer flops. With a squad that used to spend tens of millions of euros each transfer window, there are bound to be players that do not perform at the level needed for the 13-time Champions League winners. Of course, the players do not choose the fees they are bought for, but they are still massively underperforming for their price tag. Without further ado, let's look at the three biggest Real Madrid transfer flops in club history, ranked.
Biggest Real Madrid flops, ranked
3. Luka Jovic (arrived in 2019 for €60 million from Eintracht Frankfurt)
There are a lot of candidates for this spot. Guys like Walter Samuel, Elvir Baljic, Asier Illaramendi, and many others did not fulfill their promise in Real Madrid. However, due to the price paid for him, Luka Jovic simply needs to be here. Now, there are a couple of caveats. He is still fairly young, being 24 years old, and he just arrived a couple of years back. Jovic also had to fight for minutes with Karim Benzema, who is arguably the best player on the planet right now. Still, the price and Jovic's performances grant him an expressway towards the biggest transfer flops in world football.
While in Frankfurt, Jovic played some amazing football. He was actually on loan in Germany from Benfica, where the Serbian striker did not get a ton of playing time. In Eintracht, however, he surprised many around the world, scoring 27 goals in 48 appearances in his last season. In Real Madrid, the story has been different. Jovic took the field 51 times as part of Real Madrid, but only scored three goals. His loan back to Eintracht in the 2020-21 season was not better, where he scored just four in 18 appearances. He still has time to improve, but it seems like Jovic's time in Real Madrid will come to an end soon, with much to be desired for.
2. Eden Hazard (arrived in 2019 for €100 million from Chelsea FC)
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It is difficult to include Eden Hazard on this list. It is true that his Real Madrid career did not exactly go to plan, with just six goals to his name in three full seasons for the Spanish team. Still, it is hard to overlook all the injury issues he had, given the fact he missed more games in three years for Real Madrid than in his whole Chelsea tenure that lasted for seven seasons. Injuries were a massive part of his career in the Spanish capital and he kept on missing time with ankle issues, that were the result of the opposition teams really tackling the Belgian hard. Yet, given all of his talent and what he has shown for Chelsea and internationally, there is no denying that Hazard is a transfer flop.
Not only has he missed significant time for Real Madrid, but Eden Hazard has also not looked nearly as good when he was available. Now, his position on the left wing is completely taken over by Vinicius Jr and Hazard mostly sees action in the Spanish Cup and on the bench in league and Champions League games. As with Jovic, his situation can improve in the next few seasons if he stays a part of Real Madrid, but the damage has already been done. He is 31 now and even if Hazard returns to being available week-in, week-out for Real Madrid, there are major doubts on whether he will be even in the rotation for manager Carlo Ancelotti.
1. Jonathan Woodgate (arrived in 2004 for €18 million from Newcastle United)
If the name Jonathan Woodgate is even mentioned to a Real Madrid fan, they are going to be very mad. The English center back did not arrive for a ton of money, considering the transfer fees in football today, and he did not spend a ton of time in Real Madrid, missing his first season completely and spending the third one on loan at Middlesborough. Yet, the universal hate this fanbase has for this player is great and somewhat understandable. Woodgate was supposed to be the next great Real Madrid center back, following the line of the likes of Fernando Hierro, but he turned out to be a massive flop.
As with Hazard, injuries played a massive role. A string of absences through injury saw Woodgate make his debut for the club 14 months after coming over from Newcastle. Yet, it was that debut that still lives in infamy. In a match versus Athletic Bilbao, Woodgate scored an own goal and got two yellow cards, a sign of things to come. In the end, a total of nine league appearances and 14 overall, one goal in the Champions League, and that is everything Real Madrid got out of their young center back for the future. He was sent to Middlesborough after the season on loan there and was even voted the worst signing of the 21st century in 2007.
