11 players Real Madrid missed out on – and who they signed instead

History has taught us that, if Real Madrid really want to sign a player, they’ll usually be successful.

However, there have been a handful of players with the balls to say no to Los Blancos, whether out of loyalty to their existing club or a simple desire to move elsewhere.

When you throw in the occasional decision from the Spanish club to suddenly switch targets in the midst of a transfer chase, you’re left with this list of 11 very big names who might have landed in Madrid if the stars had aligned differently.

Real Madrid’s ‘Galacticos’ transfer policy of the early 2000s wasn’t just about footballing ability – players had to look the part, too, and this was thought to be the reason why president Florentino Pérez passed on Ronaldinho when the Brazilian was available from PSG.

Dinho’s looks were said to go against the brand the club was trying to build, and Madrid instead went for the much more marketable David Beckham.

Beckham might have done the business on and off the pitch, but the Brazilian may have left the club regretting their decision when he helped lead Barcelona to the 2006 Champions League title. Not to mention when he took the p*ss to such an extent at the Bernabeu when even the home fans couldn’t help but applaud.

READ: A forensic analysis of the night Ronaldinho had Real fans on their feet

If you were wondering why Beckham ended up being Real’s only signing in 2003, it’s because they failed to get a move for Totti over the line.

The Italian would end up spending his whole career at Roma, but things could have been very different if he’d opted to trade one capital city for another.

“Many years ago I was really close to Real Madrid, I was pondering to leave Roma to go to Madrid,” he admitted years later. “I