Players who painfully lost their mojo after leaving Real Madrid

Many of the footballing greats find themselves at Real Madrid.  The Spanish giant, and most successful club in Europe, has a reputation for putting together star-studded lineups, but very few of these stars ever shine as brightly outside the Bernabéu.

In fact, there's a conspicuous number of once-remarkable players who have seemingly lost more than just their white t-shirts upon their departure from the Spanish giant. It begs the question, is it the players that make the team, or the team that makes the players?

Former Real Madrid coach and player Alfredo Di Stéfano once offered a hypothesis on this, saying "No player is as good as a team together" – a quote that has even been engraved at Real's headquarters, according to TheMadridZone, a Real Madrid fan page. The quote suggests an individual's performance will lift with so many great players around them.

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The ultimate test for a Real Madrid player is to replicate their form in white at another club. A test that many players have failed, even some certified greats. Let's take a look at some of the most notable ones.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid's all-time top scorer, dared to challenge the club for a better contract despite being in his twilight years. President, Florentino Pérez did not hesitate to sell him to Juventus in 2018 and the Portuguese forward's form was never the same again. Gone were the titles and individual awards he was used to receiving, but it's fair to say he's still doing alright for himself, monetarily speaking.

As Mesut Özil himself told Spanish newspaper Marca, his tenure at Real Madrid became untenable due to disagreements between Florentino Pérez and his father and agent over money. That ended with the German playmaker heading to Arsenal in 2013. Though hotly tipped on arrival, his star would soon fade with the Gunners, and also at an international level with Germany.

In a similar case to Cristiano, we have Sergio Ramos. He asked for more money from Real Madrid, that money never came, and the superstar defender found himself draped in red, white and blue in Paris in 2021. At PSG, injuries limited his first season to just 12 games, and his second season was unremarkable. He was moved onto Seville in 2023, per Transfermarkt.

The French central defender arrived at Real Madrid at the age of 18 and would be a beloved club figure for an entire decade, when he decided not to accept a new deal with 'Los Blancos' in order to test himself at Manchester United in the Premier League. He hasn't found anything close to Madrid form in England's north and looks to have played his last game in the Premier League.

Casemiro has a similar story to tell. After forming one of the best midfield combinations ever seen alongside Kroos and Modric, the Brazilian decided to pack his bags and go to United in 2022. Praise and adulation gave way to jeers and criticism at the Red Devils, and the once triumphant player was left battling "sleepless nights" thanks to the pressure he felt in England, as reported by ESPN.

"I have decided to embark on a new direction in my career in search of a project in which I can achieve new goals," said Asensio in his farewell to Real Madrid in 2023, as reported by La Tribuna. He left for PSG, fed up with not being a key player in Madrid. Dreams of becoming an icon in Paris haven't really panned out either, though, having only played 19 games so far.

After a year of fighting for the spot in goal with Thibaut Courtois, the Costa Rican goalkeeper decided to go to PSG to gain more consistent game time. Unfortunately, he would see even less action there and would even be loaned out to English club Nottingham Forest for six months.

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His injuries and irregular form were hindering him at Real Madrid, so Rodriguez was sent on a bit of a sojourn to get his game right. He was first loaned to Bayern Munich and then transferred to Everton. Since then his career went from bad to worse, going from the Premier League to playing for Al-Rayyan in Qatar, the Greek Olympiacos and the Brazilian São Paulo and, little by little, losing his presence in the Colombian national team.

The Welshman's last years at Real Madrid were not the best; he was often criticized for his contribution and involvement on the pitch, and more focused on golf and his team than his team. It was for this reason that, first, he was on loan at Tottenham and, finally, transferred to Los Angeles FC of the MLS, where he barely played one season (15 games) before retiring at 33 years old.

He was 34 years old when he left Real Madrid and headed to Olympiacos. In his case, it was not his fault; Real had moved on and didn't offer a renewal. Once he left Madrid, he only managed to find a spot at a minor Greek club. At Olympiacos, he spent a single season before returning to his club of origin, Fluminense.

While the 2023-2024 season he has seen Isco enjoy a remarkable return to form at Real Betis, it was on the back of a horror year at Sevilla following his departure from Real Madrid in the summer of 2022. Here he would only play 12 games and came to blows with Monchi, sports director of the Seville club.

The French striker left Real Madrid in his prime, after his starring role in Los Blancos' 14th Champions League title win. From here, he would take himself to Saudi Arabia, lured by the attractive smell of petrodollars... or because of its religious proximity, as he said. However, his time at Al-Ittihad has not been what he expected, he has struggled to make the team and there is ongoing speculation about his future there.

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