With Kylian Mbappe officially unveiled to the Real Madrid faithful, we look back at the club’s different eras of Galacticos and the varying levels of success they brought.
History. Heritage. Winning. Those are just three words that come to mind when thinking about Real Madrid. The biggest club in the world has highlighted its dominance over Europe in multiple periods of time in the past 50 years, a span in which some of the game’s best ever players have donned the famous Los Blancos kit.
These superstars have aptly become known as Galacticos, and just as there have been different eras of success for Real Madrid, so have there been different eras of Galacticos.
The First Galactico Era
Current Real Madrid owner Florentino Perez is credited with popularizing the term Galactico, but the practice was instilled before him by a previous owner: Santiago Bernabeu. The most successful owner in club history, Bernabeu signed the likes of Ferenc Puskas and Alfredo Di Stefano, laying the foundations and beliefs of what Real Madrid would be about.
In the 34 years under Bernabeu, Madrid won 16 La Ligas, six Copa del Reys, and six European Cups, including a run of five in a row. It’s the kind of run that gets a stadium named after you.
Following in Bernabeu’s footsteps, Perez would usher in a Galactico era of his own upon taking over the club at the turn of the 21st century. The first one he’d sign was the most controversial of all, and a promise he made upon running for president: Luis Figo.
The Portuguese winger was part of a transfer considered forbidden, as he left arch rival Barcelona to join Real Madrid for €62 million, a world record at the time. Besides being a boost in roster talent, the transfer was a statement that Real Madrid could have any player they truly desire across football. Figo was the first of an initiative set by Perez of one superstar signing each season.
The next to join after Figo was Zinedine Zidane, who left Juventus for Madrid for €75 million, marking the second straight summer that Perez broke the world record transfer fee. This move seemed destined to shift everything in the world of football from title chances and jersey sales to sportsbooks making new odds in football for Real Madrid matches.
It was players like Roberto Carlos, Fernando Hierro, Iker Casillas, and Raul Gonzalez who helped create that perfect balance. Madrid would win a league title in two of the first three years of Perez’s presidency as well as their ninth Champions League in the 2001-02 season with the famous Zidane volley.
Next up was another Ballon d’Or winner in Ronaldo Nazario, who was coming off winning the World Cup for Brazil. R9 would move from Inter to Madrid for €45 million, and would enjoy a successful first season which saw him net 23 goals en route to a La Liga title.
The Summer That Changed It All
While the first three seasons saw success for Madrid trophy wise, it was the summer of 2003 that is linked with the failures of the Galactico era. That summer Claude Makelele, who was called the “engine” of the team by Zidane, left for Chelsea in a move that was criticized by both players and coaches.
That summer also saw the arrival of a player who best fit Perez’s true definition of Galactico — David Beckham. By that point, Beckham was possibly football’s most popular player, having played a massive role in Manchester United’s dominance, in addition to his marriage to Victoria Adams, aka Posh Spice.
Beckham was a player who was certainly good enough to play for Madrid, but he may not necessarily have been the best fit. Beckham was a right winger/midfielder, which was the same position played by Perez’s first Galactico in Figo. This led to a lack of squad balance and created a headache for whoever was manager.
That summer showed Perez’s desire for attacking superstars even at a detriment to the squad, as the priority for defensive quality was low. Manager Vicente del Bosque also left the club that summer, which was viewed as a huge loss due to his ability to manage all the egos in the locker room and create a good culture. He was never adequately replaced.
The End of the First Era
Disappointment would continue after that summer with Madrid continuously failing in the Champions League, and La Liga success was minimal compared to the past. Perez could never find the right coach to lead his club, and he at times made the club feel more like a marketing show than a football team. The Makelele exit for Beckham was a highlight of that and was shown in the club’s Asia tour that summer which ruined the players’ preparation for the season.
The era would end after 2006 when Perez resigned after the club’s embarrassing defeat to Real Zaragoza in the Copa del Rey. Later that summer, Ronaldo and Zidane would depart Real Madrid, and Beckham left for the LA Galaxy in 2007.
The Return
Perez’s departure from Madrid was short lived, and he’d boomerang back to the Bernabeu in 2009, making the same promises he did in 2000 along the way.
The difference this time was, Madrid was in a bigger rut than when he first joined. Making matters worse, rivals Barcelona were also regarded as the best club in the world by that point as well. Perez’s impact was felt quickly with a summer window in 2009 which is regarded as one of the best summer transfer windows ever.
His first signing was 2007 Ballon d’Or winner Kaka for €65 million from AC Milan. Quickly after, Madrid broke the transfer fee record yet again for Cristiano Ronaldo at €94 million, a transfer that changed the footballing world. The same day, Madrid signed Karim Benzema for €35 million from Lyon.
The next summer of 2010, Perez made his first Galactico manager signing Jose Mourinho. The club needed the best to go up against Pep Guardiola and Barcelona. It was a signing that would lay the foundations for Madrid to dominate Europe after his departure. Signings like Luka Modric and Angel Di Maria were crucial for La Decima in 2014.
Gareth Bale was the next Galactico for Perez, breaking the transfer fee once more at €100 million from Spurs. While the spending was just as if not more gaudy, the difference from the first era to the second was Perez discovering the importance of balance.
Baby Galacticos
Perez’s second Galacticos era was a resounding success, winning four out of five UCL titles from 2014-18, including the final three in a row. Today, most of that group’s core — including Ronaldo, Bale, Benzema, Sergio Ramos, and Toni Kroos — are now gone from the club. But no one is questioning if Los Blancos can continue their European dominance.
A young crop of wildly talented players, known as “Baby Galacticos,” have given Madrid fans little cause to worry about their club’s future. Instead of buying them in their fully-formed prime, Madrid signed a bevy of young players including Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, and Federico Valverde to join the veterans who remained from the second Galactico era. A balance of old and young led to a second burst of success, with two doubles already in the 2020s.
Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga, and Jude Bellingham all have joined Madrid since 2020, and headline a ridiculous set of names 24 years old or younger. Eighteen-year-old Brazilian phenom Enderick is set to join the club next season, but he isn’t the biggest star to debut in a Madrid kit in 2024-25.
Kylian Mbappe was recently officially unveiled to the Madrid faithful after joining the club earlier this summer on a free transfer. That’s right — one of the world’s best joined the best team in the world for free. Madrid now has a team that can not only dominate now, but for potentially the next decade.
The best learn from their mistakes, and Perez is a great example of that. The original Galacticos failed due to greed and lack of attention in certain areas of the pitch. Now, Madrid do not ignore any position. They want, and in some cases have, the best player at every position in their starting lineup.
While the original Galacticos had some of the best players to ever live, they will forever be remembered as failures. This version may not have the star power, they will be remembered as dominant and much more impressive because of how well they all fit together.
