From Old Trafford to the Bernabéu 24 Jun 2017 16:27

As transfer speculation intensifies regarding Álvaro Morata, we look at the previous transfer dealings between Manchester United and Real Madrid.

By Philip Meese, Chief Editor

 

It has been reported that Manchester United and Real Madrid have begun negotiations regarding the transfer of Álvaro Morata to Old Trafford. The two clubs have been closely linked since the 1950’s, when they locked horns in the European Cup.

Following the Munich Air Disaster in 1958, Madrid even offered to loan United Alfredo Di Stéfano, arguably the world’s best player at the time, until the end of the season. The player himself was reportedly willing to join, until the F.A. vetoed the move on the grounds that it could prevent a potential young English player from developing. They seemed to overlook the fact that, with more than half of their squad killed in the crash, United were down to the bare bones. Madrid also helped United financially, organising a series of friendlies between the two clubs in the years following the disaster.

It wasn’t until the 1980’s that the two clubs finally did business. There have since been several transfers between the two clubs over the years, although the majority were in the Premier League era.

Laurie Cunningham

One of the best players of the 1970’s, his blistering pace and exceptional skill led to him being the first English player to represent Real Madrid, who paid West Bromwich Albion £950,000. At Madrid he made a fantastic start, scoring twice on his debut, and helping Real to a league and cup double in his first season. Remarkably, (but not untypically) he was not selected by England manager Ron Greenwood for England’s European Championship squad in the summer of 1980. After beginning his second season in similar form, he suffered a succession of injuries, one of which was a broken toe. He made it back into contention, and was selected for the 1981 European Cup Final defeat to Liverpool, although it was quite clear he was not match fit.

He won a further Spanish cup at the Bernabéu, but by the 1982-83 season, he found himself on the sidelines. His old manager at West Brom, Ron Atkinson, took him on loan to Manchester United in 1983. Although he showed glimpses of the player he had been, it was clear his past injuries had taken their toll on the player. He missed United’s F.A. Cup final victory over Brighton, after declaring himself unfit to play. He played just five games for United, scoring one goal. His loan deal was not made permanent, and he joined Sporting Gijón that summer.

After spells in France, as well as back home in England, he returned to Spain with Rayo Vallecano. In 1989 Laurie Cunningham died in a car crash just outside of Madrid, aged just 33 years old.

David Beckham

A transfer that still hurts a lot of United fans, and probably the player himself. Beckham never made any secret of the fact that he never wanted to leave Old Trafford, but found out the hard way that once you fell out with Sir Alex Ferguson, there was no coming back. The manager had grown tired of the media circus that constantly surrounded Beckham, despite it rarely ever affecting his performances on the pitch.

Matters came to a head when Ferguson accidentally kicked a boot in Beckhams face following an F.A. Cup defeat to Arsenal in 2003. That summer, after winning six Premier League titles, two F.A. Cups and the Champions League, David Beckham became Real Madrid’s latest Galáctico, in a £25 million transfer.

Ruud van Nistelrooy

After five years and 150 goals, Dutch super striker Ruud van Nistelrooy began agitating for a move away from Old Trafford. In his final season, he had fallen out with Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlos Queiroz and Alex Ferguson. He also apparently stood up to Roy Keane following his infamous banned MUTV rant. He moved to the Bernabéu in the summer of 2006 in a deal worth €14 million.

In spite of his goals, Manchester United did not miss him at all following his transfer. The team had gotten to the point where the Dutchman simply expected his team mates to put it in the box for him, rather than him having to do any of the graft. A partnership between Wayne Rooney and Louis Saha had begun to blossom in the months leading up to van Nistelrooy’s departure, and Ronaldo had matured to become one of the world’s best players. United won one Premier League title, one F.A. Cup and a League Cup during the Dutchman’s time at the club. Once he left, they won three league titles in a row and the Champions League, among others. That alone tells you that selling him was the right decision.

Gabriel Heinze

There aren’t too many players who regard the opportunity to join Real Madrid as a consolation prize, other than maybe David Beckham. Gabriel Heinze is one such player who falls into this category. The Argentine international clearly had no regard for the feeling of United fans, when he tried to engineer himself a transfer to bitter rivals Liverpool in 2007.

After an impressive start following his transfer from Paris Saint-Germain, he ended the 2004-05 season as United’s Player of the Year. Unfortunately for the defender, a season ending injury in a Champions League qualifier meant that Ferguson eventually signed Patrice Evra. By the time Heinze was fit again, he was used as a centre back, unable to dislodge the Frenchman in his favoured left back position. By the end of the 2006-07 season, he fell out with Sir Alex Ferguson over a lack of game time. Liverpool’s bid that summer was rejected, and Real Madrid took him to the Bernabéu in an £8 million transfer.

Cristiano Ronaldo

From the day United signed the Portuguese winger in 2003, Ronaldo never made any secret of the fact that he one day wanted to play for Real Madrid. He had grown up supporting Los Blancos, citing Luís Figo as his idol. A summer of speculation ensued after United won the Champions League in 2008, with Ferguson stating that he would not “sell Madrid a virus”. To Ronaldo’s credit, he buckled down, and helped United draw level with Liverpool on 18 league titles.

In the summer of 2009, Ronaldo finally got his wish and joined Madrid in a world record £80 million transfer. He has since become their all-time top goalscorer, with an incredible 406 goals from just 394 appearances. He has won the Champions League three times, as well as two La Liga titles during his time in the Spanish capital. It was reported earlier this week that he now wants to leave the Bernabéu, prompting the usual yearly reports that he will rejoin United.

It is not the first time since he left Old Trafford that he has been linked with a return, and although this time the speculation may carry more weight than in previous years, few would bet against him still being a Madrid player next term.

Ángel Di María

Manchester United broke the British transfer record to sign Di María in 2014, in a £59.7 million deal. This was the kind of big name signing United fans had been crying out for, following years of underspending. Despite three goals in his first five games, it did not take long for the move to go sour.

It soon became apparent that not only was the Manchester weather not to his liking, but that he had wanted all along to join Paris Saint-Germain. The French giants could not afford to buy him that summer, having splashed out £50 million on David Luiz, any deal would have seen them fall foul of UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rules. After an underwhelming season at Old Trafford, Ángel Di María got his wish and moved to the French capital for £44 million. Despite the fact that United took quite a financial hit on the Argentine, few people mourned his departure.  

Javier Hernández

Despite starting in Louis van Gaal’s first match United manager, the Mexican striker was deemed surplus to requirements by the Dutchman. On the 31^st of August 2014, Chicharito was loaned to Real Madrid, with an option for a permanent move at the end of the season.

Much like at Old Trafford, he was used mainly from the bench. He ended his one season at the Bernabéu with 9 goals from 33 games. Madrid chose not make the deal a permanent one, and shortly after returning to Old Trafford, Hernández was sold to German side Bayer Leverkusen, where he remains to this day.

Guillermo Varela

A week after Hernández was loaned to Real Madrid, the Spanish side came knocking at United’s door once again. On this occasion, it was to add strength to their “B” side, Real Madrid Castilla, and they took the Uruguayan full back on a season long loan. In addition to this, Varela was given a first team number, 28, and included in their Champions League squad for that season.

Varela never played for the first team, but impressed playing for Castilla in the Segunda Division. Despite reports that Zinedine Zidane was interested in keeping him, Varela returned to Old Trafford and became part of van Gaal’s squad for the 2015-16 season. When Mourinho took over last summer, the defender was loaned to Eintracht Frankfurt, a deal which was cut short due to disciplinary issues. It is uncertain where his future lies.

Any Other Business?

There have been several other attempts between the two clubs to do business over the years. The most infamous was David de Gea’s failed transfer two years ago, thanks to a reportedly dodgy fax machine. There was speculation that the transfer would be reignited this summer, although these reports seem to have gone quiet in recent weeks. You wouldn’t bet against it happening at some point in the future, even if it isn’t this summer.

At the same time, defender Sergio Ramos had been flirting with a move to Old Trafford, which was halted when he signed an improved contract with Madrid. Gareth Bale and Colombian forward James Rodríguez have been linked with moves to United several times over the last few years, and this summer has been no exception.

 

Given everything that the two clubs have achieved over the past few years, it is quite surprising that the list of players to have transferred directly between the two clubs isn’t bigger. It’s probably fair to say, however, that it will increase over the coming years.