The whites have had mixed fortunes when it comes to signing players directly from the Portuguese League. From important players such as Pepe, Militao, Di María … to more doubtful such as Secretaria and Coentrao …
The arrival of Álvaro Carreras to Real Madrid marks the return of a player who played for La Fábrica. However, it was in Benfica, in the Portuguese League, where he made his breakthrough and became a super-elite player. The full-back earned his place in the Águilas by presenting its talents as a long-distance-full-back with attacking potential to produce strong performance in the Champions League and the Portuguese competition.
Real Madrid has not had many opportunities to find their way to the Portuguese competition, a competition in which the big clubs survive by exploring young talent. However, the signing sessions that came directly from the neighboring country to the club have left a different figure. Some of the best signing sessions in their recent history came from there, but others did not fail the expectations they had received.
Three former Benfica players
A good example is the three players who have arrived from Benfica so far. From there came Di María, a wonderful player who cost 33 million in the 2010-11 season and the Bernabéu hurt during his four seasons there, including the Champions League final in Lisbon. A final in which Coentrão, who arrived for 30 million a year earlier, also started. A full-back with a huge potential that combined some good performance with others who were much more doubtful. Injuries prevented him from continuing. Much more important was the arrival years earlier, in 1998-99, from Edgar, a promising young person who never made his debut and eventually became a star in Málaga.
From military to secretary
Currently, the only player in the first team arrived from Portugal is Militao, a middle back that was paid 50 million to Porto and who became a world -famous figure in the position. Arrived in the 2019-2020 season, its market value reached 70 million. He has won 13 titles with Real Madrid, including two Champions League titles, but serious injuries in recent years have hindered his career.
Porto also arrived the most lucrative signature in the recent history of Real Madrid, Casemiro, considered a member of the best Madrid -Middenveld in recent history. The 6 million euros paid for him were more than worth a great midfielder who won four Champions League titles among many others. To complete it, he left more than 70 million euros in Real Madrid's treasury. A real coup.
Pepe was again one of the big signing sessions of the Noord -Portuguese Giant. He cost 30 million in 2007-08. He played ten seasons and left an indelible stamp in a Real Madrid team where he played 334 games, won three Champions League titles and a total of 14 titles. For many he is a legend.
A career in Real Madrid that Danilo, who arrived as a big promise and made a few performances, but never fully agreed as expected despite an investment of 31.5 million. A right back in which Secretário did not succeed in the 1996-97 season, the only one he played in Real Madrid and in which he does not shoot under Capello.
Pioneer Giudicelli
But to find the first signing of Real Madrid from the Portuguese League, we have to go back many years, in particular until the 1935-36 season, when Giudicelli arrived from Sporting CP. He hardly played one game for Real Madrid, but this international player with the evamarelha, of Italian descent, went down in history as the first Brazilian player in the history of Real Madrid. Years later, in 1947-48, Manuel Rocha, an Argentinian striker who had played for Boca Juniors, joined the Club van Os Velensens and played for Real Madrid in the Eva Duarte Cup, the precursor of the Super Cup.