As a footballer, it's hard to say no to Real Madrid. The club is arguably the most prestigious on the planet and has been considered a dream destination for almost every player in world football.
Real Madrid has won the most Champions League trophies in history (14) and the most domestic league titles in Spanish football history (35). World-class talents such as Zinedine Zidane, Alfredo Di Stéfano, Raúl, Cristiano Ronaldo, David Beckham, and many others have worn the iconic white jersey.
However, there are also notable players who chose not to join La Casa Blanca. From Kylian Mbappé, who recently rejected a move to Real Madrid, to other big talents, here's a list of players who declined the opportunity to play at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Francesco Totti
In one of the rare cases of a one-club career, Francesco Totti spent 25 years at Roma, making his debut in 1992 and retiring in 2017. However, there was a time when Totti was seriously close to joining Real Madrid, but he turned down the move in 2006.
Even though there is still "a little bit of doubt" in his heart about that decision, Il Capitano admitted that it was a purely emotional choice. "Of course, I thought about it. Let's say that there were quite a few days when we had one foot in and one foot out. Then, I've often and truthfully said that the choice to stay with Roma was made from the heart. In those moments, when you feel like this, you can't walk away," he told The Guardian.
Steven Gerrard
Another big name linked to Real Madrid in the early 2000s was Steven Gerrard. He told The Independent that Los Blancos tried to sign him twice during his career. However, the Scouser remained loyal to his club and hometown, Liverpool.
"It may be something I regret further down the line by not challenging myself and having a change of scenery in a different country, but I would have had a bigger regret leaving the club I love," he admitted. Gerrard stayed at Anfield until 2016, when he joined the MLS side LA Galaxy.
Luis Suárez
Some players on this list had to choose between Real Madrid and Barcelona at some point in their careers. Luis Suárez picked the Catalan club over Madrid in 2014.
To be fair to him, it wasn't a bad choice: he won four LaLiga titles, one Champions League, and formed one of the most lethal offensive partnerships in football history with Lionel Messi and Neymar. "Real Madrid were very interested in me, but my dream was always to play for Barca. When I heard the name 'Barcelona,' I didn't hesitate for a moment," he told Cope.
Santi Cazorla
During the summer transfer window of 2008, Santi Cazorla was very close to signing with Real Madrid. However, just 12 hours later, he made the headlines by agreeing to extend his contract with Villarreal.
The Spanish midfielder later revealed to AS that the move to Real Madrid fell through "for purely football reasons." He said that sometimes "things don't turn out the way you hope, and you have to follow your own path in life." Cazorla later joined Málaga and then secured a big transfer to Arsenal in 2012.
Robert Pirés
Robert Pirés decided to join Arsenal in 2000. However, he was very close to signing for Real Madrid until Arsène Wenger stepped in and convinced him to join the Gunners.
Pirés later revealed to L'Equipe that he even posed in a Real Madrid jersey during the 2000 Euros, but the French coach altered his plans. "I even took a photo wearing the Real jersey in Belgium! And everything happened very quickly. Arsène called me and upset my plans. After the final, he sent me a plane, I had a medical and signed. With him, Titi [Henry], Pat [Vieira], it felt like home at Arsenal," he recalled.
Cesc Fábregas
Wenger also influenced a young Cesc Fábregas to remain at Arsenal, with Real Madrid calling him "more than once" during his tenure in the Premier League. The Spaniard joined the Gunners at 16 years old from Barcelona and wanted to remain loyal to his manager.
"The first time, I was very young. I was 18, and they offered me a big salary, but I felt like I belonged at Arsenal. Wenger had bet the farm on me. I couldn't leave. In any case, I'll always be grateful to Madrid for the way they treated me," the midfielder told AS.
Patrick Vieira
Another Arsenal legend, Patrick Vieira, had a failed move to Real Madrid in 2004 that is still spoken about today. The captain of Arsenal's legendary Invincibles team, who won the Premier League that season without losing a single game, rejected Madrid's approach at the time.
Nearly two decades later, Vieira remembered that failed transfer in an interview with beIN Sports and labeled it as a missed opportunity. "I had no reason to leave Arsenal. I was happy and we were competitive. But if I have to go back and change one thing, not accepting to join Real Madrid is my only regret," he revealed.
Roy Keane
In his autobiography, "The Second Half," Roy Keane revealed the details behind his decision to reject a move to Real Madrid in 2005. After his falling out with Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, the Irishman was approached by Emilio Butragueño, who was the director of football at Real Madrid at the time.
"Butragueno said, 'Roy, we'll be glad to have you.' The board just had to sanction the deal, it was standard procedure. I should have appreciated Real's offer more. I was too negative. It was fear of the unknown that decided it for me," he confessed. Keane went on to sign with Celtic FC that year, fulfilling a boyhood dream.
Eric Cantona
Any football fan in the 90s would have loved to see Eric Cantona play for Real Madrid. During the 1995-96 season, Argentine manager Jorge Valdano, who was coaching Los Blancos at the time, approached the French star about a potential move.
"It seemed that he was very interested. He even asked me to change the Bernabéu's grass because he thought it was a bit damaged. But he later got in contact with me again to tell me that he had changed his mind," Valdano said in an interview with Movistar+. Cantona told him that he would have to be "a very bad person" to leave Manchester United during those times.
David Villa
During the 2008 summer transfer window, David Villa decided against a move to the Santiago Bernabéu despite interest from Real Madrid. The Valencia striker at the time was not willing to leave his club, and Real Madrid manager Bernd Schuster accused him of lacking ambition.
In response, Villa stated, "Footballing ambition is not about your mouth, it is about your feet. You can accuse me of lots of things – of having a bad day, of missing chances, of many things – but I have always had ambition and always will have." Two seasons later, Villa eventually joined FC Barcelona.
Frank Lampard
Frank Lampard spent most of his career (13 years) at Chelsea. During that time, the English midfielder rejected many clubs to stay at Stamford Bridge, including Los Blancos.
"Back in the day, the big Spanish clubs were involved - Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter Milan under Jose [Mourinho]. I do not look back and regret not going, but it was certainly of interest," Lampard told Sky Sports.
Javier Zanetti
Javier Zanetti, the Argentina and Inter Milan legend, was approached twice by Jorge Valdano to sign for Real Madrid, first in 1995 and again in 2001. In the latter year, Zanetti came close to making a big move, but eventually decided to stay at Inter.
"I spoke with Valdano in 2001. He wanted me. It was all but done, but in the end, I decided to stay. If I had gone to Real Madrid, I would have been just one more player. I might have won more titles and earned more money, but I wanted to do that at Inter," he told Tuttosport.
Rio Ferdinand
Rio Ferdinand had the chance to sign for Real Madrid or Barcelona, but he opted to stay at Manchester United due to his aspirations of continuing to win trophies at the time.
"I was at Man United and we were winning everything; I couldn't leave that. I was addicted to winning. How could I go there? I was being asked to go to a club that was in a position of trying to rebuild themselves," the Red Devils legend told FIVE.
Paul Pogba
Many transfer sagas involving Paul Pogba have occurred in recent years. Real Madrid, particularly during Zinedine Zidane's tenure as manager, had shown interest in the French midfielder.
However, Pogba opted to return to Manchester United in 2016. "I could also have joined Real Madrid or Barcelona, both of which were interested in signing me. But I chose to return to United because I followed my heart," Pogba told SFR Sport. He has since returned to Juventus in 2022 but has struggled with injuries.
Marco Reus
In 2015, Borussia Dortmund's Marco Reus surprised everyone by signing a 4-year contract extension with the struggling club, despite heavy interest from Real Madrid. The Spanish club was even willing to trigger the German midfielder's release clause of 25 million euros, but Reus decided to stay put.
Dortmund CEO Hans Joachim Watzke was amazed by his decision, saying, "Reus' contract extension is a crazy story. It really is remarkable. On one hand, you have some of the biggest clubs in the world chasing you, and then there's the relegation battle with Dortmund - and no Champions League football next season. He could have earned twice as much elsewhere." Eight years later, Reus remains a BVB player and is set to retire as a club legend.
David de Gea
The failed transfer of David de Gea to Real Madrid in 2015 was quite the saga. Manchester United sent the transfer documents two minutes after the transfer deadline and the move collapsed.
However, president Florentino Pérez still wanted to make the move happen the following summer. Despite the interest from Real Madrid, De Gea chose to sign a long-term contract extension with United, shutting down any possibility of leaving Old Trafford. He still remains at the club to this day.
Marco Verratti
Back in 2016, Marco Verratti received an offer from Real Madrid while he was playing for PSG. The Italian not only rejected the move but has remained loyal to the French side until now.
"Madrid's interest was flattering. It's not every day that Madrid asks for you. But when I'm happy at a club, I don't want to start negotiating with another. I want to win things with PSG's jersey," Verratti told RAI Sport. The midfielder has not been able to win a continental trophy at Paris, but a transfer doesn't seem to be in his plans.
David Silva
During the early days of his career in his hometown of Gran Canaria, David Silva was a player who was being monitored by many clubs. In Man City's documentary "Made in Gran Canaria," the Spaniard revealed that his father stopped an early move to Real Madrid.
"I visited Real Madrid as a young player, but my father was against a move to Madrid when I was so young. They would call year after year, but I would not go. I stayed with my home team, and then moved on to Valencia," Silva said. The attacking midfielder also rejected offers from Madrid and Barcelona during his time in Manchester and eventually left the Premier League to play for Real Sociedad.
Neymar
Another superstar who rejected Real Madrid as a teenager was Neymar. The Brazilian traveled to Spain for a trial at Madrid when he was 10 years old.
"It lasted for four or five days. On the fifth day, they wanted to take me to a championship at the Barcelona MIC Cup, but I quit. I got really homesick, and I wanted to go back home," he revealed on the Fenomenos podcast. Neymar would later sign for Barcelona in 2013.
Erling Haaland
The three-way battle between Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Manchester City for Erling Haaland was the biggest market saga of the 2022 summer transfer window. With Barcelona out of the running due to their financial situation, the Norwegian striker ultimately rejected Real Madrid and signed with City.
Haaland's father, Alf-Inge Haaland, revealed in the "Haaland: The Choice" documentary on ViaPlay that his son chose to join City because he would have more playing time and a prominent role on the team. "We had a criterion in mind, who needs a '9'? Manchester City is a 10, it's the perfect option, while Real Madrid is a 5 or a 6 because of how Benzema is playing now," he stated at the time.
Kylian Mbappé
Erling Haaland's father had doubts about Real Madrid as an option for his son due to uncertainty over Kylian Mbappé's potential move to the Spanish club. The whole football world was keeping tabs on whether the Frenchman would sign with Madrid or not.
Despite the speculation, Mbappé stayed at PSG by signing a long-term deal. However, a potential transfer to Los Blancos in the future cannot be ruled out as he may leave the French side if they fail to win the Champions League.
Lionel Messi
You read that correctly: Real Madrid also made attempts to sign Lionel Messi. According to Cadena COPE, Florentino Pérez made offers to sign him in 2011, 2013, and 2015.
However, all three offers were turned down by FC Barcelona. Messi had pledged his loyalty to the Blaugranas during that period and never even entertained the idea of joining Real Madrid. Moreover, there are rumors that the Argentine might make a return to Barcelona in the upcoming summer.
