10 Big Real Madrid Signings Who Failed To Live Up To The Hype
3. Asier Illarramendi
Madrid snapped up young midfielder Illarramendi back in 2013 as they sought out a long-term replacement for Xabi Alonso.
The Spaniard's form for Real Sociedad had put him firmly on the radar of some of the world's top clubs, but it was Madrid who coughed up the cash to the land Illarramendi.
The pressure was immediately on Illarramendi then in terms of stepping into the fold for Madrid and proving he could replace the brilliantly consistent Alonso.
However, he just couldn't step into the shoes of the Spanish legend and never got close to the form he had shown in Sociedad.
Despite making over 50 appearances for Madrid he struggled to make a spot in the first XI his own and lasted only two years at the Bernabeu before moving back to Sociedad.
Illarramendi has continued to impress back at his boyhood club and it looks more like a case of being a step too far, too early, in terms of his move to Madrid.