For four and a half seasons, Danish midfielder Thomas Gravesen was a very capable player for David Moyes Everton side, establishing himself as a fine grafter in a modest mid-table side. The bald-headed tough-tackler was never one to pull up any trees, and never one from that Everton side that many would have pinpointed as one destined for greater things. But in January 2005, with Gravesen approaching his 29th birthday, the illustrious giants from the Santiago Bernabeu came calling. With his contract having been due to expire at the end of the season, there had been question marks raised about his future, but with Moyes having masterminded a surge for Champions League football, he would have been hopeful that Gravesen would have resisted the overtures from elsewhere and penned a new contract. What neither could have foreseen was Real Madrid tabling a £2.5 million for his services. Immediately, the Danish midfielder jumped at the chance, but understandably, there was a bit of a muted atmosphere with regards to his unveiling in comparison to some of the other Galacticos. It was an unhappy 18 months at the Bernabeu, with supporters taking issue with his rambunctious style of play, and Gravesen falling afoul of managers and team-mates alike, before being shipped off to Celtic in a £2 million deal in August 2006.
Recent Journalism & New Media graduate. Insatiable thirst for all things football, and hopes to break into the field of sports journalism in the near future.
Have made a significantly insignificant playing career out of receiving several slaps around the head for not passing the ball.
