10 Players Who Probably Regret Joining Real Madrid
3. Wesley Sneijder
''I give my best wishes to Mourinho, but I wouldnt go back to Madrid even if I went crazy! They treated me very badly there and did not show me any respect. Wesley Sneijder, 2010.Following his transfer from Ajax as part of the Dutch revolution in 2007, whereby Real Madrid inexplicably signed everyone with an Orange passport, Sneijder got off to a great start. He scored the winner against cross-city rivals Athletico Madrid on his debut, before hitting nine goals, as his side retained the title. Billed as Zinedine Zidanes successor, Sneijder had to cope with some lofty expectations, but seemed to be coping remarkably well, until disaster struck in August 2008. Stretchered off with a cruciate injury, the Dutch playmaker spent three months on the sidelines, before finding it a difficult challenge to break back into the starting XI upon his return. With Los Blancos form suffering in his absence, Sneijders return wasnt hailed instead, the Dutch were scorned and made to be scapegoats for the inability to challenge Barcelonas unequalled dominance. Once Florentino Perez assumed the reigns of control in 2009, the Dutch contingent was dismantled, sweeping Wesley Sneijder off to Inter Milan for a cut-price fee of 15 million.
However, while Sneijder will feel bitter at the way his revelatory debut season was instantly forgotten the second he picked up an injury, what better way to stick up the proverbial two fingers to the Madrid hierarchy than to lift the trophy they so craved in their own back yard? On May 22 2010, just under a year after departing that exact stadium, he was back, holding aloft the Holy Grail of European football.