7. Rafael van der Vaart
Juan Manuel Serrano/AP/Press Association ImagesSigned in 2008 from Hamburger, Rafael van der Vaart made 73 appearances for Real Madrid, scoring 12 goals in a two-season stay at the Bernabeu, where he won the Supercopa de España. Many thought it was a backwards step therefore when the Dutchman joined Tottenham Hotspur in 2010, even though the player had earlier stated
he wanted to stay at Real and fight for his place. Nevertheless he wound up at Spurs, and his time in England would end in ignominy. The first two seasons at White Hart Lane went well enough, with the attacking midfielder scoring 13, and then 11 goals in 28 and 33 appearances, respectively. However, following the transfers of Mousa Dembélé, Clint Dempsey Gylfi Sigurdsson, it soon became clear there was no longer room for van der Vaart at the Londoners, and he made just two appearances for the entirety of the 2012-13 season, before moving back to Hamburger.