10 Real Madrid Rejects Who Made It Big Elsewhere

5. Luis Enrique

Attack-minded Luis Enrique left hometown club Sporting Gijon for the bright lights of Madrid in 1991, having broken through two years earlier in Asturias.

Despite spending five years at the Bernabeu, as well as winning one Copa del Rey and a Spanish league medal, Enrique later stated that he “rarely felt appreciated by the Real Madrid supporters and didn't have good memories there.”

Much like the seemingly insane attitude some Real fans take towards record goalscorer Cristiano Ronaldo when criticising him at every turn, many acted similarly with Luis Enrique.

He openly admits to having felt alone and became “sick of accusing fingers pointing his way” for the team’s ills, which paved the way for a 1996 departure strangely orchestrated with arch-rivals Barcelona in a Barajas airport car park.

Versatile enough to perform various roles across midfield and the forward line, Enrique stayed at Camp Nou for eight years, banishing initial suspicion over his Madrid links to see out his playing days at Barca thanks to a never-say-die approach which helped land two La Liga titles and two Spanish cup wins.

Enrique returned to manage Barcelona B between 2008 and 2011, before spells at Roma and Celta brought him full-circle back to Catalonia as head coach of the senior side in 2014. Nine trophies later, the former Real man joined Pep Guardiola in stepping down due to the huge demands of the job.