The Galactico Revolution Began 15 Years Ago Today

This article originally appeared on July 25 on VICE Sports UK.

Fifteen years ago today, Luis Figo signed for Real Madrid. It was one of the most controversial and pig-headed transfers of all time. Literally.

It also marked the start of the Galactico era, and was the first £37 million of estimated £850m that would be spent in the years that followed.

After Madrid's Champions League's triumphs of 1998 and 2000, most believed that Lorenzo Sanz would retain his presidency in the 2000 elections.

But Florentino Perez had other ideas, namely, a promise to sign Luis Figo from arch-rivals Barcelona. Figo's transfer on the 24th July, 2000, would mark the start of Real Madrid bringing the biggest and best players in the world to the Bernabeu each season — whether there was a need for them or not.

After the Portuguese star came Zinedine Zidane to the tune of £46 million in 2001, before the Brazilian Ronaldo followed for around £30 million in 2002, a bargain in today's crazy world of transfers. Then it was Beckham in 2003, which also marked the departure of four 'lesser' Galaticos: Hierro, Morientes, McManaman and Makelele.

The departure of Makelele was monumental, as Perez moved away from paying defensive players 'vast sums' (it's also why Patrick Viera's proposed move in 2004 fell through). Perez said of the Frenchman's departure: "Younger players will arrive who will cause Makelele to be forgotten." (When Spanish legend Iker Casillas' moved to Porto this month, his agent said Perez "doesn't like black players, but is not a racist.")

In reality it took the club a while to forget Makalele — Madrid didn't win a trophy for three years after the Frenchman left to become one of the most important signings in Chelsea's history.

In those three years, Madrid signed Michael Owen, then Robinho and Sergio Ramos. The latter would be the only Spanish player signed during Perez's first spell as president.

Following the departure of Ronaldo, Madrid added a flurry of established stars – including Ruud van Nistelrooy, Gonzalo Higuain, Marcelo and newly-crowned World Cup winner Fabio Cannavaro – in 2006. They promptly won La Liga. In the 2007/08 season, they further placed their stranglehold on La Liga, winning another title with the help of some new stars in the form of Arjen Robben, Pepe and Wesley Sneijder.

After the 2007/08 season, Perez would leave as president following criticism Real were becoming too much of a marketing platform and less of a footballing giant. During Perez' absence, the Galactico error began to fade, as they signed players like Julien Faubert (who couldn't get a game at West Ham but somehow ended up at the Bernabeu) and underwent a trophy drought.

But, when Perez was the only candidate able to provide the €57 million guarantee needed to run for the presidency in 2009, he regained the hot seat and escalated the Galactico revolution to new heights.

Some £194 million was spent signing Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Raul Albiol, Karim Benzema, Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeola. If they weren't Galactico enough before, they definitely were now. And yet they were trophyless Galaticos: the 2009/10 season brought Madrid a grand serving of nothing.

Angel di Maria, Sami Khedira and Mesut Ozil became the next superstar acquisitions following their exceptional performances at the 2010 World Cup, and that season Madrid at least had a Copa Del Rey to show for their efforts — their first triumph in the domestic cup competition since 1993. It was a modest return: one Copa del Rey in two years after over €300 million spent isn't exactly what Perez planned when he returned in 2009.

It wasn't until 2011/12, and a few modest signings later, that Real ended Barcelona's three-year title streak and took back La Liga. Perez had Spain's top prize, but there was just one thing missing: 'La Decima', a 10th Champions League title.

It took the €100m addition of Gareth Bale, along with Isco and Dani Carvajal, to finally end Madrid's European wait, while they also won the Copa del Rey in 2013/14. That summer, they added James Rodriguez to their ranks for around £60 million, as well Toni Kroos for around £24 million, but the 2014/15 season belonged to Messi, Neymar and Suarez at Barca.

Have the Galacticos been a success? They created the blueprint for the likes of Man City and Paris Saint Germain, and have topped the Deloitte Money League for 10 years straight.

However, nine major trophies (five La Ligas, two Champions Leagues and two Copa del Reys) is a relatively modest return for spending over £850m on players. That works out at almost £100m per major trophy.

The obvious comparison is with Barcelona, who have spent somewhere between the £550m and £600m in the same time period, winning 13 major trophies (seven La Ligas, three Champions Leagues and three Copa del Reys), which averages out to around £46 million per major trophy.

But those are just numbers; draw your own conclusion on whether the Galactico project has been a success.