A few months after shelling out a combined £166 million on three players - Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and Karim Benzema - Real Madrid were dumped out of the Copa del Rey in the Round of 32 after suffering one of the most humiliating defeats in their modern history.

The Spanish giants were expected to breeze past lowly Alcorcon back in October 2009, but they were eliminated from the tournament after losing 4-0 - no, really - to their unfancied third-tier opponents followed by an unconvincing 1-0 victory at the Bernabeu.

The result would have been slightly more acceptable had Manuel Pellegrini deployed a team of teenagers, but the Chilean coach still managed to field XI internationals at the Estadio Santo Domingo.

Madrid found themselves 3-0 down at half-time thanks to an Alvaro Arbeloa own goal, plus further goals from Borja Perez and Ernesto Gomez.

Many people would have stuck a bit of money on Los Blancos coming back in the second 45 minutes, but Pellegrini’s men also lost the second half with Perez doubling his tally shortly after the break. Humiliation for the European heavyweights.

What happened to the players?

So, what happened to the Real Madrid players who played in the ‘Alcorconazo’? Let’s take a closer look…

Jerzy Dudek

The former Liverpool goalkeeper made three more appearances for Madrid before announcing his retirement at the end of the 2010-11 campaign.

Alvaro Arbeloa

Arbeloa, despite his own goal in the Alcorconazo, continued to play regularly for Los Blancos up until the end of the 2014-15 season.

Raul Albiol

Like Arbeloa, the 4-0 defeat against Alcorcon occurred just months after Raul Albion joined the club. The Spanish defender stayed with Madrid until the summer of 2013 when he was signed by Napoli.

Christoph Metzelder

Alcorconazo was the beginning of the end for Christoph Metzelder, who barely played again for the Spanish giants before joining Schalke in 2010.

Royston Drenthe

Once considered one of European’s biggest talents, Royston Drenthe’s career fell off a cliff and Alcorconazo certainly didn’t help the winger. It was recently revealed that the much-travelled Dutchman has given up on football to embark on a career as a rap star.

Mahamadou Diarra

The Mali international stayed with Madrid until 2011 when he joined AS Monaco. The defensive midfielder then moved on to Fulham in 2012 and retired in 2014.

Guti

A favourite in the eyes of the fans at the Bernabeu, the technically-gifted Guti ended his 24-year association with Real Madrid at the end of the 2009-10 season. Finished his career with Besiktas.

Rafael van der Vaart

The 2009-10 season was also Rafael van der Vaart’s final season with Madrid. The Dutchman went on to enjoy two seasons with Tottenham before moving on to Hamburg and Real Betis. The 34-year-old is currently with the Danish outfit Midtjylland.

Esteban Granero

Although talented, Esteban Granero clearly wasn’t good enough for Real Madrid. Left the Bernabeu for Queens Park Rangers in 2012 and is currently enjoying life at Real Sociedad.

Raul

Raul, Mr. Real Madrid, left the Bernabeu in the summer of 2010. Undoubtedly one of the club’s best ever players. Moved to Schalke, scoring 40 goals in 98 appearances, before ending his career at New York Cosmos following a two-year spell with Al Sadd.

Karim Benzema

Still at Real Madrid and one third of the deadly ‘BBC’ - Benzema, Bale, Cristiano - strike force that has terrorised defences over the last few years.

Subs

Fernando Gago

Fernando Gago only managed to show glimpses of his quality at the Bernabeu. Left the club on a permanent basis in 2012, joining Valencia, following a season-long loan move to AS Roma. The 30-year-old has been playing with Boca Juniors in his native Argentina since 2013.

Marcelo

The Brazilian full-back came on against Alcorcon with 30 minutes left to play, so wasn’t tarnished by the defeat. The 28-year-old has been one of the world’s best left-backs over the past few seasons.

Ruud van Nistelrooy

Like Marcelo, Ruud van Nistelrooy wasn’t on the pitch long enough to make a significant impact. Nevertheless, the Dutch striker also left the club in the summer of 2010, moving on to Hamburg. Spent one season with Malaga before retiring.

Manager

Manuel Pellegrini

Many managers at Real Madrid would have been sacked on the spot after such an embarrassing defeat, but Manuel Pellegrini lasted until the end of the season. The Chilean coach secured 96 points in La Liga that season, but it still wasn’t enough to finish above Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona. He was subsequently sacked and replaced by Jose Mourinho.