In today’s game, it would be almost impossible to find a player who’d be willing to ditch the colours of Real Madrid and sign for Barcelona, or vice versa.

You can see that fierce loyalty when they take to the pitch during every El Clasico, and it’s part of the reason why fans all over the world tune in to watch the game.

SHOCKING MOVE

However, it hasn’t always been like that as several big-name players have called both the Santiago Bernabeu and Camp Nou home, and you could argue that this is the reason why their rivalry has intensified.

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Michael Laudrup enjoyed plenty of success when donning both shirts, while Ronaldo’s one-year stint at Barcelona ended shortly after the 2002 World Cup, before he too signed for Los Blancos.

However, perhaps the biggest and most controversial transfer of all time will go to Luis Figo, whose status as a Barcelona legend came crashing down in 2000 when Florentino Perez promised to sign the Ballon d’Or winner, but only if he was elected as Real Madrid’s president.

He was elected, and Perez did the impossible by signing the Portuguese superstar – who also happened to be captain of the Catalan side - in one of the many big-money arrivals at the Spanish capital with Figo’s record-breaking move practically launching the infamous Galacticos.

GALACTICOS

Perez was recently speaking to FOX Sports and explained just how difficult it was to sign Figo, claiming that he convinced him to make the huge switch by promising the team would be built around him and big names would follow.

According to Marca, Perez said: “Nobody had spent 60 million euros in 2000.

“I convinced him but it was not easy, he was the captain of Barcelona!

“It was like ripping out hearts of our countrymen.

“I told him that we wanted to build this project around him. Then came [Zinedine] Zidane, Ronaldo, [David] Beckham, and we created the phenomenon of the Galacticos.”

It’s safe to say that the Figo deal is perhaps the one which triggered the massive spending that followed, as they always blow their competition out of the water when it comes to landing the most exciting players on the planet.

Since then, Madrid have still improved by signing brilliant players, and Perez believes they deserve their status as European champions.

He added: “After the Galacticos, we tried to follow up with players like Cristiano [Ronaldo], Kaka, Karim Benzema and [Gareth] Bale.

“The greatest players help you grow in a sporting context but also economically. We now occupy a position in the world that I think we deserve.”

What do you make of how Florentino Perez convinced Luis Figo to ditch Barcelona for Real Madrid? Have YOUR say in the comments section below.

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