Ronaldo's debut with Real Madrid: Who were the players and where are they now?

Ronaldo made a stellar debut with the Spanish giants...

Ronaldo Nazario was part of the famed Galacticos era of Real Madrid in the early 2000s. He was signed for 46 million Euros from Inter and his jersey sales broke all records on the first day. However, he could not hit the ground running as he was still recovering from a knee injury.

On October 6, 2002, Ronaldo finally made his debut in the white shirt during a league encounter against Deportivo Alaves at the Santiago Bernabeu. He just took 61 seconds to score his first Real Madrid goal which sent the crowd into absolute frenzy. He latched on to a Roberto Carlos cross from the wings, controlled the ball with his chest and swivelled to shoot and beat keeper Richard Dutruel under the sticks.

His second was a tap-in after Steve McManaman decided to roll over the ball to his path instead of taking a shot himself. The Brazilian could have even scored his third had he not shot wide in the last minute of regulation time.

Editors' Picks

'We can sleep in the summer!' - Liverpool fans ready for travel chaos for Wembley showdown with Man City

Football on TV this week: Matches to watch & live stream in India today, tomorrow & this weekend

Franco Carboni: Argentine teenager out to become Inter's new Zanetti

'We footballers can use our voices' - USMNT ace Richards speaks out on climate change and racism

"It's better that I didn't get a third. Or it would have created too much expectation," he stated after the match.

Iker Casillas

Iker Casillas is a club legend who played 725 matches for Real Madrid. He was under the sticks in that league match against Alaves and made a couple of fine saves.

He retired from football on August 4, 2020, and is currently working as an assistant to the CEO of Real Madrid Foundation.

Oscar Minambres

A product of Real Madrid's youth academy, the right back made his debut for the club on February 10, 2002. He made sporadic appearances for Madrid during his five-year stay at the club before departing for Hercules in the second division.

However, he had to retire early at 26 after a serious knee injury. In 2019, it was reported that he was working at a tobacco shop to earn a living.

Fernando Hierro

Former Spain skipper and defender Fernando Hierro joined Real Madrid from Real Valladolid in 1989 and spent 14 seasons at the club. He later played for Qatari club Al Rayyan and Bolton Wanderers before retiring from professional football in 2005.

In 2014, he joined Real Madrid as an assistant coach. From 2015 to 2016 he worked at Segunda Division club Real Oviedo as their head coach. In 2016, he was appointed the chief adviser to the national commission assembled to improve Israeli football. In 2018, he was the sporting director of Spain. But he was forced to take up the role of head coach of the Spanish national team just two days before the 2018 World Cup after Julen Lopetegui was sacked, following his announcement as Real Madrid manager. Hierro resigned from his position after Spain lost to Russia in the Round of 16.

He is currently a LaLiga ambassador.

Ivan Helguera

The Spaniard joined Real Madrid from Espanyol in 1999 and played for the club until 2007. After leaving Real Madrid, he played at Valencia for one season before retiring from professional football in 2008.

In 2020, he was appointed as head coach of Spanish fifth division side Las Rozas but he left the job in November 2020.

Roberto Carlos

One of the greatest defenders of all time, Roberto Carlos joined Real Madrid in 1996 and played for 11 seasons. Other than Spanish giants, he has played for clubs like Inter Milan and Fenerbahce. His career as a professional footballer ended in India at Delhi Dynamos where he joined as a player-manager in 2015. After his Dynamos stint, he retired from professional football.

Carlos has won the World Cup twice (1994 and 2002) with Brazil. Before Delhi Dynamos, Carlos had worked as a manager at Russian club Anzi Makhachkala and Turkish clubs Sivasspor and Akhisarspor.

Claude Makelele

Esteban Cambiasso

The defensive midfielder joined Real Madrid in 2002 from River Plate. His partnership with Makelele at the centre of the park was crucial to Madrid's success in that season. On September 8, 2017, he retired from football and pursued a UEFA A coaching license. He also appears in various football shows as a pundit.

Luis Figo

The Portugal legend joined Real Madrid from their arch-rivals Barcelona in 2000 and played for five seasons before moving to Inter Milan. He retired from professional football in 2009.

In 2015, Figo decided to contest the FIFA presidential election but later withdrew from the election campaign.

Zinedine Zidane

The legendary French international attacker joined Real Madrid from Juventus in 2001 for a world record transfer fee of €77.5 million. He spent five seasons with the Los Blancos and retired from professional football in 2006.

In 2010, Zidane was appointed as an advisor to Real Madrid president Florentino Perez and the next year he became the sporting director of the club. In 2013, he became an assistant coach to then manager Carlo Ancelotti. From 2014 to January 2016, he managed the Real Madrid Castilla side before being promoted as the new manager of the senior team.

The Frenchman left the club after the 2017/18 season but returned to the club in March 2019 to begin his second stint as the manager of the club. He once again left the club at the end of the 2020/21 season.

As a manager too, Zidane was a huge success with Madrid, winning three Champions League titles and two LaLiga trophies.

Steve McManaman

The Liverpool legend joined Real Madrid from the Reds in 1999 and spent four seasons at the club. In 2003, he returned to the Premier League and played for Manchester City for two years before ending his professional career in 2005.

Post-retirement, McManaman worked in the media industry for several years as a pundit and commentator. He has also invested in racehorses along with his former Liverpool teammate Robbie Fowler.

Santiago Solari

The Argentinian midfielder joined Real Madrid from Atletico in 2000 and played for five seasons at the club. He later played for Inter Milan, Atlanta United and Penarol. He retired in 2011. After retirement, he served Real Madrid as their youth coach from 2013 to 2016 after which he was promoted as the head coach of Real Madrid Castilla - their reserves team.

In October 2018, Solari was appointed as the caretaker manager of the senior team replacing Julen Lopetegui. Solari was sacked from his position in March 2019. In 2021, he joined Mexican top division side Club America as their head coach but he got sacked from his position in March 2022.

Guti

The former Spanish international played at Real Madrid for 15 years (1995-2010). In his final year as a professional footballer, he joined Turkish side Besiktas. He retired in 2011.

In 2013, he returned to Real Madrid as the coach of the club's Juvenil side for two seasons. In 2018, he joined Besiktas as their assistant coach. The next season he was appointed as the manager of Segunda Division club Almeria where he worked for one season. He left the club in 2020.

Javier Portillo

The forward is another product of La Fabrica. He was a prolific goal scorer in his early days and even scored more goals than Raul at Real Madrid Castilla. In 2002, he signed his first professional contract with Real Madrid running till 2006, and made his debut alongside Ronaldo.

However, he could not live up to the expectations at the Bernabeu and was loaned out to Fiorentina and subsequently to Club Brugge. In December 2015, he retired from football at the age of 33 at second division side Hercules. Thereafter he joined the club as the director of football.