Thibaut Courtois became the latest player to swap the Premier League for Real Madrid this summer when he arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu in a £35million deal.
The Belgian's long-awaited move will see him compete with Keylor Navas for Madrid's No 1 jersey as he becomes the 23rd player Madrid have signed from the Premier League.
Madrid's long history of Premier League signings have seen the transfer world record fee broken twice and stars join a range of clubs - from Manchester United to Portsmouth.
For every Cristiano Ronaldo there is also a Thomas Gravesen and here Sportsmail have ranked each and every one of the previous 22 Premier League imports out of 10.
Steve McManaman 9/10
Liverpool, free transfer - 1999
Britain’s second most-successful footballing export to Spain behind Gareth Bale. Signed on a free from Liverpool in 1999 he had the personality to fit into that dressing room and the ability to earn his place in that team.
Won the European Cup in his first season scoring a volley in the final and despite huge competition for places remained an important player winning a second Champions League and two leagues before returning to England.
Nicolas Anelka 6/10
Arsenal, £23m - 1999
Falling out with Vicente del Bosque is one step down from having an argument in an empty room but Anelka managed it at Madrid. He joined from Arsenal in 1999 for £23m but like many who struggle at the Bernabeu was played out of position and so struggled for form under coach John Toshack.
When Del Bosque came in he still struggled for minutes and eventually went on strike. He was sold to PSG after one season.
David Beckham 7/10
Manchester United, £23m - 2003
Most players improve from spells abroad but Beckham seemed to stop developing as a player the day he left Manchester United for £23m in 2003.
He was still a fine midfielder and it wasn’t his fault that his arrival coincided with five managers in three years and no trophies. But rarely played in his best position because Luis Figo played there he trod water in what should have been his greatest years.
Still won a league before joining LA Galaxy. And for his commitment, personality, the Hollywood passes, and the occasional brilliant free-kick he is still loved by Real Madrid supporters.
Jonathan Woodgate 6/10
Newcastle, £13m - 2004
Fondly remembered in Madrid despite a fairly disastrous time. Signed from Newcastle in 2004 for £13m. He arrived injured and when the club forced his return he suffered a relapse and ended up out for a full year before a calamitous debut in which he scored an own-goal and was sent off.
Why did the locals like him then? He learned more Spanish than all the other British exports put together, and when he was fit it was clear to all that had more than enough class to become a top Real Madrid defender, if only injuries had allowed.
Michael Owen 7/10
Liverpool, £8m - 2004
‘All he does is score goals’ moaned some of Madrid’s more spoilt fans. It was true that there was nothing fancy about Owen – he just used to put the ball in the net.
Despite having to compete with crowd favourite Raul and Ronaldo Nazario, he returned the best goals-per-minutes at the club in his first season after joining from Liverpool for £8m. He never really integrated and moved to Newcastle a year later.
Thomas Gravesen 7/10
Everton, £3m - 2005
Legend has it Madrid wanted a holding midfielder and had mixed Gravesen up with Lee Carsley who was also at Everton in 2005. Harshly remembered as a bit of a midfield hooligan Gravesen could actually play when he was allowed to drive forward from midfield.
The problem was he was in the same team as Zinedine Zidane and Guti so who do you think was going to end up playing holding midfield? The crowd loved him but when Fabio Capello took over as coach, he dumped the Dane quicker than you can say ‘training ground fight with Robinho’.
Jose Antonio Reyes 7/10
Arsenal, season-long loan - 2006
The man who won the league for Madrid in 2007. They had to beat Mallorca on the last day but were trailing 1-0 when Reyes replaced David Beckham.
He scored twice and so it was open top bus parades instead of brickbats for Fabio Capello’s team. Reyes, who had joined on loan from Arsenal did not stick around though, joining Atletico that summer.
Ruud van Nistelrooy 8/10
Manchester United, £14 - 2006
He scored 64 goals in 96 matches and endeared himself to the home supporters with his reliability in front of goal and his patience with the younger, less reliable in front of goal, Gonzalo Higuain, telling him: ‘goals are like ketchup keep tapping the end of the bottle’. Won a league with Madrid 2007 top scoring in the process.
Jerzy Dudek 6/10
Liverpool, free transfer - 2007
The Polish goalkeeper Joined on a free in 2007 but played only 12 games as Iker Casillas dominated. Careers are often about timing and had he arrived a bit later he might have been the keeper Jose Mourinho picked instead of Casillas.
Madrid fans were fond of him and he did famously trot round the pitch to pass a note to Casillas who then communicated to Sergio Ramos and Xabi Alonso that they had to get booked in a dead rubber Champions League game against Ajax. They did pick up yellows and were subsequently fined and banned.
Gabriel Heinze 6/10
Manchester United, £8m - 2007
Signed for £8m from Manchester United in 2007, Heinze won a league with Madrid in his first season but was often part of a struggling Real Madrid side in subsequent campaigns as they found it tough to deal with an improving Barcelona. A reliable soldier but United had his best years.
Arjen Robben 7/10
Chelsea, £25m - 2007
During one hot-streak he played so well that some enthusiastic Madrid commentators started likening him to Lionel Messi. When he was sold in 2009 after two years at the club, coach Manuel Pellegrini objected.
Robben played a Champions League final and a World Cup final in his first season at Bayern so Pellegrini’s grumble’s were well-founded... although Madrid did replace him with Cristiano Ronaldo.
Julien Faubert 4/10
West Ham, six-month loan - 2009
What were they thinking? In 2009 Real Madrid ‘swooped’ for the West Ham wide man after they failed to convince Antonio Valencia to join them before he went to Manchester United.
He famously missed one training session because he thought he had been given the day off. He was given most matchdays off, playing just 54 minutes of football. The enduring image of his six-month stay was of him reclining on the substitutes’ bench against Villarreal, legs stretched out, eyelids heavy, napping on the job.
Cristiano Ronaldo 10/10
Manchester United, £80m - 2009
Stands shoulder to shoulder with Alfredo Di Stefano as the club’s greatest ever player. His relentless pursuit of goals through nine years served up one of the greatest periods in the club’s history. Manchester United had brilliant service from him but he found another level in Spain. One that only Messi could live with.
Alvaro Arbeloa 7/10
Liverpool, £5m - 2009
After being signed from Liverpool in 2009 he put in a solid seven-season shift on both flanks as a reliable full-back. One of the best £5m deals Madrid ever made.
He was also one of the few players not to turn on Mourinho at the end of his three-year spell as coach. Good value for money and still working with the club as an ambassador and television pundit.
Lassana Diarra 7/10
Portsmouth, £19m - 2009
An N’Golo Kante of his time Diarra was sensational in full-flow. Another player who was perfect for the way Mourinho wanted Real Madrid to play especially when he opted for a three-man ‘dogs of war midfield’ (he never got that formation past the Madrid purists too often).
Diarra’s inability to take orders from the same general for too long eventually saw him move on but it was good while it lasted.
Xabi Alonso 9/10
Liverpool, £30m - 2009
He was the complete midfielder for Madrid, just as he had been for Liverpool. He could hold in front of the defence, pinching possession and pinging long-distance defence-splitting passes but he could also drive a team forward. May well return to the club one day as coach.
Ricardo Carvalho 7/10
Chelsea, £7m - 2010
His best days were had at Chelsea alongside John Terry but he still served Real Madrid well especially in his first season. Mourinho would love to have a young Carvalho at United now.
Emmanuel Adebayor 6/10
Manchester City, six-month loan - 2011
Another Mourinho request. He was a useful alternative and Madrid enjoyed his habitual good early form at a new club, allowing him to leave before the inevitable habitual dip in form. He played a part in Mourinho’s first trophy beating Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final in 2011.
Michael Essien 6/10
Chelsea, season-long loan - 2012
Turned up on loan from Chelsea in 2012 and referred to Mourinho as his ‘Daddy’ in his first press conference. He was already past his magnificent best but never let his manager down filling in at full-back as well as midfield.
Most Real Madrid supporters were still puzzled as to why the club had signed him and his loan never became permanent.
Luka Modric 9/10
Tottenham, £30m - 2012
Imagine what would have been achieved at Tottenham had they been able to keeper Modric and Bale and still welcome Pochettino and the raft of young homegrown players.
Few midfielders have achieved more at Real Madrid. No wonder the club caved in to his contract demands this summer. He was signed by Mourinho – one of Jose’s greatest gifts to the club.
Gareth Bale 9/10
Tottenham, £86m - 2013
Would be a 10/10 if not for the injuries that have limited appearances. Has helped inspire four Champions Leagues and one league title scoring some huge goals in massive games including arguably two of the best in the club’s history – the run from the halfway line in the Copa del Rey final in 2014 and the goal in Kiev against Liverpool last May.
Javier Hernandez 6/10
Manchester United, season-long loan - 2014
Johnny on the spot several times during his brief loan spell, most notably with a goal that settled a Champions League quarter-final against Atletico Madrid in 2014. But a forward needs more than goals in his locker to survive at Madrid and Chicharito’s time at Real Madrid was short.
