Football fans around the world were left bewildered when Real Madrid signed Newcastle United and England centre-back Jonathan Woodgate in the summer of 2004.
If Newcastle fans were caught off-guard, Real Madrid fans were in utter and complete shock. Given Real’s usual transfer targets and Woodgate’s unflattering stature in the world of football, even the Spanish media could not believe that the deal went through.
“It came as a massive surprise to all of us,” said Jose Felix Diaz, a reporter for Marca. “We all put together a list of the top 10 players that Real might want to sign to strengthen their defence and he wasn’t on it.