Even tho he is the honorary president, Pirri is most definately one of the most underrated by “modern” fans. IMO even the ones who tend to know their RM-history overlook Pirri.
Has to be Claude Makelele, not even just from a fan standpoint, but from the club itself. During his 3 years at Madrid, he won 2 la Liga and 1 champions League amongst other trophies as a starter. However he was underpaid compared to the stars of the team. He asked for a better contract and club flat out refused. After he left to Chelsea, many players including Zidane, Hierro and McManaman voiced their disapproval of losing such a vital player. Many point to this and the general lack of investment in defense as a main factor why the first galacticos failed.
Guti
You never see his name but for me it is Coentrao
I still believe Gareth Bale does not get the credit he deserves for what he did (and how he did it) at Real.
Pepe
Guti Hernandez
People aint ready for this answer but sami khedira
One of the most underrated players in Real Madrid’s history is often considered to be **Guti** (José María Gutiérrez Hernández). Despite spending nearly his entire career at the club and playing over 500 games, Guti never received the same level of recognition as some of his more famous teammates like Zidane, Ronaldo, or Raúl.
Guti was known for his incredible vision, passing ability, and creativity on the pitch. He was a versatile player, capable of playing as an attacking midfielder or even as a forward. His no-look passes and assists are legendary, yet his contributions were often overshadowed by the bigger names around him.
Many fans and football experts regard Guti as one of the most technically gifted players of his generation, but his lack of consistent first-team starts and a somewhat laid-back attitude meant he never quite got the full credit he deserved. Despite this, those who watched him closely knew how crucial he was to Real Madrid’s success during his time at the club.
Isco
Vazquez
Guti was as good as he was inconsistent and distracted outside of football. I think a lot of the opinions that he’s underrated come from watching the incredible reels/remembering the backheel to Benzema and other great plays but ignoring how frustratingly hard it could be to root for him at the time – he just didn’t always deliver, and would even become a crutch in a match. He’s rated.
Di Maria and Makelele are up there. I think Makelele was well liked but was definitely underrated and taken for granted at a time when fans (and the club) were more busy collecting galacticos than building a balanced team. With him on, you could imagine the Galacticos era being more fruitful. Di Maria was stellar and such a clutch piece for RM – he definitely deserved more love from the team and more backing from the fans, you could even argue Madrid could’ve kept him instead of signed Bale and had similar success. Either of these would be really good picks.
But I’m gonna put a hot take out there for El Santo. Casillas is still one of the most impressive goalkeepers I’ve seen in my life. He wasn’t flawless but he was a dominating force and I don’t believe anyone that says they didn’t feel at ease with him in the net. He was (rightfully) beloved by fans for most of his time at the team; but the reason I think he’s underrated is because Mourinho succeeded in turning a lot of fans against him — which only got worse because he refused to vilify his Barcelona/Spain teammates. That hate, plus his mistake in the 2014 UCL final and the Guardiola-led revolution of the GK role makes people think of Casillas as less of a beast than he actually was. He should be remembered as a Raul/Di Stefano/Puskas/Juanito figure, instead I get the feeling not every fan has him as an Olympus-level player but just a great player (a Benzema/Pepe/Xabi.)
# Mahamadou Diarra, this guy was a beast at DM.
#
Keylor Navas
Saw someone else write it down and get downvoted. Don’t know why? Sure he is now legend material for the club but man came in to Real Madrid in arguably one of the most difficult positions (and most competitive and least rewarded) to play in. Played back up for the legendary Casillas in his first season. Was “swapped” to Man U for De Gea at the beginning of his second. He was literally told “you are not worthy to stay at this club” by this action. He was sat on the plane ready to leave for Manchester before the mishap of the transfer fell through in the dying minutes of the transfer window.
Had to return to play for the club, the club that thought he was second to De Gea (literal meaning of underrated) to then perform as he did is nothing short of a standing ovation.
Edit: Fought for his place, every season there were rumours of a new goalkeeper arriving. Every year he had to fight to just prove he belonged on the team.
Gareth Bale
Nacho always looked as a sub but did decent job when someone was injured
Nacho is my vote.
Clarence Seedorf, used as a cheap, easy-sell to Inter as soon as the club was struggling.
Özil should’ve been better rated overall as well.
Guti and Makelele, also, but have been mentioned already.
Guti
Think we all know who’s going at wasted potential
lucas Vasquez
saw this first on united sub, i wrote Bruno F for Overrated , they downvoted me to oblivion 😅
Vasquez or Nacho – Never complained & delivered whenever called upon.
Guti. Outside of Madrid, no one really mentions him as a great. Makelele has notoriety because of his stint in Chelsea, and his sale from Madrid is rightly cited as one of the failures of the original galácticos policy. Anyone apart of our recent decade of success is not underrated. Most other fans know how good our squad has been these last 10-12 years.
Ceballos
Most underrated I would say a rare one Higuain
I am judging by the difference in how much he should be rated and how much he is and not directly saying as the best player amongst the under rated ones coz that will be Pepe as there will always be an attacker bias in football.
It used to be Nacho and Vasquez and they got their share of fame, Praises and love in last couple of years but both still massively underrated imo.
Higuain was competing with Ronaldo Benzema and ending years of Raul but he still played about 6yrs and with limited game time he managed to score a lot of goals.
Another shoutout Isco he made Zidane to switch to diamond coz of his qualities and Bale injuries.
James Rodriguez and Ascensio could have had a better career here
Rodrygo , Brahim
I mean it kind of depends. Underrated amongst who? Rm fans or football fans in general?
RM fans will praise Nacho, but no generic football fan will ever remember him.
For RM fans, I would probably say Higuain
Nacho
Fernando Morientes.
Joselu like 9 but with more quality overall. Reserve in La Séptima team, starter in La Octava (scoring in the final), always scored a decent amount and worked for the team. Great partnership in and out the field with Raúl.
Carried Mónaco (playing as 10) to another UCL final, destroying us in the quarters. Because of this, Real Madrid started to include a “fear clause” in loan agreements, forbidding the other club to play the loanee against us.
Di María
Di maria
Sami Khedira. People used to call this guy for this guy’s head because he wasn’t Spanish or a flashy player. But he was key in the Mourinho record league title, Germany’s 2014 wc run, and while he didn’t play as much in his last season because of injuries he still featured in the final against atlético for la décima.
Dude was everywhere to open a passing lane and was the perfect compliment for Xabi.
A lot of choices here but ima go with Keylor Navas. I feel like he was underrated in the moment but even more so since he left
Guti
Probably Hugo Sánchez, he was part of the Quinta del Buitre generation. He was the top scorer in the world during the 80’s and he’s almost never mentioned in anyone’s all-time Real Madrid XI, his La Liga goalscoring records were only broken after two decades by absolute GOATs like Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. He also holds a record that I doubt will ever be broken: 38 goals scored with a one-touch finish. He won 5 Pichichis in 6 years as well and was a very acrobatically gifted player, with his trademark goal being the bicycle kick and his trademark celebration being a front flip. I think he is, alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, one of our most prolific forwards of all time. He’s my candidate for the most underrated player, mostly by the newer generations of madridistas, which is understandable.
I think it’s Carvajal, prior to the last season he was massively underrated! He has been so reliable and has been an important part of some of our best moments.
From assisting Ronaldo to that Bicycle, to that Rodrygo’s header to complete our remontada, he’s just been there with the pin point pass!!
43 comments
Di Maria
Makélélé
[deleted]
Ozil/Di Maria
DI Maria
Even tho he is the honorary president, Pirri is most definately one of the most underrated by “modern” fans. IMO even the ones who tend to know their RM-history overlook Pirri.
Has to be Claude Makelele, not even just from a fan standpoint, but from the club itself. During his 3 years at Madrid, he won 2 la Liga and 1 champions League amongst other trophies as a starter. However he was underpaid compared to the stars of the team. He asked for a better contract and club flat out refused. After he left to Chelsea, many players including Zidane, Hierro and McManaman voiced their disapproval of losing such a vital player. Many point to this and the general lack of investment in defense as a main factor why the first galacticos failed.
Guti
You never see his name but for me it is Coentrao
I still believe Gareth Bale does not get the credit he deserves for what he did (and how he did it) at Real.
Pepe
Guti Hernandez
People aint ready for this answer but sami khedira
One of the most underrated players in Real Madrid’s history is often considered to be **Guti** (José María Gutiérrez Hernández). Despite spending nearly his entire career at the club and playing over 500 games, Guti never received the same level of recognition as some of his more famous teammates like Zidane, Ronaldo, or Raúl.
Guti was known for his incredible vision, passing ability, and creativity on the pitch. He was a versatile player, capable of playing as an attacking midfielder or even as a forward. His no-look passes and assists are legendary, yet his contributions were often overshadowed by the bigger names around him.
Many fans and football experts regard Guti as one of the most technically gifted players of his generation, but his lack of consistent first-team starts and a somewhat laid-back attitude meant he never quite got the full credit he deserved. Despite this, those who watched him closely knew how crucial he was to Real Madrid’s success during his time at the club.
Isco
Vazquez
Guti was as good as he was inconsistent and distracted outside of football. I think a lot of the opinions that he’s underrated come from watching the incredible reels/remembering the backheel to Benzema and other great plays but ignoring how frustratingly hard it could be to root for him at the time – he just didn’t always deliver, and would even become a crutch in a match. He’s rated.
Di Maria and Makelele are up there. I think Makelele was well liked but was definitely underrated and taken for granted at a time when fans (and the club) were more busy collecting galacticos than building a balanced team. With him on, you could imagine the Galacticos era being more fruitful. Di Maria was stellar and such a clutch piece for RM – he definitely deserved more love from the team and more backing from the fans, you could even argue Madrid could’ve kept him instead of signed Bale and had similar success. Either of these would be really good picks.
But I’m gonna put a hot take out there for El Santo. Casillas is still one of the most impressive goalkeepers I’ve seen in my life. He wasn’t flawless but he was a dominating force and I don’t believe anyone that says they didn’t feel at ease with him in the net. He was (rightfully) beloved by fans for most of his time at the team; but the reason I think he’s underrated is because Mourinho succeeded in turning a lot of fans against him — which only got worse because he refused to vilify his Barcelona/Spain teammates. That hate, plus his mistake in the 2014 UCL final and the Guardiola-led revolution of the GK role makes people think of Casillas as less of a beast than he actually was. He should be remembered as a Raul/Di Stefano/Puskas/Juanito figure, instead I get the feeling not every fan has him as an Olympus-level player but just a great player (a Benzema/Pepe/Xabi.)
# Mahamadou Diarra, this guy was a beast at DM.
#
Keylor Navas
Saw someone else write it down and get downvoted. Don’t know why? Sure he is now legend material for the club but man came in to Real Madrid in arguably one of the most difficult positions (and most competitive and least rewarded) to play in. Played back up for the legendary Casillas in his first season. Was “swapped” to Man U for De Gea at the beginning of his second. He was literally told “you are not worthy to stay at this club” by this action. He was sat on the plane ready to leave for Manchester before the mishap of the transfer fell through in the dying minutes of the transfer window.
Had to return to play for the club, the club that thought he was second to De Gea (literal meaning of underrated) to then perform as he did is nothing short of a standing ovation.
Edit: Fought for his place, every season there were rumours of a new goalkeeper arriving. Every year he had to fight to just prove he belonged on the team.
Gareth Bale
Nacho always looked as a sub but did decent job when someone was injured
Nacho is my vote.
Clarence Seedorf, used as a cheap, easy-sell to Inter as soon as the club was struggling.
Özil should’ve been better rated overall as well.
Guti and Makelele, also, but have been mentioned already.
Guti
Think we all know who’s going at wasted potential
lucas Vasquez
saw this first on united sub, i wrote Bruno F for Overrated , they downvoted me to oblivion 😅
Vasquez or Nacho – Never complained & delivered whenever called upon.
Guti. Outside of Madrid, no one really mentions him as a great. Makelele has notoriety because of his stint in Chelsea, and his sale from Madrid is rightly cited as one of the failures of the original galácticos policy. Anyone apart of our recent decade of success is not underrated. Most other fans know how good our squad has been these last 10-12 years.
Ceballos
Most underrated I would say a rare one Higuain
I am judging by the difference in how much he should be rated and how much he is and not directly saying as the best player amongst the under rated ones coz that will be Pepe as there will always be an attacker bias in football.
It used to be Nacho and Vasquez and they got their share of fame, Praises and love in last couple of years but both still massively underrated imo.
Higuain was competing with Ronaldo Benzema and ending years of Raul but he still played about 6yrs and with limited game time he managed to score a lot of goals.
Another shoutout Isco he made Zidane to switch to diamond coz of his qualities and Bale injuries.
James Rodriguez and Ascensio could have had a better career here
Rodrygo , Brahim
I mean it kind of depends. Underrated amongst who? Rm fans or football fans in general?
RM fans will praise Nacho, but no generic football fan will ever remember him.
For RM fans, I would probably say Higuain
Nacho
Fernando Morientes.
Joselu like 9 but with more quality overall. Reserve in La Séptima team, starter in La Octava (scoring in the final), always scored a decent amount and worked for the team. Great partnership in and out the field with Raúl.
Carried Mónaco (playing as 10) to another UCL final, destroying us in the quarters. Because of this, Real Madrid started to include a “fear clause” in loan agreements, forbidding the other club to play the loanee against us.
Di María
Di maria
Sami Khedira. People used to call this guy for this guy’s head because he wasn’t Spanish or a flashy player. But he was key in the Mourinho record league title, Germany’s 2014 wc run, and while he didn’t play as much in his last season because of injuries he still featured in the final against atlético for la décima.
Dude was everywhere to open a passing lane and was the perfect compliment for Xabi.
A lot of choices here but ima go with Keylor Navas. I feel like he was underrated in the moment but even more so since he left
Guti
Probably Hugo Sánchez, he was part of the Quinta del Buitre generation. He was the top scorer in the world during the 80’s and he’s almost never mentioned in anyone’s all-time Real Madrid XI, his La Liga goalscoring records were only broken after two decades by absolute GOATs like Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. He also holds a record that I doubt will ever be broken: 38 goals scored with a one-touch finish. He won 5 Pichichis in 6 years as well and was a very acrobatically gifted player, with his trademark goal being the bicycle kick and his trademark celebration being a front flip. I think he is, alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, one of our most prolific forwards of all time. He’s my candidate for the most underrated player, mostly by the newer generations of madridistas, which is understandable.
I think it’s Carvajal, prior to the last season he was massively underrated! He has been so reliable and has been an important part of some of our best moments.
From assisting Ronaldo to that Bicycle, to that Rodrygo’s header to complete our remontada, he’s just been there with the pin point pass!!
Carvajal