Where are they now? The first 4 Real Madrid players sold by Jose Mourinho
Jose Mourinho arrived at Real Madrid on top of the world having guided Inter to a domestic treble and he wasted no time in being ruthless in the hunt for more success.
It’s probably the only time in his career apart from his first spell at Chelsea that Mourinho has left a club on good terms and joined another at the top of his game, with Los Blancos desperate for the ‘Special One’ to replicate that success and take them back to the top.
As ever, Mourinho needed to imprint his stamp on the team and did so by getting rid of four players during his first summer in charge. Here’s what happened following their departures.
Rafael van der Vaart
Van der Vaart ended a two-year association with Real by signing for Tottenham in a cut-price deal at the end of the summer after a move to Bayern Munich collapsed.
He enjoyed a productive first season at White Hart Lane with 13 goals and nine assists in all competitions, but left after the end of his second season to return to Hamburg. Van der Vaart enjoyed spells in Spain and Denmark before his retirement in 2018.
The Dutchman has tried his hand at several different ventures since hanging up the boots. He flirted with coaching and even tried his hand at professional darts in 2019, playing in the BDO, but can often be found doing broadcasting these days.
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Raul
The curtain fell on Raul’s extraordinary career with hometown club Real in 2010 after 16 years and 741 appearances – more than any other player.
Raul enjoyed two seasons with Schalke – notably reaching the Champions League semi-final – before winding down with Al Sadd and the New York Cosmos before retiring in 2015.
He’s back in Madrid these days as he works on a career in coaching, having been in charge of Real Madrid Castilla since 2019.
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Guti
Another local lad and legend at Los Blancos, Guti left for nothing after almost 25 years for the club having been phased out in the season prior to Mourinho’s arrival.
He accepted an offer to join Besiktas and won the first domestic cup of his professional year in his first season in Turkey, beating Istanbul Basaksehir on penalties in the Turkish Cup final.
Guti was released from his contract in November 2011 and retired the following years, moving into coaching with Real’s youth sides from 2013 to 2018. He’s since been an assistant manager at Besiktas and spent a brief period in charge of Almeria, but hasn’t coached since 2020.
Christoph Metzelder
Metzelder spent three years with Real after a lengthy spell at Borussia Dortmund and retired in 2014 after spells with Schalke and TuS Hultern.
He was given a 10-month suspended prison sentence in April 2021 after being found guilty of owning and distributing child pornography.