Where are they now? The 5 signings Real Madrid made the same summer Endrick was born
In the summer of 2006, Real Madrid were plotting to close a 12-point gap to La Liga winners Barcelona, but crucially, Endrick Felipe Moreira de Sousa was born in Taguatinga, Brazil.
Endrick – now one of the world’s most high-potential players and already a superstar following his much-anticipated arrival to Real – was born, while Fabio Capello took charge of the club for a second time after leaving Juventus.
Along with Capello came five summer signings. We’ve taken a look at where they are now, while Endrick gears up for his debut season as a Madridista.
Mahamadou Diarra
After four brilliant years in Ligue 1 with Lyon, helping them to win the title in each of those seasons, Diarra was snapped up by Real to refresh their midfield.
Requested specifically by Capello, he was integral as they won La Liga and scored the goal that put one hand on the title in June 2007. His second season was similarly impressive, but injuries after those first few years eventually brought his time in Madrid to an end, leaving for Monaco in 2011.
Diarra retired in 2014 after two years with Fulham and has kept a relatively low profile since. The Malian’s run of winning six straight league titles in France and Spain, however, cannot be forgotten.
Emerson
One of two players who followed Capello from Juve to Madrid in the wake of the Calciopoli scandal, Emerson’s relationship with Capello quickly declined in Spain and he was back in Italy after just one season, signing for Milan.
He enjoyed a resurgence with the Rossoneri before retiring with Santos in 2009, but came out of retirement in 2015 to play for Miami Dade in the American Premier Soccer League.
Emerson’s return actually lasted for two years, hanging them up once again in 2017 having lifted the regular season championship.
Ruud van Nistelrooy
After five seasons and 150 goals for Manchester United, Real swooped in and signed Van Nistelrooy in 2006 for €14million, then aged 30.
He scored a hat-trick in only his second league game for Los Blancos and finished the season with a La Liga title and 33 goals in all competitions, 25 of which came in the league to clinch the Pichichi award.
Injuries plagued Van Nistelrooy in the seasons that followed until his 2010 departure. The Dutchman played for Hamburg before retiring back in La Liga with Malaga, and has spent his post-playing career cracking management.
After winning the Dutch Cup with PSV, he’s now back at United as assistant manager.
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Jose Antonio Reyes
Real did everything they could to unsettle Reyes at Arsenal and it eventually paid dividends as they managed to agree a season-long loan for the forward, with Julio Baptista going the other way.
He opened his account for Real with a free-kick and scored the goal that confirmed them as league champions in June 2007, bagging a brace from the bench against Mallorca.
It was expected that he would sign permanently for the club, but Arsenal agreed a €12million fee with rivals Atletico Madrid, prompting a surprise transfer.
Reyes passed away aged 35 in July 2019 in a serious car accident.
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Fabio Cannavaro
Off the back of winning the 2006 World Cup with Italy, Real took Cannavaro off the hands of relegated Juventus and what a piece of business it was.
The Italian spent the next three years carving out a short but sweet legacy, putting in monstrous performances and winning two league titles before returning to Juve in 2009. That return wasn’t as romantic as it sounds, though, with Cannavaro’s powers declining and fans unhappy that he left them behind in Serie B.
He retired after a season in Dubai and has also moved into management, most recently helping Udinese avoid relegation from Serie A in 2023-24.