Galácticos (Spanish for galactics, referring to superstars) are expensive, world-famous football players recruited during the "galácticos" policy pursued by Florentino Pérez during his presidency at Real Madrid, where in his first … See more

The first galáctico era is considered to be synonymous with the presidency of Florentino Pérez between 2000–2006, from the signing of Luís Figo in 2000, to the departure of See more

The second galácticos (2009–2018)
• Kaká – signed in 2009 for €67 million from Milan
• Karim Benzema – signed in 2009 for €30 million from Lyon
• Cristiano Ronaldo – signed in 2009 for €94 million from See more

• Thibaut Courtois – signed in 2018 for €35 million from Chelsea
• Vinícius Júnior – signed in 2018 for €45 million from See more

Although the term was popularized in the 2000s, the origins of the Galáctico policy date as far back as the 1950s and 1960s, when the policy was first founded by club-president See more

Though Real Madrid had already won two European Cups in 1998 and 2000 under the presidency of Lorenzo Sanz, Sanz lost his re-election bid to Pérez. Pérez won by promising an aggressive new transfer policy and expensive new signings, in particular, Luís Figo … See more

Background: 2008–09 season
The 2008–09 season saw Real Madrid eclipsed by rivals Barcelona, who completed their See more