Early Beginnings
Real Madrid started out as part of an entire group or club called Sky Football club in 1897 that was formed in Madrid,Spain. In 1902, some of the members broke from that group to form Real Madrid C.F. They would later join the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the official governing body of Spanish football, in 1909. This meant they can compete in the best tournaments and the top league in Spain. Their stadium, the Santiago Bernabeu, is named after an ex-president that wanted Real Madrid to have their home stadium and was built in 1947, which has been their stadium for home games ever since. They've also developed rivalries with other clubs, with F.C. Barcelona and Atletico Madrid being their biggest rivals in Spain.
First Successful Period
Despite the construction of their stadium and having won several amounts of trophies domestically (league and tournament between the top 3 leagues in Spain), they weren't recognized or known as a big powerhouse just yet. It would take until the 1950s for them to be considered one of the best football clubs in not just Spain, but in Europe as a whole. They would attract some of the best and top footballer players in the world around this time. The European Cup (which then changed to the Champions League) was first held in 1955 and was/is a tournament that consists of the very best or popular clubs in European football that include clubs from different top division leagues outside of Spain. For the first five editions of this tournament, Real Madrid would qualify to this tournament and win these, making them the best club in European football. The success would carry into the 1960s as they would win more league titles throughout most of the decade and win one more European Cup at this time in football.
Modern Success(2000-now)
After the 1950s and 1960s where Real Madrid would make themselves one of the greatest and popular football team in European football, they would largely face some more rises and declines in the next 2 decades in football as they would win more and more domestic league titles and tournaments but not anything continental like before. In the 21st century, they would rise once more but this time, much greater than ever before. They would go on to win some more domestic trophies but would become the best football team in European football as they would dominate the Champions League, winning this grand tournament 7 times in this century, 6 in the last decade (2013-onwards). They would continue to sign and bring in the best and established players for large fees as well that would contribute to the club winning trophies and having popularity worldwide and most would have successful stints in the club and make themselves legends in the sport as a whole.
Galacticos
In 2000, then current president of Real Madrid, Florentino Perez, introduced the "Galacticos" policy. This policy is the football/soccer equivalent to the "All Star" moniker from other sports. The policy meant that almost every summer, the club has to sign some of the best or the best players in the world. It has 3 different eras (2000-2006), (2009-2014), and (2019-2024).
- Luis Figo, a Portuguese player that had just won the Ballon D'or(MVP in Football/Soccer) that year, was the first big name bought for $63 million in 2000.
- Zinedine Zidane, a French player that had won the World Cup in 1998 and the Euros 2000(domestic cup for European national teams) and the best in his position in football/soccer (attacking midfielder), was bought for $73.5 million the following year.
- Ronaldo Nazario, a Brazillian player that had made his name for his spectacular amount of goals in his previous teams prior to joining and was integral in helping Brazil get their fifth World Cup ever and was the best central forward at that time, was bought for $45 million just a month after the World Cup 2002.
- David Beckham, English superstar that had played in the best club/team in England at the time (Manchester United) and also popular for having a girlfriend that was in the "Spice Girls" group, joined the team in 2003 for $37.5 million
- Cristiano Ronaldo, a Portuguese player that had played in one of the biggest and best clubs in England and Europe (Manchester United) during the majority part of 2000s, was the best in the position he was playing in (left winger/forward) and had also won the Ballon D'or in 2008, would join the club in 2009 for $94 million and that was the world record for the most amount spent by a club to sign a player at the time for the club and the sport.
- Kaká, a Brazillian player that had established himself in the best club in Italy(AC Milan) in the 2000s and was one of the best players in his position(attacking midfielder), was signed in 2009 and brought on for $67 million.
- Karim Benzema, a French player that had an impressive display and performances for his prior club (Lyon) in the French league, was brought on and signed for $30 million.
- Xabi Alonso, a Spanish player that was one of the best in the defensive midfield position and had won a Champions League in another club (Liverpool) before, was brought on and signed for $35.5 million in 2009.
- Gareth Bale, a Welsh player that had established himself in the English league/Premier League as a forward, was signed for $100 million in 2013, which would break the record of the most expensive fee set previously by Cristiano Ronaldo at the time and hold that record for 3 more years for the sport as a whole.
- Toni Kroos, a German player that had impressive displays for the German national team that lead to their World Cup victory in 2014 and was in the biggest and best club in Germany (Bayern Munich), was signed for $30 million in 2014.
- James Rodriguez, a Colombian player that made a name for himself in the 2014 World Cup with his impressive performances for his national team, was signed in the next month for $76 million.
- Eden Hazard was a Belgian player that was one of the best left-footed forwards/wingers in the 2010s and helped lead Belgium to their first ever semi final spot in the 2018 World Cup, was signed for $135 million, the most expensive player Madrid ever got.
- Jude Bellingham is a English player that's a midfielder. He joined in the summer of 2023 from Borussia Dortmund, a German club. He had developed himself into one of the best young players in the early 2020s. He arrived with the transfer fee of $103 million.
- Kylian Mbappe is a French player that's a left forward and central forward. He had developed himself into one of the best players for 5 or 6 years before joining Real Madrid. He didn't arrive with a fee like the others, but he's still a superstar because of his achievements with the French national team, winning a World Cup and scoring in back to back finals (2018 and 2022) and is considered the best of the current generation. He was signed by the club in the summer of 2024.