More Than Ronaldo, Bale and James: Real Madrid's Unsung Heroes This Season

The total cost of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez, according to figures on Transfermarkt, is a plump £235.84 million.

And according to the same website, there are only 12 clubs in the world who possess a squad of players whose market value is worth more than the total cost of those three players.

Clubs who fall short of that amount include Tottenham Hotspur, Napoli, Roma and Inter Milan.

Meanwhile, West Bromwich Albion, who rank 57th on the list of 100, have a squad worth less than what Madrid paid for either Ronaldo or Bale—Transfermarkt has them both down at costing £82.72 million.

Away from the enormous figures, though, Real Madrid's success has been down to far more than just Ronaldo, Bale and James this season.

After thumping Rayo Vallecano 5-1 at the Bernabeu on Saturday night, Carlo Ancelotti's side have now won 13 matches in a row in all competitions and have the club record of 15 in their sights.

Toni Kroos was on the score sheet in the latest win and his goal means that Madrid have now had 12 different scorers this season in all competitions.

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

But it is his work with Luka Modric which has been one of the real pluses during a run of games which has brought streams of superlatives for the attacking players.

"He was the best player on the pitch. I’m taken aback by how good he is," Ancelotti said about Kroos after the Rayo match, per AS.

"His goal was on the counter and he’s free to go up and attack. When he goes, Modric stays. It’s a good pairing and they play well."

Praise is also raining in for the German midfielder from his homeland.

Bernd Schuster called his role in Bale's opening goal "quintessential" Kroos, per Marca, and the German press, per AS, claimed “Kroos [is] dazzling the stars of Madrid.”

And one editorial in Marca may have got slightly carried away when they said "he is the complete package, with a bit of Redondo, Laudrup, Zidane, Alonso, Rial, Puskas, Martin Vazquez, Schuster and Michel (he wears the [No. 8] rolled into one."

However you look at it, though, Kroos, like Modric before him, has found his place in the Spanish capital.

Doubts about his partnership with the Croatian have vanished—at least for now.

Kroos is not the only player who deserves credit for Madrid's imperious form, though; he is merely one of many who Ancelotti has been able to extract the best from.

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

Paul White/Associated Press

Karim Benzema, as a creator and as a goalscorer, is experiencing his most fruitful time in a white shirt and Brazilian left-back Marcelo is in fairly good form as well.

This is without even touching on Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Dani Carvajal and Iker Casillas, whose critics have been quiet recently.

And then come the "squad players."

Raphael Varane and Isco may not be considered definitive starters, but when they've come into the side, the latter especially, they have been fantastic.

Varane has scored goals and defender relatively well, while Isco has improved tenfold defensively but hasn’t lost the ability to create chances for his teammates in the final third.

A glance at the assists provided in La Liga, per WhoScored, reveal Kroos has six, Ronaldo, Isco and Benzema all have five, James has four and Bale and Marcelo have three each.

The price tags may single out the individuals, but this Real Madrid team is exactly that—a team.