Real Madrid's Best and Worst January Signings of the Past 10 Years

Real Madrid completed the captures of Lucas Silva from Cruzeiro and Martin Odegaard from Stromsgodset recently, jumping into the market during the January transfer window to sign two exciting talents. 

Silva has been brought from Brazil to the Spanish capital for £9.7 million to bolster Los Blancos' midfield stock. 

Odegaard, meanwhile, is the 16-year-old prodigy from Norway who has drawn comparisons in style with Barcelona's Lionel Messi and is hoped to be a true star of the future. 

With a total outlay of £12 million (Odegaard's fee was a reported £2.3 million), it looks at this stage like a good period of business for Real Madrid in the current transfer window. 

But it hasn't always been that way; Real Madrid, like countless other clubs, have experienced varying fortunes when venturing into the transfer market in January.

Across the following slides, we examine some of the club's best and worst January signings from the past decade.

Among the Best: Marcelo

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South America has often been where Real Madrid have turned for mid-season purchases, with Brazil's Marcelo standing as one of the club's better January acquisitions of the past 10 years. 

Though a deal for the left-back was struck between Fluminense and Real Madrid in November 2006, Marcelo couldn't join up with his team-mates at the Bernabeu until the January transfer window opened on January 1, 2007. 

Since then, the Brazilian has been a success in the Spanish capital, bringing an attacking flair to his defensive position and playing key roles in Los Blancos' success in La Liga in 2011-12 and the Champions League in 2013-14. 

And despite enduring a difficult World Cup in 2014, the 26-year-old has rebounded strongly in this season.

Among the Worst: Antonio Cassano

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This passage from Antonio Cassano's autobiography Dico Tutto (Telling Everything), as recalled by Glenn Moore of The Independent, pretty much sums up how the Italian will be remembered at Real Madrid:

"

In Madrid, I had a friend who was a hotel waiter. His job was to bring me three or four pastries after I had sex. He would bring the pastries up the stairs, I would escort the woman to him and we would make an exchange: he would take the girl and I would take the pastries. Sex and then food, a perfect night.

"

Signed by Real Madrid from AS Roma for €5 million in January 2006, the forward was simply a wasted talent who became more notable in the Spanish capital for his weight problems, conflicts with manager Fabio Capello and his off-field habits. 

After just 18 months at Real Madrid, he was sent to Sampdoria on loan for the 2007-08 campaign and was sold to the Italian club the following season.

Among the Best: Gonzalo Higuain

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The January of 2007 was a busy transfer window for Real Madrid. After signing Brazilian left-back Marcelo, the club added striker Gonzalo Higuain from River Plate to the squad.

Like Marcelo, an agreement for the Argentinian had been struck prior to the opening of the January transfer window, but Higuain couldn't officially join his new team-mates until January 1, 2007. 

From there, the now-Napoli striker enjoyed a successful seven-season stint at the Bernabeu and was a key component in Real Madrid's forward setup that also included Cristiano Ronaldo from 2009. 

Though never universally loved in the Spanish capital, he did help Los Blancos capture three league titles and scored 107 league goals in 190 appearances—a strike rate that, when he left for Napoli in 2013, was the sixth-best among the leading forwards in the club's history. 

Among the Worst: Julien Faubert

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Easily one of the worst signings in Real Madrid's history, Julien Faubert was brought to the Bernabeu on loan from West Ham United in January 2009. 

In a baffling piece of business, Real paid £1.5 million to West Ham for the midfielder despite the fact that he hadn't become truly entrenched in the first team in east London following his move from Bordeaux.

Not all that surprisingly, his loan spell in Madrid wasn't a success, as he made just two substitute appearances for Los Blancos before returning to London. 

The most memorable moment of Faubert's time with Real Madrid? Falling asleep on the bench during a game against Villarreal.

Among the Best: Diego Lopez

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Though his second stint at Real Madrid will be remembered for his uneasy displacement of Iker Casillas amid a tumultuous time for the club, Diego Lopez was undoubtedly a success with the gloves in his most recent 18 months at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Signed from Sevilla in January 2013, the Spaniard quickly provided cover for Casillas, who'd suffered a serious hand injury, and he rapidly cemented his place in the Real Madrid goal under Jose Mourinho. 

When Carlo Ancelotti arrived for the 2013-14 season, Lopez maintained his position for Real's league campaign and left Casillas with the goalkeeping duties in the Copa del Rey and Champions League. 

But that uncomfortable situation was halted last summer, when Los Blancos signed Keylor Navas from Levante and reinstated Casillas as the preferred goalkeeping option, seeing Lopez depart to AC Milan. 

Among the Worst: Thomas Gravesen

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The signing of Thomas Gravesen for £2.5 million from Everton in January 2005 was undoubtedly one of Real Madrid's most surprising transfers. 

A strong and rugged midfielder, the Dane had been a success on Merseyside and manager David Moyes admitted that he didn't want to let him go. 

But his robust style was never a comfortable fit at Real Madrid and he lacked the technical quality required to become a fixture in the first XI at the Bernabeu. 

As such, his stay in Madrid lasted just 18 months and 33 league appearances before he was sold to Celtic in 2006.