Real Madrid signs "Japanese Messi"

Barça were served with a two-year transfer ban and players were forced to return home. Among them were an American, a Cameroonian, two Dutch players, a Venezuelan, two French footballers, three Koreans and Kubo. Barcelona had expected him to return after a successful spell in Japan but instead he chose Madrid.

In the capital, it was presented as a victory over Barcelona. More significantly, it is part of a shift in policy – dictated by the financial reality of a shifting market place in which they no longer dominate – in which Real have spent the last few years seeking to sign the next generation of stars from Spain and the world.