Grading the Last 10 Spanish Signings at Real Madrid

In the summer preceding the 2009/10 campaign, Real Madrid boosted their squad with two big-name signings: Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo, with both deals dominating headlines and expectations for the season ahead.

But they also signed four Spanish players: Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa from Liverpool, Raul Albiol from Valencia and Esteban Granero from Getafe.

It gave Los Blancos a solid national identity, but since then, the number of home-based signings has deteriorated dramatically. In fact, there have been just a further 10 since then in 15 transfer windows (though a transfer ban meant Real were only able to register players in 14 of those).

Here we take a look at them, grade their success in Madrid and rank them accordingly. They range from the abysmal to the impressive.

We're only including those signed from elsewhere—not promoted from Castilla or, like Lucas Vazquez, signed to stop a loan club making a deal permanent—and who have played for Real's first team competitively, so no Jesus Vallejo, either.

Sometimes, a player gets the chance to make a big move and they have to accept, take the risk and then believe in themselves. There's nothing wrong with that, so there can't be too much blame attached to those players. Pedro Leon was one such example.

A one-dimensional right-winger whose abilities centred around working hard, running lots and crossing the ball relentlessly, he was never of the requisite quality for Real Madrid, and his single season at the Santiago Bernabeu told as much. Loaned out thereafter and sold back to Getafe, he's now 30 and playing for Eibar.

Grade: How low are we going? A and B are good grades, C is average, D is poor and E is the signing of Pedro Leon.

Sergio Canales—oh, what could have been. A phenomenal talent in the mould of Guti thanks to his timing, passing execution and ability to affect play from deep, Canales joined from Racing Santander at just 19 years of age in 2010 and could have been a regular for a decade but for injuries.

Two torn knee ligament injuries in the same leg decimated his hopes of reaching the top, and since leaving the Bernabeu in 2012, things haven't gone much better; having moved from Valencia to Real Sociedad in 2014, last season Canales tore his cruciate ligament in his other knee.

Now not a starter for La Real, he's 25 and still has time to show his best talents, but the biggest opportunity to do so was taken from him.

Grade: D, but there's nothing he or anyone else could do about it.

Just to confuse the casual fan who doesn't pay too much attention, Real Madrid offloaded Iker Casillas and signed Kiko Casilla in the summer of 2015.

While one was a legend, a starter and a hero, the other is the archetypal back-up goalkeeper: looks the part, pretty solid, counts as a homegrown player and won't make a fuss at not getting game time. Casilla isn't particularly good, though, and it's just as well Keylor Navas is a) excellent and b) reliable with fitness.

Call on Casilla for any significant stretch of games, and Real Madrid would be in trouble.

Grade: D. He is what he is: cheap and fills a bench spot, nothing more.

One of many could-have-beens, the curious case of Asier Illarramendi divides opinion over whether he didn't have the required level of ability or simply wasn't given the chance to prove he could cut it at the highest level.

He's a top-drawer central midfielder in La Liga at a smaller club—Real Sociedad before and after his time at Real Madrid—and dominates against bigger opposition, so his consistency and ability isn't in question.

Either way, Illarra didn't get past the likes of Toni Kroos or Alonso to win a regular place at the Bernabeu.

Grade: D+. He should have been given more chances but didn't perform, and Real made a loss on him.

With possibly the most Spanish name ever, Diego Lopez Rodriguez was a Real youth player who was sold in 2007 and signed back in 2013.

Lopez did well enough when given the chance to play, thanks to a Casillas injury, to retain his spot in the team. He was Real's No. 1 in La Liga for a season and a half, but there was always the lingering suspicion that his role in the side was more down to then-manager Jose Mourinho's personal battle with Casillas rather than Lopez being the outstanding candidate.

Grade: C. He was good for his first half-season but lacked consistency in 2013/14.

Less one-dimensional than Pedro Leon but rather the same sort of player: a wing outlet who is functional rather than one of the game's elite.

Jose Callejon won the admiration of Mourinho for his hard work and ability to influence games, and he regularly featured as a substitute because of his pace and willingness to stretch play—even if his game time was not huge.

Callejon has since improved at Napoli, with more responsibility and experience, and has been capped three times by Spain since 2014.

Grade: C. He earns the grade for winning any kind of role at all when, in fairness, he was not of the same level as his peers in Real's attacking line. The club also received a big profit when he was sold in 2013.

It's not a coincidence that the highest-ranked players are those still at the club while most of the disappointments have been moved on.

Isco isn't the finished article, isn't a regular starter and isn't consistent enough, but there's no doubting his innate ability and the traits he brings to the team when on top of his game. If only he'd show it more often, coupled with more desire.

One of Real's plethora of attacking midfielders, his future is uncertain. And he hasn't fulfilled expectations yet.

Grade: Somewhere between a star and a backup, there exists the Isco role. He's a solid B.

Still in his first season back at the club, Alvaro Morata has already shown just how much he has to give, both in terms of his goal production and his all-around game.

He's 24, ready to play a key role for a huge side and should be doing it this year, but Karim Benzema still gets the nod more often than not. Real Madrid need to use him or lose him—it's time to forget about reputations.

Grade: B+. Even if Morata leaves this summer, Real will win big by likely making a profit of €30 million or more.

Quite clearly one of the players who will make up the future of Real Madrid, Marco Asensio started this season in exhilarating form and needs only further game time, trust and a regular position to showcase just how important he could be.

But finding any one of those three aspects at Real Madrid is difficult enough, so for now, he makes do with whatever he can get. However, his capacity to score goals from range, incisive passing and ability to run at defenders all mean he'll soon enough be showing unstoppable progress.

Grade: B+. Like Morata, he needs more time to grow and show his value, but Real are sitting on a gold mine.

Top of the charts for consistency, longevity, value and tactical importance is Dani Carvajal.

His time in Germany worked wonders for his aggression and ability to cope with being relied upon every week, and since Real re-signed him from Bayer Leverkusen in 2013, that's exactly what the right-back has been doing. First choice on his flank, he contributes in both halves of the field. The team is weaker without him.

Carvajal isn't perfect, but he was an excellent signing and, at 25, still has a long time ahead of him to play for Real Madrid.

Grade: A. He's everything you'd want from a signing, exactly what was needed at the time and doing the job well season after season.