By John May

Woodgate moves to Real

Jonathan Woodgate represents something of a departure for Real Madrid.

In paying £13.4m for the Newcastle defender, Real are not reaching for the stars but mining the earth.

A player once ranked among Leeds' "crown jewels", Woodgate is not so much galactico as diamante en bruto, a gemstone to be worked and polished rather than the gift-wrapped little something out of Tiffany's that Real normally shop for.

Despite being one of England's top defenders, it could be argued that for a variety of reasons, neither Leeds nor Newcastle really saw the best of Woodgate.

His career has been dogged by controversy, and niggled by injury, both of which have provided hiccups, blips and interruptions to his upward spiral.

Considering he broke into the Leeds team at a tender age, at 24, Woodgate should have played more than a total of 168 first-team games for Leeds and Newcastle. He should also probably have won more than five caps for England.

Since signing in January 2003, Woodgate has started just 28 Premiership matches and seven other games - less than half the games Newcastle played during that period.

A not unfamiliar picture as Woodgate lies injured

But perhaps the interruption that still hangs over Woodgate was that prompted by his court case.

Initially charged along with team-mates Lee Bowyer and Michael Duberry for assaulting an Asian student, the prolonged case - which collapsed once - took its toll on Woodgate.

A combination of an ankle injury and his mental state kept him out for eight months, while he missed the end of the 2001-2002 season with a broken jaw, sustained in a bout of "horseplay" with a friend.

The court case was also a Rubicon for his time at Leeds.

He was fined by the club for his part in the fracas, then arguably the best defensive partnership in the country was broken up when his side-kick Rio Ferdinand was sold to Manchester United.

That was followed by the teeth-gritting requirement for Woodgate to play alongside Michael Duberry, who had given evidence against him in court.

WOODGATE FACTS 17 Oct 1998: Premiership debut for Leeds June 99: England debut v Bulgaria 14 Mar 2000: Charged with causing GBH and affray April 2001: Trial collapses after newspaper article Dec 2001: Found guilty of affray in re-trial May 2002: Left out of England World Cup squad 1 Mar 2003: Makes Newcastle debut after £9m move from Leeds Apr 2004: Suffers thigh injury which keeps him out of Euro 2004 August 2004: Visits German specialist to find a cure

The aftermath of his conviction for affray was even more painful as England refused to consider him for the 2002 World Cup.

Woodgate's international career is that of somebody who has been in the right place at the wrong time.

He has always had to dwell in the shadows of Ferdinand and Sol Campbell, but somehow whenever a window of opportunity opened, injury prevented Woodgate from clambering through it.

As a result, Woodgate joins Madrid as probably the player with the least international appearances.

Newcastle fans may not agree, but Woodgate's move to Real may be the making of him.

Camacho has taken a liking to goods Made in England

There's no doubt that a fit and focussed Woodgate is a genuine five-tool player and that is what Real have shelled out for.

Was it mere coincidence that Newcastle slapped a £50m price tag on Woodgate back in May, principally as a deterrent to Manchester United and Arsenal?

Could it be that Newcastle have sold a Woodgate, unhappy at the prospect of a lack of Champions League action, to Real to keep him out of the hands of their Premiership rivals?

The Bernabeu is not normally thought of as a finishing school, or Real a club who are happy to pay for potential instead of buying top-of-the-range.

But it could prove to be the heated cauldron in which the rough-cut stone is forged into the polished gem.