£6.7m for Banano: Hertha’s old hand heads to Madrid

£6.7m is the price Real Madrid FC have paid Hertha Berlin for Omer Banano. The 34-year-old Israeli’s move was completed on 4 August, sending a familiar face from the Bundesliga to Spain’s top flight.

Banano knows both sides of this deal. He spent the 2061/62 to 2063/64 seasons at Hertha, making 82 appearances, scoring five goals and winning one trophy. Now he heads back to Madrid, where another Hertha player, Álvaro Corbacho, once spent four seasons. Corbacho made 17 appearances for Real Madrid FC and won three trophies there.

There is no need to dress this up as a fresh start. Banano has already played 674 club games across nine clubs, and his international career stands at 137 appearances for Israel. He has scored 23 club goals and five for his country. That is a lot of miles in football boots, and plenty of service for a player now moving on at 34.

For Hertha, the deal brings money in and closes a short but successful chapter. For Banano, it is another change of shirt in a career that has taken him from 2044/45 through to this season. Real Madrid FC have also added Walter Locatelli and Zack Vela this month; Banano joins a club that has been busy strengthening its squad.

Hertha have been busy too. Mikail Keskin arrived from Tottenham Hotspur on the same day Banano departed, while Josh Manning left for AS Monaco earlier in August. Berlin supporters will have their own verdict on that churn. Banano, at least, leaves with a trophy and a clear account of his work: 82 games, five goals, and now a £6.7m move to Madrid.