(Spanish for galactics, referring to superstars) are expensive, world-famous football players recruited during the "galácticos" policy pursued during Florentino Pérez's presidency at Real Madrid, where in his first tenure between 2000 and 2006 he purchased at least one galáctico in the summer of every year. The club's second galáctico era began in 2009 with Pérez's return to the presidency, and is considered to be more successful both economically and in terms of on-pitch achievements. Galácticos is now often used in a more general sense for a select list of football superstars in any team. The term itself carries both positive and negative meanings. Initially, it was used to emphasise the greatness of signing superstar players and the construction of a world-class team. Later the term attracted a more negative connotation; galáctico becoming synonymous with prima donna and used to deride the transfer policy and side (or team) built under it, following media perception that the policy at Real in the early 2000s had failed to deliver expected levels of success. The term has occasionally been used to describe other teams, both in football and in other sports, that have been perceived to follow a similar policy. For example, British rugby union commentator Martin Gillingham called French club Toulon "rugby's galácticos" in 2012 due to a wave of signings of international stars by owner Mourad Boudjellal. Origins Although the term was popularized in the 2000s, the origins of the Galáctico policy date as far back as the 1950s and 1960s, when the policy was first founded by club-president Santiago Bernabéu. Bernabéu signed multiple star players for large fees in quick succession, such as Alfredo Di Stéfano, Ferenc Puskás, Raymond Kopa, José Santamaría and Francisco Gento. This period of buying allowed Real Madrid to enjoy their finest era of dominance, winning 12 La Liga championships and six European Cups. The Galácticos transfer policy was contrasted with the Quinta del Buitre era of the late 1980s. This saw Real Madrid playing a more physical and less appealing style of football, and had an increased emphasis on producing homegrown players such as Manolo Sanchís and Míchel. This period allowed Real Madrid to also enjoy domestic and European success, winning five La Liga championships and two UEFA Cups. First galáctico era The first galáctico era is considered to be synonymous with the presidency of Florentino Pérez between 2000–2006, from the signing of Luís Figo in