QPR caught a glimpse of former Real Madrid man - It was forgetful to say the very least | OneFootball

Dani Parejo spent four months at Queens Park Rangers in 2008, in what was a forgetful stint

Dani Parejo spent four months on loan in West London with Queens Park Rangers from Spanish giants Real Madrid during the first half of the 2008/09 campaign, in a move that many football fans will have forgotten, or may never have realised ever happened.

Having come through the youth ranks at Real Madrid, Parejo has spent his entire professional career to date in his native Spain, aside from a brief stint in the English capital with EFL Championship side QPR.

Signing for Los Blancos as a 14-year-old, Parejo featured regularly for the club's Castilla side, first in the second division, but then more predominantly in the third tier, receiving regular call-ups to train with the first team.

The Spaniard scored ten goals from midfield in 33 matches for the Castilla side, attracting the interest of multiple clubs in Spain, who were keen to take Parejo on loan for the season, but a more interesting proposition arose for the midfielder.

With the likes of Fernando Torres, Xabi Alonso and Cesc Fabregas thriving in English football, Parejo, still 19 years old at the time, decided his best course of action was to join the R's on a season-long loan, in the hope that he could replicate similar form to his compatriots.

Dani Parejo's time at QPR was short-lived and unmemorable

Former QPR chairman Flavio Briatore reportedly used his friendship with former Real Madrid president Ramon Calderon to secure a deal in which Parejo would join the London club on loan for the season.

Parejo had starred for Madrid in a pre-season tournament, scoring the winner for Los Blancos in a game against Hamburg at the Emirates Stadium, and little did he know that he would be heading back to London sooner than he may have thought.

Upon Parejo signing for QPR, chairman Briatore said, "What we will try to do is open our eyes and work with the likes of Real Madrid, AC Milan and Juventus. We aren't looking only in the UK.

"We are lucky in that we have a reputation for doing things properly and we have been in sport a long time. We know who our targets are and maybe Dani is here with us for a year, two years, maybe forever - let's see how well he does."

Parejo further added, "Spanish players are having are having great success in English football. For me it's a challenge and for me the only target is to achieve our objective, which is to get into the Premier League.

"If I wasn't convinced that QPR wasn't very ambitious I wouldn't have come. My objective is to come to this team, I have felt this ambition and I am convinced we will achieve our objective."

Iain Dowie, QPR's manager at the time of Parejo's arrival, lasted until just October of the same year, having been appointed over the summer and replacing former boss Luigi De Canio.

The Spaniard made his debut as a substitute just five days after signing in a 2-1 home victory over Barnsley, and would start each of the next four matches for the club thereafter.

Following Dowie's sacking, Parejo found his game time at Loftus Road limited under new boss Paulo Sousa, and due to injuries to Ruben de la Red and Mahamadou Diarra at parent club Madrid, Parejo was recalled on 1 January 2009.

The Spaniard spent just four months in London before his return to Madrid, with a solitary assist against Doncaster Rovers the highlight of his stay in England, having made a total of 18 appearances for the R's in all competitions.

Dani Parejo has forged a successful career for himself in his native Spain - his QPR stint was a distant memory

If you'd have thought that Parejo's time at QPR was a sign of things to come, you couldn't be further from the truth.

Having failed to integrate himself into Los Blancos' first team, Parejo joined Getafe in July 2009, with Esteban Granero, another former R's midfielder, heading in the opposite direction.

He'd make 80 appearances in two years in all competitions for Getafe, becoming a La Liga regular, before a switch to Valencia in June 2011, where Parejo would spend the next nine years, becoming a fan favourite, helping the club with the 2019 Copa del Rey, and earning call-ups to the Spanish national side.

After 383 appearances in all competitions for the club, Valencia chairman Peter Lim decided to part ways with Parejo, citing a need to reduce the wage bill. Subsequently, he joined rivals Villarreal, where he remains to this day.

He'd help the yellow submarine win the Europa League in his first season at the club, and has made 230 appearances for the club to date, now aged 36.

Parejo will go down as one of the most underappreciated players of his generation, never consistently starring in the Champions League despite being more than capable, and earning only four caps for his country, largely due to the Spanish midfield's competitive nature.