Real Madrid’s 10 most expensive signings of all time
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Today we are going to be looking at the top 10 Real Madrid most expensive transfers ever. Real Madrid is one of the top clubs, not only in Spain but throughout the world. It is a club with a rich history and home to some of the most legendary players of the sport. It can be said that the Los Blancos are a dream club for so many young players.
Madrid‘s status as a footballing superpower has long been indisputable, but they have underscored this in the summer of 2022, first by winning a 14th Champions League and then by completing a €100 million deal to sign Aurelien Tchouameni from Monaco. This transfer was just the latest in a long line of blockbuster deals that Madrid have concluded down the years.
From Zinedine Zidane to Cristiano Ronaldo, Los Blancos have a history of breaking records and shaking up the transfer market with a ruthless desire to be the best.
But with that attitude comes lots of money spent and plenty of risk, with not every deal always turning out to be an unmitigated success. So which are the 10 most expensive transfer deals in Real Madrid history, and how many of them have proven successful?
Lets find out. So, below is the list of Madrid’s most expensive signings in their all-time history:
10. Eder Militao – €50m (To Real Madrid from Porto, 2019)
Éder Militãois a Brazilian professional footballer who plays for Spanish club Real Madrid and the Brazil football team. He plays mainly as a central defender. However, he can also play as a right-back or a defensive midfielder.
On 14 March 2019, Real Madrid announced that it had signed Militão to a six-year contract effective 1 July 2019 after paying a €50 million transfer fee to Porto.
Militao has formed an excellent partnership with David Alaba, as Los Blancos sit six points clear at the top of La Liga, conceding just 20 goals in 23 games.
9. Luis Figo – €60m (To Real Madrid from FC Barcelona)
Luis Figo was renowned for his creativity and ability to get past defenders as a winger. Figo is regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation. He is one of the few football players to have played for both Spanish rival clubs Barcelona and Madrid.
Neymar made Barcelona fans angry. He even made his teammates angry. His transfer to Paris Saint-Germain has been carried out in such a way that people are sick of him. But all of that doesn’t compare to Luis Figo’s transfer in July 2000. He was Barcelona’s best player, and arguably, the best in the world at the time. And he left for Real Madrid.
Figo told his teammates not to worry, that he was not leaving. He was pictured in SPORT holding a Barcelona shirt, saying he wasn’t going. He assured fans no pre-contract existed. The then Real Madrid president Sanz laughed that Perez might now claim he had signed supermodel Claudia Schiffer.
Anyways, Real met the buyout clause in Figo’s contract at Barcelona, a new world record fee. He was Real Madrid’s highest transfer fee ever at the time, as well as one of Real Madrid record arrivals. Figo stayed for 5 years at Madrid, winning La Liga twice and the Champions League once. Culers branded him a traitor and a liar. He was never forgiven.
8. Luka Jovic – €60m (To Real Madrid from Eintracht Frankfurt, 2019)
When Luka Jovic registered 17 goals and five assists in 25 Bundesliga starts for Eintracht Frankfurt at the age of 20, one would have thought the Serbian would go on to achieve greater things.
Well, just two La Liga goals later, Jovic found himself back at Frankfurt last season as hopes of one day replacing Karim Benzema look nothing shy of embarrassing these days. Jovic was given a second chance in Madrid this season but has added just one league goal to his abysmal tally.
The disappointing striker will go down as one of the worst signings, not only in Madrid, but in the world.
7. Kaka – €67m (To Real Madrid from AC Milan, 2009)
Kaka came with such lofty expectations that, in some ways, he was an anticlimactic signing for Los Blancos.
A series of injuries held the Brazilian to just 85 league starts in four years, with 23 goals signalling a decline from his near ‘one in two’ record at Milan.
That said, contributions to La Liga and Copa Del Rey titles mean he was far from a failure, despite the troubles.
6. James Rodriguez – €75m (To Real Madrid from Monaco, 2014)
James Rodriguez is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger. He has been praised for his technique, vision and playmaking skills. He is considered one of the best playmakers in the world at the moment.
On 22 July 2014, James confirmed the rumors by signing a six-year contract from Monaco to Real Madrid which was reported to be approximately £75 million. At the time, this was the fourth-most expensive transfer in the world, and the third in the list of Real Madrid most expensive transfers.
5. Zinedine Zidane – €77.5m (To Real Madrid from Juventus, 2001)
A World Cup and European Championships winner, Zidane made the move to Los Blancos for a then-world record fee. And while the team’s success in his era is slightly underwhelming given the talent on show, Zidane earned himself legend status in his five years at the club, before taking charge as head coach in recent times.
An unbelievable player who many would argue ranks as one of the top ten players to lace up a pair of boots. In 2001, Zidane joined Real Madrid from Juventus for a world-record fee of about €77.5 million. This was Real Madrid highest transfer fee ever and ranked 5th in the list of Real Madrid record transfers.
4. Aurelien Tchouameni – (To Real Madrid from AS Monaco, 2022)
Aurelien Tchouameni has become Real Madrid’s fourth most expensive signing ever. Real announced on Saturday that the 22-year-old midfielder is joining from AS Monaco on a six-year contract. According to Marca, Real will pay Monaco a transfer fee of €80 million for Tchouameni.
Monaco could eventually earn as much as €100m from the sale of Tchouameni, depending on various performance-related add-ons. Tchouameni made 35 Ligue 1 appearances for Monaco last season and made more interceptions (101) than any other player in France’s top division. He also made 86 tackles – the fourth-highest total in Ligue 1 last season.
3. Cristiano Ronaldo – €94m (To Real Madrid from Manchester United, 2010)
The greatest player to wear the famous white of Real Madrid.
A supreme talent that emerged at Manchester United was given the platform to make football history for the Spanish giants. The Portuguese legend won it all.
Ahead of the 2009–10 season, Ronaldo joined Los Blancos from Manchester United for a world record transfer fee at the time, of €94 million. He was at the time, Real Madrid most expensive transfer. His number 7 shirt was presented to him by former player Alfredo Di Stefano.
He later proved that he was worth all the money the Los Blancos had paid. He became a legendary player, not only in Real Madrid history but also in the history of the sport, only rivalled by a certain Argentine by the name of Lionel Messi.
2. Eden Hazard – €100m (To Real Madrid from Chelsea, 2019)
On 7 June 2019, La Liga club Real Madrid announced on their website that Eden Hazard would be signing for them for the 2019/20 season from Chelsea. He signed a contract until 30 June 2024 for a transfer fee of approximately €100 million. This transfer fee is Real’s 2nd highest transfer fee ever.
Time is running out for Hazard to turn his fortunes around, after a disappointing two-and-a-half years in Spain.
A Chelsea icon, it was always a matter of WHEN Hazard would leave England to fulfill his lifelong ambition of playing for Madrid and not if. But, maybe the date of the transfer was more important than we imagined.
At 31, it seems injuries have gotten the best of who was the consistently most-fouled player in the Premier League.
1. Gareth Bale – €101m (To Real Madrid from Tottenham, 2014)
On 1 September 2013, Spanish club Real Madrid announced that they had reached an agreement for the transfer of Gareth Bale from Tottenham, signing a six-year deal. It was reported that Bale had cost £101 million. This transfer broke Cristiano Ronaldo’s transfer record fee and was also Real Madrid highest transfer fee ever in their entire history.
A vital part of an all-time great front three, alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema in the famous BBC, Bale will one day get the appreciation he so thoroughly deserves.
He’s also, perhaps, the scorer of the Champions League final’s most incredible goal.
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Aryan Sharma
(95 Articles Published)