Real Madrid most expensive signings ever

When it comes to the most decorated football clubs in the world, few could ever reach the level that Real Madrid are in. The Spanish side are truly one of the greatest football clubs in the world and have quite a unique history as the 13-time Champions League winners. Reaching such a level of success comes neither easy nor cheap, which is why the Spanish side have spent hundreds of millions of Euros in the last two decades alone to sign the best of the best from all around the world.

For a club who are known as the Galacticos all thanks to their shopping sprees in the early 2000s, which saw some of the greatest footballers of all time arrive at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium all at once, Real Madrid have a reputation to keep each year as the club’s supporters expect to see world-class arrivals year-in year-out. Of course Florentino Perez is certainly smarter than what most people would think as he does not splash the cash without any reason. 

We have seen some incredible names come and go in the Spanish capital and surely you too are eager to find out more about

Real Madrid most expensive signings ever

. So read on as we provide detailed information about the careers of those who have cost Los Blancos the most money throughout the club’s history.

Real Madrid most expensive transfers ever

From obvious players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Eden Hazard and Gareth Bale, to the lesser known names such as Eder Militao and Ferland Mendy, there are some incredible names on the list of Real Madrid most expensive signings ever. We have certainly been entertained with these footballers gracing the pitch. So without further ado, here is everything you need to know about the players who have cost Los Blancos the most money.

Eder Militao

• Transfer fee: €50M

Florentino Perez has obviously adopted a new transfer policy as he spends the club’s resources to sign young and promising talents instead of big names and footballing superstars. That is exactly why Eder Militao was brought in from

for a massive fee of €50 million in the summer of 2019 and why older superstars such as Sergio Ramos have left the club in recent years.

With both Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane leaving Real Madrid in the 2021 summer transfer window, everyone was worried about Eder Militao’s performance as he had not yet proven himself to Madridistas since joining the club three years ago. With expectations rising week-in week-out from one of the

most expensive Real Madrid signings of all time

, many thought that the Brazilian defender was going to crumble under all the pressure.

Luckily for the young talent and the club’s supporters, however, Militao has managed to more than live up to the billing by performing at his best every week. He has turned into a strong wall at the back and is the main center-back in Carlo Ancelotti’s squad. Militao made a total of 47 appearances for FC Porto in the single season that he spent at the Portuguese club and attracted quite a lot of attention from big clubs in Europe.

Of course it was Real Madrid who got their hands on the exciting prospect in the end. The 23-year-old is one the verge of being considered as one of the best center-backs in the world; if he plays his cards right that is. Being on the list of Real Madrid most expensive signings ever, the former Porto man managed to win the Champions League under Ancelotti after putting in a stellar performance all throughout the 2021-22 season. Now, stronger than ever, Militao aims to add to his trophy cabinet with Los Blancos as he trains to improve his defensive stats.

Luis Figo

• Transfer fee: €60M

Barcelona fans simply can’t forget about Luis Figo when talking about the worst betrayals in football history. The Portuguese legend was the captain of the Catalan club when all of a sudden everything changed in a historic manner. The world blew up as the news of Figo joining Barca’s archrivals spread like wildfire. The former Portugal international broke so many hearts and won the hearts of many other in one day as Los Blancos announced his arrival in the 00-01 season.

Having joined

from

for €2.5 million way back in 1995, Figo became one of the

most expensive signings in Real Madrid history

by joining the La Liga side for an eye-watering fee of €60 million, which was way more than what clubs were used to paying for world-class players. Perhaps Florentino Perez is one of the main reasons we have such an inflated transfer market nowadays, in which clubs pay more than such a whopping amount for inexperienced youngsters.

The incredibly versatile winger and midfielder made a total of 248 appearances for the Blaugrana and got to score 48 goals while providing 58 assists in the process. After earning a spot on the list of Real Madrid most expensive signings ever, Figo went on to become quite a vital of part of Los Blancos with his phenomenal skill set. He went on to make a total of 245 appearances for Real and managed to rack up 56 goals and 93 assists in the process, which was an incredible feat at the time.

After five magnificent years at the Madrid-based club, Figo moved on to join Inter on a free transfer deal in the 2005 summer transfer window. The Portuguese winger won everything there was to win in club football, including the Champions League and the Ballon d’Or award.

Luka Jovic

• Transfer fee: €63M

Next on our list of

Real Madrid most expensive signings ever

is Luka Jovic, who joined the Spanish side from

for a massive fee of €63 million in the summer of 2019. Jovic arrived with a lot of expectations as the club’s supporters hoped to see the future successor of Karim Benzema. The Serbian striker was phenomenal during his spell at Frankfurt, for whom he scored 17 goals while providing 6 assists in the process of a single season in the Bundesliga.

The 2018-19 season’s stats were more than enough to convince Real Madrid to pay such a whopping amount. However, with big transfer fees comes great responsibility. The Serbia international was expected to be quite a lethal goal scorer from the very beginning, but nothing went as planned as the once prolific center-forward was not up for the challenges ahead. He did not live up to the billing in his first season at Real Madrid as he got to score only 2 goals in 22 appearances.

Of course to be fair, these appearances came in the form of substitutions as Jovic was not given enough time to find his feet at his new club. Being on the list of Real Madrid most expensive transfers ever, Jovic simply failed to deliver on what his transfer fee had promised earlier that season, which is why he was sent out on loan to his former club in the German top-flight. The Serbian striker did not get to reach the same heights during his loan spell as he scored 4 goals and provided a single assist in 19 games for the German side.

After spending yet another disappointing season at Real Madrid in the 2021-22 season, Jovic has now joined Fiorentina for a new challenge to prove that he is still a quality striker. After all, he is only 24 years old and has got quite a long way ahead of himself on his journey towards success.

Kaka

• Transfer fee: €67M

We are all still dreaming about the days during which the likes of Ronaldinho and Kaka used to grace the pitch at some of the greatest clubs in the world. It might be hard to believe for some of the younger football enthusiasts, but both Kaka and Ronaldinho used to play for

at some time in their respective careers.

While Ronaldinho decided to join Barcelona and got to introduce Lionel Messi to the whole world by carrying him on his shoulders, Kaka decided to earn a spot on the list of Real Madrid most expensive signings ever by joining the Spanish side for a whopping €67 million in 2009.

The former Brazil international was already a world-class superstar and had already won everything he wanted in his career, including the World Cup, the Champions League and the Ballon d’Or award. That is why everyone expected the attacking midfielder to improve upon his stats by joining Los Blancos. However, it did not turn out to be as great as everyone hoped it would be.

The Brazilian slowly began to experience his downfall as he lost his form little by little each year. Of course that is not to say that Kaka was not phenomenal at Real Madrid, as he was still considered to be one of the greatest midfielders in the world at the time. But it felt as if the magic was slowly fading away.

The former AC Milan midfielder made a total of 120 appearances for Los Blancos and got to score 29 goals in the process, providing 41 assists as well. These stats are certainly impressive even at this day and age, but it simply was not as impressive as what Madridistas expected of one of the

Real Madrid most expensive transfers ever

.

James Rodriguez

• Transfer fee: €75M

Florentino Perez and basically the whole world fell in love with James Rodriguez when he scored the most beautiful goal of the tournament in the 2014 World Cup and won the Puskas award for the same reason. That is why the Spanish club paid an eye-watering fee of €75 million to acquire the Colombian’s services from

in the 2014 summer transfer window. The young midfielder had a lot of unrealized potential and carried a deadly left foot everywhere he went.

He could basically bend it like Beckham as everyone knew him for his incredible curved shots. Rodriguez arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu while he was a new addition to the list of Real Madrid most expensive signings ever. The expectations from the youngster were simply too heavy for most young footballers. Of course the Colombia international managed to live up to the billing in most situations as Carlo Ancelotti made good use of his talented midfielder whenever he felt the need to deploy him.

The incredibly versatile footballer had an outstanding first season at Real Madrid as he got to score 13 goals while providing 13 assists in the process of 29 appearances in La Liga alone, which raised the expectations for the youngster as everyone wanted to watch Rodriguez bend the ball into the back of the net. Even though he did not get to repeat the same feats in his second and thirds seasons at Madrid, James still managed to deliver fine performances throughout each campaign.

However, James somehow managed to lose Zinedine Zidane’s trust due to what was reported to be his work ethic and attitude. That is why he was sent out on loan to Bayern Munich in 2017, from which he returned in 2019. But the loan spell was not enough for Real Madrid as they decided to offload the Colombian by letting him join Everton on a free transfer deal. Rodriguez is now playing for Qatari side Al-Rayyan, whom he joined for €8 million in the summer transfer window.

Zinedine Zidane

• Transfer fee: €77M

Zinedine Zidane broke the world with his massive transfer fee all those years ago when he joined Real Madrid for an unbelievable fee of €77.5 million in the summer of 2001. Having joined

from Bordeaux for only €3.5 million in 1996, it was truly a whopping fee for any world-class superstar at the time, which is exactly why Florentino Perez earned the Spanish club the nickname “Galacticos”.

It was simply because Real Madrid got to sign most of the stars in a matter of one or two seasons and spent hundreds of millions of Euros without batting an eye. Zidane was perhaps the best thing to happen to Real Madrid both when he joined the club as a player and when he signed for the club as a manager. He scored the winning goal in the 2002 Champions League final against Bayer Leverkusen, which has been immortalized in the footballing halls of fame as one of the greatest goals of all time.

The Frenchman later went on to win the Champions League for a record three times in succession as a manager and made history as one of the best managers in the world. Of course we are solely focusing on the former Juventus midfielder’s achievements as a player. The 1998 World Cup winner and Ballon d’Or winner was an incredible asset during his tenure at Real Madrid, for whom he made a total of 227 appearances and managed to score 49 goals while providing 69 assists in the process.

Zidane was immensely versatile, which allowed him to be deployed in a multitude of positions for his club and made him available for every game. The now 49-year-old will always be remembered as a special footballer with incredible talents and moves and it might takes some time before someone can finally push Zidane out of the list of Real Madrid highest transfer fee paid ever.

Aurelien Tchouameni

• Transfer fee: €80M

The next generation of world-class footballers is already here as the older generations slowly start to fade away. Aurelien Tchouameni’s arrival at Real Madrid for a whopping €80 million is a testament of this fact as the Frenchman is only 22 years old. Tchouameni attracted quite a lot of attention during his days at Monaco, whom he joined from Bordeaux for €18 million in 2020.

He was signed by Real Madrid in the current summer transfer window after the Spanish giants failed to seal the deal on Kylian Mbappe, who opted to stay at Paris Saint-Germain instead of joining Los Blancos.

It seems, however, that all Madridistas are satisfied with the youngster’s performance so far as he has managed to fill the void left by Casemiro, who decided to join Manchester United in a sudden decision that shocked the club’s supporters.

Cristiano Ronaldo

• Transfer fee: €94M

Cristiano Ronaldo used to be on top of the list of R

eal Madrid highest transfer fee paid ever

for several years before Gareth Bale’s arrival in the summer of 2013. When we talk about the greatest footballers of all time, there are two particular ones that come across everyone’s minds as everyone agrees that both Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are at least a level above everyone else in the history of football.

The Portugal international is still one of the most prolific strikers in the world at the age of 37 and is yet to hang up his boots with everything going so well for the world-class footballer. Ronaldo began his rise in the world of football by joining Manchester United from Sporting CP for €19 million in the summer of 2003. The youngster was hungry for glory from the very first day he set foot onto the Old Trafford’s pitch. That is why Sir Alex Ferguson gave him the tools he need to succeed as a great footballer with incredibly professional work ethic.

Had the likes of Ronaldinho and Ronaldo Nazario worked as hard as Cristiano Ronaldo, we could have still enjoyed their incredible talents at this day and age. Cristiano made it to the list of Real Madrid most expensive signings ever by joining the Spanish side from United for a historic fee of €94 million in 2009. Ronaldo’s journey towards becoming one of the greatest footballers of all time began with his move to Real Madrid as he now had the means to reach such a status at the time.

The Portuguese forward went on to dominate club football with Los Blancos as he won everything there was to win with the Spanish giants. He won four Champions League titles and four Ballon d’Or awards during his spell at Real Madrid and won many other trophies, titles and individual awards throughout the years as well.

The former Sporting CP forward managed to become Real Madrid’s top goal scorer with a total of 450 goals in 438 appearances across all competitions. He even added a massive 190 assists in the process to cement his position as one of the deadliest and most prolific footballers of all time. Since then, Ronaldo has switched clubs twice as he first joined Juventus for €117 million in 2018 and has since returned to Manchester United for €15 million.

Gareth Bale

• Transfer fee: €101M

No one can ever forget the terror that the famous BBC trio would bring into the hearts of the opposition players whenever Real Madrid had a match to play. The BBC consisted of Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo, each of whom scored dozens of goals each season throughout the years they spent together. Bale arrived as one of Real Madrid most expensive signings ever when he joined Los Blancos from Tottenham for a massive fee of €101 million.

The Welshman broke the record previously set by Cristiano to become the club’s most expensive signing at the time. He arrived at the Spanish club with a lot of expectation as everyone was eager to see how BBC were going to fare against Barcelona’s MSN trio, which consisted of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar. The former Real Madrid man is now playing for LAFC after finally saying goodbye to the Spanish capital in the summer transfer window.

Eden Hazard

• Transfer fee: €115M

The most expensive signing in the club’s history is none other than Eden Hazard, who joined Real Madrid from Chelsea for €115 million in the summer of 2019. The Belgium international was a hero at Chelsea as he helped the Blues win the Europa League in his last season at the club. Everyone was expecting Hazard to become Cristiano Ronaldo’s successor at Real, but it all went south as the Belgian winger suffered numerous fitness issues and injuries after joining his new club.

Since then, Hazard has only declined even more as his current market value stands at around €12 million and with how on-fire Vinicius’ form has been, we can’t really see a future for Hazard at Real Madrid. Ironically, the most expensive signing in the club’s history is perhaps one of their worst flops as well. We will have to wait and see how things will pan out for Hazard in the end as he tries to finally find his spot in the starting-XI.

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