Ranking the 5 best transfer windows of all time: Real Madrid

RC Deportivo La Coruna v Real Madrid CF - La Liga
Has Cristiano Ronaldo been the buy of the century?

You would be excused for thinking that Real Madrid are in something of a crisis right now - they're already 8 points behind Barca in La Liga, and the 3-1 loss to Spurs at Wembley certainly didn't help matters.

If you told anyone who follows Los Blancos a year ago that they would be beaten (and convincingly so) by a team whose last trophy came almost 10 years ago, he/she would have laughed in your face.

Inevitably, their failures this season can be traced back to the summer transfer window. For all the mockery that has been inflicted on their arch rivals, Real's decisions to let the likes of Alvaro Morata and James Rodriguez leave seem to be backfiring on them.

They are a club traditionally known for bringing in star names, using their financial strength, and relying on their individual superstars to fire them to titles.

But one thing you can count on - they will almost certainly bounce back by spending big next summer - because that's what Los Blancos do. If they want a player, they almost always get him.

Here, we take a look 5 of their best transfer windows in recent history:


#5 Summer 2010

Getafe v Real Madrid - La Liga
Di Maria and Ozil celebrate a goal against Getafe

Real had six incoming transfers in the summer of 2010, of which Di Maria, Khedira and Ozil stand out.

Mesut Ozil's performances with Werder Bremen, as well as in the 2010 World Cup, were enough to convince Mourinho and Florentino Perez to make a move for the young German playmaker. Real beat the likes of Arsenal, Barcelona and Manchester United to sign him for €18 million.

Di Maria arrived from Benfica for €33 million with quite the reputation, and he would go on to become one of the deadliest wingers in La Liga during his spell at Madrid.

Meanwhile, Khedira was signed from Stuttgart for a relatively low fee of only €14 million.

Sergio Canales, Pedro Leon and Ricardo Carvalho didn't quite have the impact that was expected from them.

While Khedira, Ozil and Di Maria had relatively short careers in the Spanish capital, they were all bargains. Ozil, at his peak, would create chances for fun. Di Maria's versatility allowed him to be utilised as an auxiliary winger in a 4-3-3 system, that worked so well during that particular period of time.

Khedira provided steel in midfield, and he was exactly the kind of player that Mourinho loves.

#4 Summer 2000

Luis Figo of Real Madrid is bombarded by missiles
Luis Figo received his fair share of criticism from Barcelona fans following his mammoth move to Real

The summer of 2000 saw Real Madrid sign seven new players for a total expenditure of €122 million, accompanied by the high profile departures of Anelka and Fernando Redondo.

All those signings were a hit-and-miss, except for Luis Figo and Claude Makelele.

Figo made the almost forbidden move directly from Barcelona to Real Madrid for a humongous fee of €60 million (humongous in 2000), taking up a sweet 50% of Real's entire expenditure.

Looking back on it now, that was the transfer that sparked Florentino Perez's Galacticos policy. Criticise him all you will - you can't deny that it has been successful.

Figo spent a productive 5 seasons at the capital, winning La Liga twice and the UEFA Champions League once.

Perez's scathing criticism of Makelele before selling him to Chelsea now appears to be so, so ill-informed, with the French defensive midfielder arguably spending the best years of his playing career in the English capital.

But for what its worth, he was the engine of Real's midfield vehicle prior to the sacking of Vincent del Bosque, helping Los Blancos win La Liga in his very first season at the club.

#3 Summer 2013

Real Madrid CF v UD Las Palmas - La Liga
Isco has gradually made himself an indispensable player for Zidane

The high-profile departures of Higuain, Ozil and Kaka (to Napoli, Arsenal and AC Milan, respectively) was overshadowed by Gareth Bale's blockbuster world record move from Tottenham for £86 million.

While Bale's injuries have limited his appearances (he made only 19 league appearances last season), the other signings from the summer of 2013, namely, Dani Carvajal, Casemiro and Isco have all proven to be extremely intelligent long-term signings by Ancelotti.

Interestingly, Illarramendi (€32 million) was their second most expensive player of the summer, and he turned out to be a flop at the Bernabeu. He's been much more successful since he made the move to Real Sociedad, though.

While Casemiro and Isco took their time settling in (the former spent a season on loan at Porto), they've both become first team regulars now. Carvajal has gradually developed into one of the best full-backs in the world under Ancelotti and Zidane.

All three of them played starring roles in Real's extremely successful 2016/17 campaign, as the Los Blancos won the La Liga title and defended their Champions League crown.

While Bale might not have completely lived up to the promise of the exciting young talent he was at Spurs, he does form an integral part of the club's future along with the aforementioned trio, and for that reason, the summer 2013 transfer window deserves a place on this list.

#2 Summer 2006

Real Madrid v Osasuna - La Liga
van Nistelrooy carried over his goalscoring form from England to Spain

Zinedine Zidane retired and Ronaldo moved to AC Milan, so Real desperately needed some very big names. They had eight incoming transfers in the summer of 2006 - among them two teenagers named Gonzalo Higuain and Marcelo.

But the really big names coming in were Ruud van Nistelrooy, Mahamadou Diarra and Fabio Cannavaro. While he might be known more for his time in the Serie A, Cannavaro spent three very successful years of his career in Spain, winning the Ballon d'Or in his debut season at the club.

While Higuain took a while to settle in, he soon started firing on all cylinders, and his goal return of 107 in 190 La Liga appearances is insanely good, proving that he's very underrated for his time in the Spanish capital.

Marcelo had begun to turn heads at Fluminense when Real Madrid approached him in 2006. He took a couple of seasons to settle in, but once he did, there was no turning back.

Diarra was the most expensive signing that summer (€26 million), and he did play a major role until his namesake Lassana was signed from Portsmouth to replace him after he was injured, and there was no coming back from that.

van Nistelrooy spent a short but eventful time at Real, with injury hampering his last couple of seasons. His 46 goals from 68 league matches though, is a fair return on the investment.

Jose Antonio Reyes arrived from Arsenal on a one season loan, and he played his role as well, scoring an 84th-minute winner against Mallorca to clinch the La Liga title.

#1 Summer 2009

Real Madrid Celebrate After They Win Champions League Final
Ronaldo and Benzema have been the cornerstone of the Los Blancos' success over the past decade

Cristiano Ronaldo. Do we really need any other reason?

In his career at Madrid so far, Ronaldo has stopped defences in their tracks, shifted entire fan demographics, and has broken literally every goalscoring record known to man.

£80 million in 2009 was an eye-popping large fee, even for a player who had just won the Ballon d'Or and the Champions League.

But, considering that players like Oxlade-Chamberlain are going for £40 million, Ronaldo's fee seems like pennies right now. And while we sing praises of the Portuguese superstar, let's not forget that other summer signings included Kaka, Xabi Alonso, Karim Benzema and Alvaro Arbeloa.

Even though Kaka always had an impact whenever he played, he was almost criminally underused by Mourinho, although a spate of injuries also contributed to that.

For all the constant criticism that Karim Benzema receives, he brings his own set of qualities whenever he steps out on the pitch, and has struck up a very good relationship with Ronaldo that has reaped benefits for Real.

Alonso arrived at Real Madrid having already established himself as one of the best holding midfielders in the world at Liverpool. In the five seasons he spent at the Bernabeu, he was almost always in the starting XI, winning the La Liga and the Champions League before eventually moving to Bayern to 2014.

Granero, Negredo and Garay might not have had the intended impact, but Ronaldo's name alone is enough to make the summer of 2009 one of the best periods of transfer business conducted by Real Madrid in their 116-year history.

Quick Links

Edited by Aakanksh Sanketh