The Bosman Ruling: 5 of the greatest free transfers ever

When the Bosman ruling came into effect on 15th December 1995, the world of football was changed forever. Before Bosman took his club RFC Liege to court for not allowing him to switch teams, there was no concept of a free transfer or a pre-contract offer, as we know of today.

Before this game-changing verdict, the buying team had to pay a transfer fee to the parent club even after a player’s contract had expired. This meant a double whammy for the player as the club held all the aces, even though the player was no longer contracted to the club.

This is why the Bosman ruling was such a game changer in world football as effectively, the players became the ones who now held all the aces in terms of negotiating a better contract or getting a move to a bigger club. In fact, players having 6-months remaining on their contracts can talk to other clubs, in what is termed a pre-contract negotiation.

The recent free transfers of Emre Can and Leon Goretzka to Juventus and Bayern Munich respectively being the case in points. Both players had effectively decided to run down their contracts at Liverpool and Schalke respectively in order to generate a move.

Therefore, there have been many cases where the clubs buying these free players have benefitted immensely. In this article we look at 5 of the best free transfers that have taken place in world football:

Note: The players making this list have been literally free. Therefore, the likes of Paul Pogba have not been considered since Juventus paid a tribunal fee to Manchester United as Pogba was less than 23-years old.

---

#5 Esteban Cambiasso (Inter Milan)

Cambiasso impressed everyone during his 10-year stay at the San Siro

Esteban Cambiasso is an Inter Milan legend, having spent 10 years with the Milanese club. What makes him one of Inter’s finest signings is the fact that he came free of cost.

Cambiasso made his move to the San Siro in 2004 after spending a couple of relatively successful seasons at Real Madrid. However, it was at San Siro that the defensive midfielder really flourished, winning 15 major trophies during his decade-long stay in Italy.

The Argentine international’s finest moment with the Serie A side came during the historic 2009/10 season, when Inter completed the treble, winning the UEFA Champions League, Serie A and Coppa Italia. All in all, Cambiasso made a total of 420 appearances for the Serie A giants contributing a total of 51 goals in the process.

After leaving Inter in 2014, the diminutive midfielder joined Premier League side Leicester for free, winning the club’s player of the year award in his only season with the Foxes.

#4 Jay-Jay Okocha (Bolton Wanderers)

Okocha had an excellent impact during his 4-years at the Reebok Stadium

The only player on this list who did not add any trophy to his cabinet after switching clubs for free. That was the sort of impact Jay-Jay Okocha had on proceedings at the Reebok Stadium, which allows him to make this list alongside the more illustrious names.

At a time when Sam Allardyce was making a name for himself with Bolton by signing big names like Nicolas Anelka, Fernando Hierro and Youri Djorkaeff, it was attacking midfielder Okocha, who was the source of the magic.

Okocha’s finest moment came during the 2004/05 season as he helped his side finish an astonishing 6th in the league, meaning qualification for the UEFA Cup for the first time in their history. The Nigerian midfielder chipped in with 6 goals during that epic season.

The creative midfielder was an absolute fan favourite at the Reebok Stadium, with the fans printing shirts containing the writing “Jay-Jay - so good they named him twice”.

#3 Sol Campbell (Arsenal)

Campbell (R) was an absolute monster for the Gunners at the back

One of England’s best defenders ever, Sol Campbell became the public enemy number one in North London as soon as he decided to cross the divide and move to Arsenal from Tottenham.

The biggest fallacy of this deal was the fact that Spurs did not receive anything in return after Sol decided to do the unthinkable. Campbell’s decision was vindicated as he went on to win two Premier League titles along with two FA Cups during his 5-year stay at Arsenal.

Campbell was the mainstay in defence of the Invincibles side during the 2003/04 season and to cap it all off, Wenger’s men won the title at White Hart Lane on matchday 34, culminating in a bittersweet moment for the former Spurs man.

All in all, the English defender went on to make 197 appearances for the Gunners, scoring 11 times before moving to Portsmouth. Campbell made a return to the Emirates for half a season during the 2009/10 campaign, clocking 11 appearances.

#2 Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)

Lewandowski has become an absolute star in the Bundesliga

Mario Gotze in 2013, Lewandowski in 2014 and Hummels in 2016. These are the three players who made their move from Dortmund to Bayern in a short space of four years.

While Dortmund received hefty fees for both Gotze and Hummels, Lewandowski made a move to the Allianz arena without costing a single penny. The man who had played a crucial role in both of Dortmund’s title triumphs had now joined their biggest rivals.

Although not as bad as the Sol Campbell transfer, Lewandowski also didn’t get a warm reception at the Signal Iduna Park. For the Polish striker, it was a decision well made as he has gone on to win the Bundesliga on four occasions, but the Champions League trophy still eludes him.

The Polish international is into his 5th season with the Bavarian giants, having scored 159 times in just 202 appearances. Lewandowski’s game has reached a new level since his move to Bayern, having won the Bundesliga top scorer award in three of his four seasons at the club.

#1 Andrea Pirlo (Juventus)

Pirlo: the steal of the century

Most of the players on this list have either forced a move or left the club as they could not fit into the selling team’s philosophy. But what AC Milan did was nothing short of a crime.

At 32-years of age, Andrea Pirlo was considered finished at the San Siro. Although Pirlo’s legs were on a decline, the sharpness of his brain was still at its peak. That is what Milan underestimated and ultimately Juventus pounced on.

Termed by Gigi Buffon as the signing of the century, Pirlo helped the Old Lady usher in a period of success in which they have won 7 league titles on the bounce. The Italian maestro himself was involved in four Scudetti wins, making a total 164 appearances across four seasons before moving on to America and the MLS.

As the Rossoneri have faltered since Pirlo’s departure, the Italian himself got a new lease of life at Juventus, helping him prolong his international career too. As one of the biggest cases of underestimation, Pirlo will go down as the best piece of business Juventus did under the nose of their biggest rivals.