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Transfer Deadline Day. Oh, how clubs love the lure of the final day of the transfer window. Why, do you ask? Well, you get the best deal on the player, that's why! Be it 'assets' whom clubs want to move on, or coveted players who drop transfer bombs during the window.
Of course, the deal can be great for either the selling club in terms of the transfer fees received, or it can work out really well for the player and the buying club. It all depends on perspective at the end of the day, given that such blockbuster deadline day deals involve massive transfer fees and player wages.
The deadline is the day when clubs not only clear out their squads but try one last time for their targets. It's a day that essentially shapes the season ahead for the club, be it clearing deadwood or getting new players on a cut-price deal.
On that note, let's have a quick look at the players who made this particular list.
Top 5 most expensive deadline day signings of all-time
#5 Ronaldo (from Inter Milan to Real Madrid)
Arguably the greatest striker to have ever played our beautiful game. He was gifted with supreme natural ability and a majestic ease whenever he was on the ball.
Ronaldo, the "El Fenomeno" of world football, created history when he signed for Real Madrid's Galacticos from Inter Milan. He signed for a record €46 million on deadline day.
A deal that would go down as one of the greatest transfers ever, even if it was for a Ronaldo past his prime. What Real Madrid brought to the world in 2002, was surely the missing starlet in their extravagant attacking lineup. More importantly, another elite superstar who went on to win multiple titles for the club.
Ronaldo Nazario is at #5 on our list of the top five most expensive deadline signings of all time.
#4 Mesut Özil
In 2013, Florentino Perez was looking to free up funds for a new galactico to take Real Madrid to the next level. It was Real Madrid's star creative-general Mesut Özil who made way as English giants Arsenal came calling.
Spending a record amount at the time in 2013, Arsene Wenger snapped up the Özil signing at the earliest. They announced him as Arsenal's new no.10 playmaker.
It was a deal which at the time was the highest the club had spent on any player. For €50mn in transfer fees to Real Madrid on the summer deadline-day, Arsenal had signed one of the most coveted playmakers in the market.
In the end, the signing of Mesut Özil worked out okay for the player and club. He recently made his acrimonious exit after new management took over. Özil surely brought his superstar status to the club and always looked to give his best to the Gunners.
Mesut Özil is #4 on our list of the top five most expensive deadline signings of all time
#3 Fernando Torres
A thunderous striker in his prime for Liverpool F.C. A record 81 goals in only 142 appearances for the Reds - almost a cult signing for the club. Well, almost, as Fernando Torres' extraordinary performances in front of goal convinced Chelsea to pull the trigger on a €58.50m deal during the winter deadline day.
After much effort to keep him at Anfield, the player finally handed in a transfer request that saw him move to the Blues at Stamford Bridge. It was a deal which saw him become the sixth-most-expensive footballer in the history of football at the time.
Although Torres never lived up to the transfer fee Chelsea paid for him, he came in handy with goals across several competitions for Chelsea. One of the most memorable goals that he struck was the one in the last minute of the Champions League semi-final against Barcelona in 2012.
He marched from the halfway line to beat the Barcelona goalkeeper in the final minutes. It was a goal that made sure of Chelsea's progress to the final, that they ended up winning.
#2 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
After an extended transfer saga with German club Borussia Dortmund, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang finally sealed his move to Arsenal on January deadline day in 2018. A package worth €63.75mn proved to be enough for Dortmund to accept Arsenal's proposal.
This was a sizeable investment on an extremely clinical player on his day. Aubameyang is surely one of the poster boys from Arsene Wenger's last days at the Emirates Stadium. A golden-boot winner in the 2018-19 season after scoring 22 goals in the league meant Arsenal had surely signed a proven goalscorer.
#1 Gareth Bale
One of the most imperative pieces in the attacking trio of the BBC (Bale, Benzema & Ronaldo), Gareth Bale is surely one of the most decorated footballers in modern history for Real Madrid. He was signed after a series of tough negotiations between Spurs supremo Daniel Levy and Madrid boss Fiorentino Perez.
Gareth Bale finally signed for Real Madrid on deadline day of the 2013 summer window as the club finally reached an agreement for a transfer worth an initial €100mn.
Bale has been a four-time Champions League winner, a two-time Spanish Champion and a Spanish Cup winner during his time at Real. With him still at the club for the new and possibly his last season, Gareth Bale's legacy continues.
