Top 5 players who were allowed to leave on a free transfer

Many years ago, there was no such thing as a 'free agent' in football, as the clubs held all the aces. Interested parties had to pay clubs a fee to sign a player, even if the footballer was out of a contract.

That all changed in 1995 when Belgian footballer, Jean-Marc Bosman, won a case against RFC Liege, as the club held him back from a move to French club Dunkirk. Bosman's contract had expired in 1990, but both clubs couldn't come to an agreement. That left the player stranded and at the mercy of Liege.

The legal battle lasted for years, but the Belgian finally won the case in 1995. The Bosman rule was birthed, but the player spent the prime of his career in court rather than on the football pitch, and his career didn't benefit from the ruling.

However, countless footballers have benefited from the rule, earning millions of dollars from their new clubs due to the transfer fee being circumvented, as players now negotiate to have all that extra money paid to them directly.

In recent times, we have seen the likes of Aaron Ramsey and Adrien Rabiot complete free moves to Italian giants Juventus, with Ander Herrera swapping rainy Manchester for the bright lights of Paris for free as well.

In this article, we discuss the top 5 Bosman transfers in history.

#5 Michael Ballack (Bayern Munich to Chelsea)

He reasonably is one of Chelsea's shrewdest signings, as the Blues bagged the highly-rated German midfielder despite the attention of top clubs like Manchester United and Real Madrid in 2006.

Michael Ballack was at that time the captain of the German national team, and he had dominated the Bundesliga in the colours of Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen, becoming German footballer of the year in 2002, 2003, and 2005.

In the blue colours of Chelsea, he continued to dazzle, winning numerous trophies, including an English Premier League medal and 3 FA Cup titles. In 167 appearances for the London club, he provided 24 assists and scored 25 goals.

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#4 Estaban Cambiasso (Real Madrid to Inter Milan)

At the dawn of the galactico era in Real Madrid, Estaban Cambiasso was deemed not shiny enough to grace the hallowed turf of the Santiago Bernebeu.

However, he joined Inter Milan in 2004, and it turned out to be a very shrewd signing for the Italian club. The Argentinean turned out to be a very vital cog in the heart of the Inter midfield, as he and his teammates dominated the landscape of Italian and European football in the years to come.

In ten years spent in Italy, Cambiasso won numerous titles, including 5 Italian championships and a Champions League medal. The Argentinean won a treble with Inter in 2010, as the club carted away every major honour in view under the watchful guidance of Jose Mourinho.

He donned the blue and black stripes of Inter for 431 games, scored 51 times, and landed 31 assists.

#3 Sol Campbell (Tottenham Hotspur to Arsenal)

Sol Campbell is jeered by Tottenham Hotspur fans

Perhaps the most controversial Bosman transfer in the history of this beautiful game. Sol Campbell made the perilous cross-town journey from White Hart Lane to Highbury in 2001, earning the infamous tag of 'Judas' in the process.

However, the Englishman's move was justified, and aside from his mouthwatering pay, he amassed an impressive haul of trophies.

Campbell is a two time English Premier League winner, and he also won the FA Cup on three occasions in the famous red & white apparel of Arsenal. He appeared 210 times for the Gunners, with the highlights of his time at Highbury being the double in 2002 and the club's unbeaten title win in 2003-04.

#2 Andrea Pirlo (AC Milan to Juventus)

Maybe this will go down as the greatest gaffe in the annals of free transfer history. In 2011, AC Milan allowed the bearded darling of Italian football, Andrea Pirlo, join Serie rivals Juventus without batting an eyelid.

Perhaps the Milan club assumed like many in the footballing community that the maestro was a spent force, and was on the brink of retirement. However, it turned out that the midfielder was anything but a spent force, as he enjoyed yet another very successful spell in his glittering career.

Pirlo re-established his dominance in midfield, pulling the strings for the Turin giants in the middle of the park as they clawed their way to the top of the Italian football landscape with ruthless efficiency.

In the stripes of Juve, the maestro won 4 consecutive Scuddeto, and he was named the Italian footballer of the year in 2012, 2013, and 2014. He played 164 games for Juve, scored 19 times, and provided 38 assists.

#1 Robert Lewandowski (Borussia Dortmund to Bayern Munich)

Robert Lewandowski celebrates with his teammates

This is undoubtedly the biggest move in Bosman transfer history. In the summer of 2014, Robert Lewandowski did what most Borussia Dortmund superstars do - join Bayern Munich.

It is a familiar theme, but the free transfer happened due to BVB playing hardball over the move, despite knowing Lewandowski's contract had just a year left to run. Teary-eyed Dortmund fans had to watch one of the most prolific and sought after strikers in world football join their bitter rivals for free.

Lewandowski went to Bavaria and firmly established himself as one of the most prolific forwards in world football, scoring goals like it's gone out of fashion. The Polish international has won a plethora of individual accolades and team honours in the colours of Bayern, including 5 Bundesliga titles, 6 top scorer gongs in the Bundesliga, 4 German Player of the Year awards, etc

In 260 appearances for Die Roten, the forward has scored 214 goals and delivered 47 assists so far. At the time of writing, Lewandowski continues to dazzle in the colours of Bayern, and he recently smashed a 51-year-old goal Gerd Muller record by scoring 16 goals in his first 11 consecutive Bundesliga games. Ironically he scored the 16th goal against bitter rivals Dortmund.

Edited by Sai Teja