Real Madrid's 10 biggest sales of all time

Cameron Smith

• 18 Feb 2024 15:35 GMT
• 6 min read

Spanish giants Real Madrid are unquestionably one of the most successful clubs on the planet and still remain a prime destination for the sport’s superstars.

Whether it be Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo Nazario, Cristiano Ronaldo or perhaps Kylian Mbappe, Los Blancos have always had an allure that often stretches beyond their rivals.

However, while Madrid are synonymous with huge transfer fees and extravagant squads, they’ve also become a club that knows exactly how to get the highest price out of their unwanted stars.

As such, the Spanish capital side have made more money from transfer sales than most of Europe’s biggest clubs over the course of the last 10 years.

Below, FootballTransfers runs through Real Madrid's 10 biggest sales of all time.

10. Gonzalo Higuain - €39m (to Napoli, 2013)

Unfairly mistreated throughout his entire career, Gonzalo Higuain was a proven goal-scorer, and whilst his latter years in Europe failed to impress, his early years into his prime certainly did.

Having joined Real Madrid from River Plate aged just 18, Higuain was a rotation option in his first two years. However, he netted 22 league goals in the 2008-09 season and 27 league goals the year after, despite only just turning 20.

However, from 2010-11 onwards, he shared minutes with Karim Benzema, and was eventually sold in 2013. In total, he scored 107 league goals for Real Madrid, in just 132 starts.

After netting 87 goals in three seasons for Napoli, he was sold to Juventus for a huge €90m.

9. Raphael Varane - €40m (to Manchester United, 2021)

In the summer of 2021, it was an end of an era at Real Madrid as they lost their two most influential defenders of the previous decade in Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane.

With the Frenchman's contract at Madrid expiring in 2022, Man Utd took advantage to sign him for a very decent fee of €40m.

Varane left Spain having won an incredible 18 trophies in a 10-year spell at Real Madrid.

8. Robinho - €43m (to Man City, 2008)

Robinho's move to Manchester City in 2008 was the shock of the summer transfer window.

The Brazilian had scored 15 goals and provided 12 assists in the 2007-08 season for Real Madrid, but was shipped off to Man City on Transfer Deadline Day as Sheikh Mansour's first signing as City owner.

He scored 14 Premier League goals in his first season at Man City, but was then loaned to Santos in 2010 before being sold to AC Milan.

7. Achraf Hakimi - €43m (to Inter, 2020)

After a successful two-year loan at Borussia Dortmund, it was expected that Achraf Hakimi would finally return to Real Madrid and play a key role in the first-team. However, they instead chose to immediately sell him to Inter.

Far more suited to a wing-back role than as a traditional full-back, Hakimi played 17 times for Real Madrid and Los Blancos decided to cash in during the 2020 summer window.

The Morocco international scored seven and assisted eight in Inter's 2020-21 Serie A title-winning campaign before moving to Paris Saint-Germain after just one season at San Siro.

6. Mateo Kovacic - €45m (to Chelsea, 2019)

Initially signed on loan, Mateo Kovacic's move to Chelsea was made permanent in the summer of 2019.

He had spent three seasons at Real Madrid after moving from Inter, but failed to make over 20 league starts in a single campaign. In fact, he made just 10 league starts in 2017-18, which prompted a move away.

In total, he played 109 times for Los Blancos, but half of those were substitute appearances. Kovacic won the Champions League for the fourth time in his career with Chelsea in 2021 before he was offloaded to Man City in 2023.

5. Mesut Ozil - €47m (to Arsenal, 2013)

Real Madrid's decision to let Mesut Ozil join Arsenal in 2013 left fans and players alike extremely frustrated. Cristiano Ronaldo even revealed that he was "angry about Ozil leaving" because "he was the player who best knew my moves in front of goal."

Signed from Werder Bremen after impressing at the 2010 World Cup, Ozil was unknown to some, but he became a favourite at the Bernabeu.

After scoring 19 goals and assisting 47 in three league seasons at the club, Ozil left as a world superstar, and although he displayed his talents for Arsenal, he never won another league title before retiring in 2023.

4. Alvaro Morata - €66m (to Chelsea, 2017)

Antonio Conte wanted to sign Romelu Lukaku in 2017, but Chelsea opted for Alvaro Morata instead, and paid over the odds for him.

Morata had scored 15 league goals in 2016-17 having returned to Real Madrid from a successful spell at Juventus, but he started just 14 league games and it was clear he wasn't first choice.

He had scored at an impressive rate given his game time, but Real Madrid somehow convinced Chelsea to pay €66m, which was far more than he was worth. Morata returned to Spain on a permanent deal in 2020, although he joined Real's city rivals Atletico.

3. Casemiro - €70.7m (to Man Utd, 2022)

Casemiro must rank alongside the greatest pieces of transfer business ever conducted at the Bernabeu.

The Brazilian arrived in Madrid as a youngster from Sao Paulo in 2013 for €6m, and nine years, more than 300 games and five Champions League titles later, he left for a fee more than 10 times higher.

In the interim, the midfielder established himself as one of the world's elite players in his position. But he was 30 years old when Madrid sold him, and many believe that Los Blancos picked the perfect time to sell.

2. Angel Di Maria - €75m (to Man Utd, 2014)

Despite being handed the 'Man of the Match' award in the Champions League final, his last game for Real Madrid, the club decided to sell Angel Di Maria to Manchester United in 2014.

He had been an extremely reliable player for Los Blancos, scoring 22 and assisting 50 in the league across his four seasons at the club, but with Gareth Bale preferred on the right wing, he was shifted inside and when Toni Kroos and James Rodriguez were signed after the 2014 World Cup, Di Maria was sold.

Di Maria didn't enjoy life in Manchester and was soon sold to Paris Saint-Germain, where he spent a trophy-laden six years before joining Juventus on a free transfer in 2022.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo - €117m (to Juventus, 2018)

What can you say? Real Madrid's record signing is also their most expensive departure. Cristiano Ronaldo was at the heartbeat of Los Blancos' success in the 2010s, and to have made a profit on him at the age of 33 is incredible business.

In total, Ronaldo won 16 club honours in Spain, four Ballon d'Ors and two 'The Best' awards. He scored 101 Champions League goals for Real Madrid, the most of any player at one club, and netted over 30 goals for nine seasons in a row.

In all, he scored a club record 450 goals for Los Blancos and is arguably their greatest ever player.

Ronaldo left Juventus to return to Man Utd in 2021, before joining Al-Nassr in January 2023.

The 10 biggest Real Madrid sales of all time