Real Madrid’s best free transfers of all time

Carlo Garganese

• 16 Dec 2023 14:31 GMT
• 4 min read

Real Madrid have long been renowned as some of the biggest spenders in the game, and they spent transfer world record sums on Luis Figo and Zinedine Zidane during the 'Galactico' era.

They also held the next three transfer world records, spending incrementally more on Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale a generation on.

Florentino Perez has tightened the purse strings for the most part in the seasons since - even if €100m was dropped on Aurelien Tchouameni in 2022 and €103m on Jude Bellingham in 2023 - with cheap, and sometimes free, players rocking up at the Bernabeu.

The most recent Bosman arrival was Germany defender Antonio Rudiger, who joined in 2022 from Chelsea on a four-year contract.

Football Transfers looks at Real Madrid's five best free transfers...

Bernd Schuster (from Barcelona in 1988)

Twelve years before Figo, Bernd Schuster made the move that nobody is supposed to make, leaving Barcelona for Real in 1988.

The German would only spend two seasons at Madrid, but it was a hugely successful tenure as he won two La Liga titles on the bounce as well as the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup.

His dynamism and creativity in midfield allowed him to adapt superbly to things in the capital.

He would return as head coach in 2007, guiding the club to another title.

Steve McManaman (from Liverpool in 1999)

Having starred for Liverpool between 1990 and 1999, Steve McManaman completed a dream free transfer to Real ahead of the 1999/2000 campaign.

McManaman established himself as a popular figure among the Madrid fans for his desire to learn Spanish and immerse himself in the culture of the city and the club.

Known to be a selfless player, he also continually adapted his game to play in a number of different positions which was forced upon him due to the arrival of several Galacticos during his time at the club.

In the 2000 Champions League final, he helped secure victory for against Valencia with a volley into the bottom corner, thus becoming the first Englishman to win the European Cup with a foreign club.

Fernando Morientes (from Real Zaragoza in 1997)

Fernando Morientes remains a cult hero at Real Madrid despite the fact that he once eliminated them from the Champions League while on loan at Monaco.

The Spaniard joined from Real Zaragoza as a free agent in 1997 and quickly established a devastating strike partnership with club legend Raul.

Several big names like Ronaldo and Michael Owen would later arrive at Madrid to push Morientes down the pecking order.

But, his time in the Spanish capital was hugely successful as he won three Champions League titles, two Intercontinental Cups, one European Super Cup, two La Liga titles, and three Spanish Super Cups.

David Alaba (from Bayern Munich in 2021)

David Alaba had been with Bayern Munich for over a decade and won everything possible with the club, including 10 Bundesliga titles and two Champions Leagues.

Throughout the 2020/21 season, however, negotiations broke down over a new contract, which resulted in a departure as a free agent that July.

Bayern claimed that Alaba wanted to be on the same pay grade as the likes of Thomas Muller, Manuel Neuer and Robert Lewandowski.

He eventually joined Madrid, and with Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane departing in the same summer, he quickly became the main man at the back for Carlo Ancelotti.

He won the Champions League in his first season at the club, together with La Liga, and remains one of the most versatile players in world football.

Antonio Rudiger (from Chelsea in 2022

Chelsea suffered a defensive exodus in the summer of 2022, with Andreas Christensen and Rudiger both leaving on free transfers, the former for Barca.

Rudiger had been linked with numerous clubs including Manchester United and Bayern Munich, but after Ancelotti informed club president Perez of a desire for a new centre-back, Madrid went all-in for their man.

Rudiger signed a four-year contract with Madrid and, though he has sometimes struggled to live up to the hype, is becoming increasingly important for Los Blancos.