Real Madrid: The five best transfers from the Premier League ever

4. Xabi Alonso

You know you’re a special player when fans of three different clubs claim you as their legend.
That’s exactly what Xabi Alonso has done with fans of Real Sociedad, Liverpool, and Real Madrid all claiming him as their club legend. At a time when most midfield maestros were playing for FC Barcelona, Alonso was a necessary signing for Real Madrid to complete. The Whites were desperate to create a midfield to rival their Clasico rivals and Alonso was the first addition to fulfilling that requirement.

Signed from Liverpool for around £30 million, this transfer mostly went under the radar at the time because of all the other transfer activity that window but became a part of the starting 11 immediately.

Playing as part of the double-pivot alongside Sami Khedira under Jose Mourinho, Alonso was often the one who’d start counter-attacks with his pinpoint passing. Under Carlo Ancelotti, he played as the lone defensive midfielder in a 4-3-3 and he was brilliant under both managers in the role he was assigned.

With Real Madrid, he won a La Liga title with record 100 points, the historic Decima, two Copa del Rey’s, a Spanish Super Cup, and a Uefa Super Cup. He left Los Blancos in 2014 to join Bayern Munich and finished his career there.

3. Gareth Bale

While Gareth Bale has damaged his legacy at Real Madrid (both with his performances and reluctance to leave), there’s no denying the fact that he is one of the best PL transfers.

Brought form Tottenham Hotspur in 2013 for a then-world record transfer fee of €100.8 million, Bale was intended to be Cristiano Ronaldo’s mirror image on the right-wing. Bale in his prime had it all, he had explosive pace, dribbling ability, and a great shooting technique.

Bale was destined to become great at Real Madrid but was constantly thwarted by injuries. He then lost Zinedine Zidane’s trust in the 2017/18 season and couldn’t make an impact under Julen Lopetegui and Santiago Solari. With Zidane returning for his second spell, Bale has barely had any chances to change his position and neither has he looked interested in doing so.

With Real Madrid, Bale has won 4 Champions Leagues, 4 Club World Cups, 2 La Ligas, 3 Uefa Super Cups, 1 Copa del Rey, and Spanish Super Cup making his time at the club quite rewarding in terms of trophies. He has played a major role in winning most of the trophies mentioned, hence why he places #3 in this list.