Real Madrid: Ranking the 10 best transfer bargains of this century

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Real Madrid, Fede Valverde (Photo by OSCAR DEL POZO/AFP via Getty Images) /

10. Federico Valverde – 5 Million Euros

The first name on the list is that of Fede Valverde, one of the current Madridistas. He was purchased by Real Madrid from the Uruguayan club Penarol in the summer of 2016, for a sum of 5 million euros. He initially joined the Real Madrid Castilla for the 2016-17 season and then spent the next season on loan at Deportivo La Coruna, before joining the first team in 2018.

Since 2019, he has been one of the most important players for Real Madrid, and it didn’t take him a long time to become a fan favorite. He is currently among the best box-to-box midfielders in Europe, and he has shown immense energy every time he steps out onto the pitch. He has already won a LaLiga title, a Supercopa title, and a Club World Cup title with the club, playing a key role for the team in winning the first two trophies.

Though he has a lot to achieve and there is still time for him to peak, his development curve has been rapid, and he is seen as one of the club’s most important players for the future. And right now his market value is about 70 million euros, which makes it difficult to exclude him.

Real Madrid, Marco Asensio (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images) /

9. Marco Asensio – 3.5 Million Euros

The next name on the list is that of another current Real Madrid player in Marco Asensio. The current No.11 was bought for a modest fee of 3.5 million euros in the summer of 2014, from his boyhood club RCD Mallorca, amidst tough competition from FC Barcelona. Though his current market value of 35 million isn’t that high, he has overachieved at Real Madrid compared to the expectations at the time of his signing.

After a couple of loan deals at Mallorca and Espanyol, he returned to the club at the age of 20, and Zinedine Zidane chose to use him for the first team. In these five years with Real Madrid, he has 37 goals and 22 assists to his name in 10074 minutes, which is a decent return from the Mallorcan.

His performance levels at the age of 25 aren’t that great, which is understandable after his return from an ACL injury, but his contribution before that injury is enough to include him in this list. He has played a key role behind some trophy wins and won 2 LaLIga titles, 2 UEFA Champions League titles, 2 Supercopa de Espana titles, 2 UEFA Super Cup titles, and 3 Club World Cup titles.

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