4. 2000 Summer transfer window
Real Madrid’s 2000 summer transfer window is mostly known for one transfer, which is the signing of Luis Figo. And the Portuguese star wasn’t signed from any other club, he was signed from Real Madrid’s eternal rivals, FC Barcelona. This transfer, which could be termed as an impossible mission, gave the world an understanding of the power of one man, who is none other than Florentino Perez.
Sales-wise, Real Madrid generated a decent amount of money from the sales of Nicolas Anelka, Fernando Redondo and Karembeu. Redondo’s sale wasn’t seen as a great move due to him being a fan favourite and his world-class skill-set, but given his injury struggles the sale had to be made. But what made this window the best was the new signings, particularly those of Luis Figo and Claude Makelele.
Real Madrid got the world’s best player from Barcelona, by triggering his release clause of 62 million euros. It looks simple on paper, doesn’t it? But the transfer was highly complicated due to the rivalry, and Real Madrid’s ongoing presidential elections. The man contesting in those elections was Florentino Perez, who promised the Bernabeu that he would get Luis Figo from Barcelona if he wins the elections. And Perez proved to be a man of his word, with him achieving both his objectives.
Florentino Perez took advantage of Figo’s contract situation at Barcelona, as the talks weren’t going on well. Perez made Figo sign a pre-contract by offering him 2.5 million euros of his own, which compelled Figo to sign for Real Madrid if Perez won the elections, which looked like an unlikely event. If Figo refused the transfer after Perez’s win, he would have to pay 30 million as compensation.
The then-president Lorenzo Sanz laughed at the rumour of the events, but at the end of everything it was Florentino Perez who won the elections, and Figo signed for Real Madrid with his release clause of 62 million being triggered by the club, becoming the most expensive player at that time. Though the move was controversial and it raised a lot of anger in Catalonia, and even Figo was surprised by everything, but he felt that the decision to move to Real Madrid was the best decision he ever took. And this signing would mark the beginning of Florentino Perez’s Galactico policy.
This deal is enough to talk about the power of Florentino Perez, and the club signing Claude Makelele from Celta Vigo made the window much more special. Both the players would go on to achieve a lot at Madrid, including a Champions League title. Conceicao’s transfer worth 25 million didn’t work out that well, but the club also made some smart investments in Santiago Solari and Albert Celades. And Solari’s signing from Atletico Madrid would prove to be a great signing for the club, with the Argentine becoming a club legend in the future.
Considering all these, it’s really difficult to exclude such a sensational transfer window out of this list.