Ranking Real Madrid’s best transfer windows this century
2. 2013 Summer transfer window
Another window with a transfer getting into the record books, as Real Madrid broke the bank to make the record signing of Gareth Bale from Tottenham Hotspur. The 2013 transfer window was a highly successful one and at the same time, it was important for the club with the new signings setting up the club for the European success that would immediately follow.
Coming to sales, Real Madrid didn’t hesitate to sell a fan-favourite again, as Mesut Ozil was sold to Arsenal. He was a player who registered 80 assists to his name in the 3 seasons he was there, but the club sold him for profit at 47 million euros. The decision to sell Ozil drew a lot of criticism, but the German had to be sacrificed for the Welshman.
Other sales included the transfers of Gonzalo Higuain, Jose Callejon and Raul Albiol to Napoli for a combined fee of 60.5 million euros, with the Argentine striker’s transfer bringing around 39 million euros for the club. Pedro Leon was sold to Getafe for 6.5 million euros, while Kaka and Carvalho left for free. The Brazilian left for Milan on a free transfer after an injury-ridden career at the Spanish capital, but his departure meant a huge reduction in Real Madrid’s wage bill.
Sales wise, Real Madrid did very well in the market, but the new signings made this window the best. The club got Gareth Bale for a record fee of 101 million euros, and he lived up to the expectations in the first season itself, as he led Real Madrid to glory in Champions League and Copa Del Rey by scoring the winning goals in both the finals. He would go on to achieve a lot more at Real Madrid.
The club would also sign Isco from Malaga for 30 million, with his transfer proving to be a huge success. Real Madrid got Asier Illaramendi for 32 million euros as well, but he proved out to be a huge disappointment, as he would last only 2 seasons at Real Madrid with injuries ruining his stay.
Real Madrid also signed Casemiro from Sao Paolo permanently for a sum of 6 million euros, after his successful loan spell at Real Madrid Castilla in 2012/13, while Carvajal was bought back from Bayer Leverkusen for 6.5 million euros, as a long term replacement for the ageing Alvaro Arbeloa.
Out of the five signings made that summer, four players are still on contract at Real Madrid, while two players, namely Carvajal and Casemiro, are still undisputed starters at the club. These four players have won 4 Champions League titles and 2 League titles together at Real Madrid. Do we need anything else to talk about the 2013 transfer window’s success?
For any other club, a transfer window like this would be their best window ever. But in this list, this window is the second-best, as Real Madrid have an even better transfer window, which would literally be a dream for any other club.