Real Madrid is primarily a buying club, that focuses more on recruiting the best talent from various countries across the globe. Few players do stutter in the process of pursuing their dreams at Real Madrid, but there will always be players who grow up to become one of the best players in their respective positions and also become club legends in the process. Real Madrid provides the perfect platform for players to fulfill their potential, which is one of the reasons why Real Madrid is a dream club for a lot of footballers.
The players reach such heights at the club that their names will always be there in the minds of fans. Their value increases so much that other clubs will be looking at a chance to lure those players towards them.
Being a fan-owned club, Real Madrid doesn’t have as much money as country-owned clubs. But Real Madrid is still one of the most valuable football clubs out there, with some of the most valuable and best players playing for the club. Let us rank five such most valuable players of Real Madrid, in terms of their transfer value.
Notable exclusions from the list are the legendary Karim Benzema, Luka Modric and Toni Kroos. They are the most valuable players in the team as per the importance of their roles, but not in terms of transfer market value, which depends a lot on the age of players.
Honorary mention – Eder Militao
Eder Militao is very unlucky to miss out on this list of most valuable players. The reason? There are just too many top-class footballers at Real Madrid. But if this list was made six months later, Militao would have been definitely included in the list. He is just 23 years old, and considering the level at which he has been playing this season, he would be definitely among the hottest defensive transfer targets for any top club. But of course, Real Madrid would never let go of this Brazilian who has become an untouchable player for the club.
He was purchased for 50 million euros from FC Porto and considering his consistency, we can easily value him at 60 million euros. He has been getting regular opportunities only since April 2021, so we need to wait a little longer to value him higher. If he completes the remainder of the 2021/22 season with consistent world-class performances, there would be no stopping the rise in his market value.
5. Thibaut Courtois
Thibaut Courtois will always be there on the list of Real Madrid’s most valuable players, regardless of the criteria being market value or the importance to the team. It has been just three years since his arrival in Madrid, but it feels like he has been saving shots and saving Real Madrid for an eternity. This just shows how frequently he has produced unbelievable saves for the club, and how consistent he has been for Real Madrid, despite a rocky debut season.
We can run out of words while describing the Belgian wall, who is one of the main reasons behind the 2019/20 LaLIga triumph, during which he won the prestigious Zamora award. It is safe to call him one of the best goalkeepers on the planet right now, if not the best. This is enough to justify why he’s on this list and his high market value. He is not the youngest keeper out there but given that goalkeepers don’t decline early, he can possibly be the most valuable goalkeeper at the moment.
Real Madrid purchased Courtois from Chelsea in the 2018 summer window, for a fee of 35 million pounds. Though that fee was considered to be high back then as he had just a year remaining on his contract, it has proved to be a bargain. Considering all the factors such as performance, resale value, and everything else, we can value Courtois at somewhere between 60-65 million euros.
The record transfer fee for a goalkeeper is that of 80 million euros, for the Kepa Arrizabalaga to Chelsea transfer, which was sealed in the same window as Courtois’ transfer to Real. We know the result of that transfer, but we cannot use that as a benchmark to value goalkeepers because it was more of a clever business move from Athletic Bilbao, who renewed Kepa’s contract just five months before the transfer, and took advantage of Chelsea’s desperation to sign a goalkeeper after Courtois’ exit by asking them to trigger Kepa’s release clause of 80 million euros.
4. David Alaba
The next name on the list is that of David Alaba, one of the two signings of Real Madrid’s 2021 summer transfer window. So far he has been an extraordinary signing for Real Madrid, as he hasn’t just proved himself to be an ace signing for Real Madrid, but is also proving to be LaLiga’s best signing this season. He has been a brilliant addition to both Real Madrid and is trying his best to fill in the huge shoes of Sergio Ramos, by being himself.
The best part of his signing is that Real Madrid got him on a free transfer, and secured the signing of another top Bayern Munich player, while they are in their prime, with the other name being Toni Kroos. Though the joining bonuses and wages that come with a free transfer have been high, it is still an excellent transfer business-wise, as Real Madrid got a player who might be valued around 65 million euros or even more in this transfer market, for free, in a transfer window with limited transfer budget due to pandemic losses.
Alaba being 29 years old might raise some question marks regarding his inclusion in this list, as we also have to consider a player’s resale value, which is highly influenced by age. But in Alaba’s case, his versatility just outweighs the age factor. He’s someone who can play as a centre-back, a left-back, a defensive-midfielder, and also as a central midfielder. Given his versatility and supreme technical qualities, he can easily get into the starting XI of any top club. And such players also have the ability to adjust their playing style in accordance with their age and as per the requirements of the team, which makes anyone ignore the money spent on that player.
3. Fede Valverde
Football isn’t just a technical game now. It demands a lot of physical strength and athleticism from the players, along with technical quality. The demand for such pace and power players has increased in recent times, and more number of the box to box midfielders are coming up these days.
The best examples for that type of player are N’Golo Kante and Leon Goretzka, and even Real Madrid have a player belonging to that breed of midfielders, in Fede Valverde. The Uruguayan has been a mainstay in the first-team for around three seasons, and he is considered to be among the untouchables in the club. He has proved himself in the biggest games and shown the capability to lead Real Madrid’s midfield for the coming generation.
Real Madrid bought him for just 5 million euros from Penarol, as a 17-year-old. And now at the age of 23, he has to be valued at a minimum of 70 million euros. Any club that can get him will not only secure a player that’s suited to modern football, but also a player that can potentially be a long term solution in the midfield. He could’ve been much higher on this list, if not for minor fitness issues.
According to a report from El Nacional, Manchester United are ready to bid around 70 million euros to sign the Uruguayan powerhouse. Real Madrid wouldn’t be interested in any form of negotiations for the no.15, but if this report is true, this bid only gives us further proof to justify Valverde’s high market value, which can be even higher.
2. Casemiro
One doesn’t need an introduction to the brilliance of this Brazilian midfielder, who has been a long-serving player for Real Madrid and has established himself as one of the most important players of Real Madrid. His achievements for the club and his records speak for themselves. For me, he is simply the best defensive midfielder in Europe, and his consistency is unmatched.
Casemiro isn’t one of the most popular Real Madrid players, but tactically he’s too valuable, which makes him one of the first names on the team sheet. No one expected Casemeiro to come this far, to be honest, and he can be called an overachiever. He was initially signed on loan from Sao Paolo to play for Real Madrid Castilla. As a result of his solid performances, he was signed for 6 million euros and grew up to be a starter for Real Madrid under Zidane, which required a lot of patience from the Brazilian. Today he has grown up to be one of the best midfielders, who can be valued at around 75 to 80 million euros.
A lot of questions can be asked regarding his inclusion due to his age, and recency bias, as he didn’t have a great start to this season. He might be 29 years old and can’t play at this level for another 10 years at this level, but he’s in his prime and can offer a lot more, thanks to his excellent fitness levels. After six years, his market value will definitely decrease. But he wouldn’t be sold at a loss, as the achievements will make up for the value.
He is already a legendary player for Real Madrid and has made history along with his teammates Luka Modric and Toni Kroos. He has been criticised for his ball-playing abilities, as he isn’t as good as his partners, but one shouldn’t forget that his presence gave freedom to Kroos and Modric, which was very important for the team. The value he brings to any team with his physical presence is immeasurable, and considering his leadership skills and goal threat, 75 million is actually a reasonable price tag.
1. Vinicius Jr.
It is kinda obvious to see Vini Jr. on the top of the list, isn’t it? Well, his magnificent performances and incredible numbers this season make it so obvious, establishing himself as one of Real Madrid’s main protagonists. He’s also among the best forwards in both Spain and Europe.
Real Madrid brought him to the Santiago Bernabeu in 2018 by playing 45 million euros for this Brazilian wonder-kid for a reason, as they believed in him. They saw him as a player who could mark the beginning of Real Madrid’s youth investment policy, with the club focusing more on building a team by buying highly talented youngsters and grooming them to lead Real Madrid someday.
There were question marks back then because 45 million euros for an unproven teenager was way too much. And Vini’s problems with finishing added fuel to the fire, with Florentino Perez receiving a lot of criticism for his decision of investing 120 million euros in three Brazilian teenagers. Well, the recent months have proven that Perez was right, at least in the case of Vinicius, as the Brazilian’s market value has risen to 80 million euros, and can increase by a further 20-25 million by the end of the season if he continues in the same way.
As everyone knows, the value of forwards, particularly young goalscoring forwards, will always be more. Top clubs are always looking for an opportunity to sign a highly talented and young forward, to groom them and make them the face of the club in the coming years. Considering the way Vini is proving to be a complete forward, I believe it is justified to rate Vini so high.
Vini has been at his goalscoring best only for three months so far but considering this inflated transfer market where one season at a high level to push a player’s price tag towards three figures, there’s no wrong in valuing the 21-year-old at 80 million euros. And when a club like PSG was ready to bid 70 million euros for Vinicius even when he didn’t prove his finishing skills, we can easily understand how forwards are valued in the transfer market.