In their illustrious 123-year history, it is almost impossible to count the number of players that have come to Real Madrid and made their mark on the club's history. The club has never been shy when it comes to splashing the cash in the transfer market to bring some of the best players in the world to the Spanish capital.
Some of these big money signings have gone on to forever immortalize their names into Real Madrid's history, others not so much, and others are still making their name at the club and have shown they have what it takes to be legends.
Let's take a look at the five most expensive transfers in Real Madrid history and rank them from worst to best.
#5: Eden Hazard (€121 million)
The Eden Hazard story at Real Madrid can be seen as quite a sad one. The Belgian finally got his dream move to Los Blancos in the summer of 2019 but that dream quickly became a nightmare. The Belgian showed up to his first preseason training camp out of shape and that pretty much spelled the end of Hazard right from the start.
The former Chelsea player struggled with injuries his entire time at Real madrid having to undergo a number of operations which saw him miss more games than he actually played. Hazard only recorded six goals and nine assists in his four years at Real Madrid. After spending €121 million on a player who was supposed to be the attacker of the next generation and getting this kind of production, it is understandable why we have ranked Eden Hazard last on this list.
#4: Aurelien Tchouameni (€80 million)
Allow me to preface this by saying that having Tchouameni at four is nothing against him as a player and what he has the potential to accomplish at Real Madrid. The Frenchman has been a fantastic player since his arrival in 2022, it's just that the remaining three players ahead of him are just that good.
The Frenchman arrived from Monaco in the summer of 2022 as the clubs long term replacement for the departing Casemiro and has proven to be €80 million well spent. He has proven to be a force in the defensive midfield position and has shown his versatility filling in at center-back when called upon. Tchouameni looks like a player to stick around at Real Madrid for the long term future to come.
#3: Jude Bellingham (€103 million)
Jude Bellingham has proven in just his first season and a half at Real Madrid that he has what it takes to be the face of the club for many, many years to come. After arriving from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2023, Bellingham put the team on his back, helping guide them to triumphs in both La Liga and the Champions League.
The Englishman has recorded an astonishing 35 goals and 25 assists in all competitions in his time at the club. Bellingham has shown that maybe €103 million was a bargain of a deal, as a player with that production from the midfield is worth double that. Bellingham is one of the cornerstone pieces of Real Madrid's future and will be in the Spanish capital for many years to come.
#2: Gareth Bale (€101 million)
When Real Madrid signed Gareth Bale in 2013 for what was at the time a world record fee, some questioned whether that would come back to hurt them in the future. Well, critics couldn't have been more wrong. Bale's time at Real Madrid is the stuff of legend, from his iconic goal in the Copa del Rey vs Barcelona to scoring the winning goal in two Champions League finals. Prime Gareth Bale at Real Madrid will go down as an incredible football player
Towards the end of Bale's time at Real Madrid his star power started to dwindle after the emergence of attackers like Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo but his time at Real Madrid is forever immortalized in the clubs history.
#1: Cristiano Ronaldo (€94 million)
And at number one, it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone; it's Cristiano Ronaldo, the greatest player in Real Madrid's 123-year history. His arrival from Manchester United in 2009 rocked the footballing world and would be forever immortalized in the history of the sport.
His numbers and accomplishments at Real Madrid are truly video game kind of numbers scoring 450 goals in 438 appearances in his time at the club. Not to mention the four Champions League titles and four Ballon d'Or victories at Real Madrid, the Portuguese international is, without a doubt, the most important player in the long history of Real Madrid.