Real Madrid's Biggest Transfer Steals of the Past 10 Years
Real Madrid are one of those few clubs fortunate enough to not really be bothered by such things as price tags, responsible spending and cashflow; while they still have to live within their means, their income is so vast compared to other sides that expenditure on transfers isn't really a problem.
More than once they've broken the world record for new signings, but that doesn't mean they're always ready to spend huge sums on every addition to the squad.
Quite the opposite, in fact: they've been a team keen to swoop and sign whichever young stars look vaguely promising in the early stages of their career, hoping to land bargains early on and develop them alongside their expensive, ready-made stars.
We've trawled through each deal of the past decade that Madrid have made to identify the biggest transfer steals that Florentino Perez and his predecessor, Roman Calderon, have managed to snare.
We're looking for outright steals, though, not players who proved bargains compared to their price tags. So while Cristiano Ronaldo has more than paid back the £80 million Los Blancos originally spent on him, he certainly can't be considered a steal when he was the most expensive player ever at the time. Fees are taken from Transfermarkt for consistency.
7. Alvaro Morata
He came, he scored, he left. Alvaro Morata moved from Real to Juventus in search of regular game time, became a key tactical component in the squad and helped win plenty of silverware. Fast forward to summer 2016 and he was a man in demand—but Real Madrid have grown canny not just with signings, but with sales, too.
A buyback clause inserted into the deal when they sold him allowed them to recapture the then-£40 million-rated striker for just £25 million, Madrid's only signing of last season.
There was a quick profit on offer; Chelsea offered £60 million to take him straight off Madrid's hands, per The Independent, but Zinedine Zidane opted to keep his man—who then helped win both La Liga and the UEFA Champions League last season.
Morata wasn't a starter, though, despite having a better minutes-per-goal ratio than rival Karim Benzema, and he duly opted to leave the Santiago Bernabeu once more. This time, Chelsea weren't denied, paying the club-record £60 million for Morata.
6. Jesus Vallejo
We're yet to see just how high Jesus Vallejo's ceiling is, but the young central defender is already impressing enormously and the signs are that he'll be a regular for both Real Madrid and Spain. If that proves to be the case, he can probably be pushed up this list at least a couple of spots.
He was signed for £4.25 million from Real Zaragoza two years ago but has yet to make his competitive bow for Los Blancos after spending both seasons since out on loan: first at his former club, then last year with Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga.
Vallejo was part of the Spain U21 squad at the Euros this summer, a starting centre-back for the runners-up, and he's seen as one of the most likely candidates to begin to replace Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique in the national team's senior side over the coming seasons.
First, though, he'll need to make the step up back at Real this season, where he's likely to start as fourth-choice.
5. Lucas Vazquez
Like Morata, Lucas Vazquez returning to Real Madrid came courtesy of a buyback clause, this time after a spell at Espanyol.
The Santiago Bernabeu club had to fork out just €1 million to resecure Lucas' services; the paltry fee has been a good investment in the squad, though, with the winger a versatile and reliable performer up and down the right side according to his manager's needs.
Both Rafa Benitez and now Zidane have used Lucas as a regular substitute option, helping shape the game late on to either stretch play and attack or double up defensively and shut down the flank.
He's a willing worker, has great pace and is selfless in the final third, and they'd make a heavy return on their investment if they opted to sell.
4. Mesut Ozil
Looking back to 2010 now, Mesut Ozil joined from Werder Bremen for just over £15 million—a reasonable outlay at the time for a then 21-year-old who had impressed but not been an absolute star.
Of course, over the next couple of years that proved to be nothing short of...well, a steal. Ozil racked up assists like no tomorrow, cutting in off the right side or playing as an outright No. 10 on occasions, feeding those making runs ahead of him and allowing his genius to flourish.
In three seasons at Madrid he claimed 60 assists, per Statbunker, before eventually moving on to Arsenal for more than £42 million, a huge profit after plenty of productivity.
He coincided with a reasonably lean period at Madrid—just one Liga title in that spell—but he can certainly be viewed as one of the best investments of recent times by the club.
3. Raphael Varane
One year after Ozil signed, Madrid entered the market for an upcoming centre-back by the name of Raphael Varane. Now six years later, Varane has flourished as a top European defender and is still at the Bernabeu club.
There's still more to come, though.
Varane has had a long-running battle against injury, rarely seeming to get a dozen games in a row under his belt before succumbing anew, and he can sometimes take a few matches to get going again before his pace, his athleticism and undoubted technical ability become prominent factors once more.
Even if he doesn't quite reach the levels of consistency hoped for, he's still a starting defender at what has been the best club in the world—not bad for an £8.5 million signing from Lens.
2. Casemiro
Proof that you don't need to be a massive money signing to be a star of the team comes in the shape of Casemiro.
Indeed, he bucks the trends almost relentlessly at Real Madrid: he's a defensive midfielder, he only cost £5 million, he went on loan to Porto and Real didn't sign him to sell on for a massive profit.
The Brazilian enforcer is a perfect foil in Madrid's engine room for the more creative schemers ahead of him, and his blend of physicality and aggression mixed with good passing technique and the odd long-range shot makes him a vital tactical component.
He's not just there to mop up everyone else's mess, Casemiro is as much a part of the overall machine as Marcelo from full-back or Luka Modric creating from deep. A tremendous player and a fantastic addition at such a low price.
1. Marco Asensio
Even ahead of Casemiro, though, is Marco Asensio.
The 21-year-old has the world at his feet: he's already a Spain international, has won major club-level trophies already and scored in the Champions League final itself, and all this after being signed for just £3 million from Real Mallorca.
A loan spell in La Liga helped his growth, no doubt, but last term he played his own role—as a starter and sub—for Zidane's all-conquering Real Madrid team, and that role will only increase in importance and regularity as Asensio gains more experience and more trust from his team-mates.
By any standards, for any club, he's a bargain; for Real Madrid, they of the world-record transfers and enormous commercial activity, Asensio is simply the biggest steal of the last decade.
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