Top 5 Most Successful Free Transfers in Football History; Check the full list

Free transfers have always been an excellent way to exploit the egregiously expensive transfer market. The current summer window has shown how exciting these transfers can be. Liverpool local lad Trent-Alexander Arnold “snubbed” his boyhood club to join European rival Real Madrid.

Seasoned veteran midfielders Kevin De Bruyne and Luka Modric have joined Serie A clubs Napoli and AC Milan, respectively. In search of a new challenge, they’ll be looking to prove their longevity in their battle for the Scudetto. In retrospect, many free transfers have proven to be the smartest pieces of business these football clubs have carried out.

Table of Contents

5. Esteban Cambiasso

Club Signed For: Inter Milan
Club Signed From: Real Madrid
Position: Defensive Midfielder
Trophies Won: 1x Champions League, 5x Serie A, 4x Coppa Italia, 4x Supercoppa Italiana, 1x FIFA Club World Cup.

Cambiasso left Real Madrid after club president Florentino Pérez could not see the benefits he provided. He hounded out the Argentine midfielder for his “lack of technical ability and pace.” Cambiasso went on to prove Florentino Pérez wrong. His first season at Inter saw him only pick up a Supercoppa Italiana. This was only the start of Inter’s dominant era. They went on to win 5 consecutive Serie A titles, where Cambiasso was at the heart of the midfield. He went on to cement himself after winning the treble led by Jose Mourinho in 2011.

“I won the treble with Cambiasso,” said Mourinho in a pre-match press conference. “He belongs to my golden team at Inter. He is one of the players who means a lot to me.

4. Lionel Messi

All-Time Goal Scorers in La Liga History

Club Signed For: Paris Saint-Germain
Club Signed From: FC Barcelona
Position: Right Winger, Centre-Forward
Trophies Won: 1x Ballon D’or, 1x The Best FIFA Men’s Player, 2x Ligue 1, 1x Trophée des Champions.

Considered by many as the Greatest of All-Time, this transfer shook the world. Most assumed Messi would spend his entire career at Barcelona. However, when the Spanish giants found themselves in a financial crisis, they were forced to let go. PSG availed the Argentine’s services in their charge for European glory.

Their dreams of Champions League success crumbled as they were eliminated in the Round of 16 in the 2 seasons Messi spent at the club. Despite this mission not being completed, PSG had still signed one of the best. During his tenure at the club, Messi scored 32 goals and provided 35 assists in 75 appearances.

3. Paul Pogba

Club Signed For: Juventus
Club Signed From: Manchester United
Position: Central Midfielder
Trophies Won: 4x Serie A, 2x Coppa Italia, 3x Supercoppa Italiana.

One of the few mistakes Sir Alex Ferguson made in his career was allowing Paul Pogba to leave Manchester United. The icing on the cake was Pogba signing for the Red Devils once again in 2016 for a record transfer (at the time) of £89.3 million.

Pogba proved himself to be arguably the most gifted midfielder in the current generation. He had it all in his arsenal. Standing at 6’3, Pogba was silky on the ball and provided laser-accurate long passes. On his day, he was the Kryptonite to beating most midfields and defences.

2. Robert Lewandowski

Club Signed For: FC Bayern Munich
Club Signed From: Borussia Dortmund
Position: Centre-Forward
Trophies Won: 2x The Best FIFA Men’s Player, 1x UEFA Best Player, 2x European Golden Shoe, 6x Bundesliga Top Scorer, 1x UEFA Champions League, 8x Bundesliga, 3x DFB-Pokal, 5x Franz Beckenbauer Supercup, 1x FIFA Club World Cup, 1x UEFA Super Cup.

One of the most clinical finishers of our generation. Robert Lewandowski, leaving Dortmund on a free, is criminal, but to top it of,f he joined the club’s arch-rivals in Bayern Munich. His most impressive record came when he scored 5 goals in a span of 9 minutes against Wolfsburg. It is highly unlikely, this feat will be beaten any time soon. The Polish striker is very unlucky to have not won a Ballon d’Or in his career.

His best chance of securing this honour was in 2020; however, the ceremony was cancelled that year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The following season, he boasted a great chance as well, but he fell short after the award was handed to Lionel Messi instead.

1. Kylian Mbappe

Club Signed For: Real Madrid FC
Club Signed From: Paris Saint-Germain
Position: Centre-Forward, Left Winger, Right Winger
Trophies Won: 1x Golden Shoe, 1x La Liga Top Scorer, 1x FIFA Intercontinental Cup, 1x UEFA Super Cup.

The worst-kept secret in football history was Real Madrid signing Kylian Mbappe, the boy with the world at his feet. The saga started as PSG rejected two bids over £100m in 2021 for Mbappe. Real Madrid signing one of the best players in the world right now, without spending a penny has to be the greatest deal in the modern era. In his debut season at the club, Mbappe registered 31 goals and 3 assists in 34 appearances.

These are goalscoring records that even Cristiano Ronaldo could not achieve in his debut season. Real Madrid will be disappointed with the season they’ve just had. Xabi Alonso, now in charg,e breathes new life into the team. Kylian Mbappe will look to lead this Real Madrid squad filled with stars to European and domestic glory.

These players are only a few of the many free transfers that shook the world. Sol Campbell’s switch from Tottenham to Arsenal earned him the reputation as one of the biggest “snakes” in football history.

Andrea Pirlo’s switch to Juventus from AC Milan helped the Old Lady cement their most dominant era. The likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva also made strong impacts in their short stints at Premier League clubs. It is yet to be seen if Trent Alexander-Arnold, De Bruyne, and Modric’s moves will be as successful as these greats.