Ranking the 10 best free transfers in football history

Modern football has become synonymous with huge transfer fees spent for big-name players across the leagues. Unimaginable amounts are spent regularly on players. Cristiano Ronaldo’s €100 million move to Real Madrid in 2009 was perhaps the beginning of it all.

PSG then broke the record in 2017, signing Neymar Jr. from Barcelona for a whopping €222 million. The likes of Arsenal and Chelsea have spent over €100 million on players in recent times as well.

However, we’ve also seen some big free transfers over the years. A free transfer is when a player joins another club without any transfer fee. This generally happens after the player’s contract with his previous club has expired and the new club signs him. It can also happen if a club terminates the contract or some other circumstances.

So, let’s take a look at some of the best free transfers in football history:

10. Lionel Messi

The world was shocked when Lionel Messi had to part ways with his boyhood club Barcelona in 2021 due to the club’s financial issues. The club legend left after winning everything possible with the Spanish club.

Messi then joined PSG, joining an already loaded team with Kylian Mbappe and Neymar Jr. The Argentine was seen as someone who could finally help them lift the UEFA Champions League title. However, he failed to do so, even missing an important penalty against Real Madrid in the 2021-22 season.

Regardless, Messi registered 32 goals and 35 assists in 75 games for PSG, winning domestic trophies.

Also Read: Top 10 most overrated transfers in football history

9. James Milner

After spending five years at Manchester City, James Milner joined Liverpool on a free transfer in 2015 and ended up staying eight years at the club. His versatility was unmatched and he provided experience in Jurgen Klopp’s side.

Milner made 332 appearances for the Reds, scoring 26 goals and providing 46 assists. He helped them win almost every trophy available before moving to Brighton & Hove Albion in 2023.

8. Robert Lewandowski

Robert Lewandowski left Borussia Dortmund after a four-year stay to join Bayern Munich in 2014. He scored a whopping 344 goals and provided 73 assists in 375 games for the club, breaking multiple goalscoring records in the process.

Lewandowski helped Bayern win numerous trophies, including one UEFA Champions League title. He certainly became a club legend before moving to Barcelona in 2022.

7. Michael Ballack

The German icon joined Chelsea from Bayern Munich in 2006 and what a move it turned out to be. In his four-year stay at the club, he scored 26 goals and provided 22 assists in 167 games, winning a Premier League title and three FA Cups, among other honors.

While they lost in the UEFA Champions League final against Manchester United in 2008, Ballack is still regarded highly at Chelsea and in the Premier League.

6. Andrea Pirlo

The iconic Italian midfielder left AC Milan and joined Juventus on a free transfer in 2011. It was reported that the Rossoneri thought he was too old at 32 and let him go. However, Andrea Pirlo then went on to win four Serie A titles, being named the Serie A Player of the Year a record three years in a row.

He also helped them reach the Champions League final where they lost against Barcelona before joining MLS side New York City FC in 2015.

5. Esteban Cambiasso

Cambiasso came through Real Madrid’s academy before moving to Inter Milan in 2004. He stayed with the Italian giants for 10 years, making 431 appearances and contributing 51 goals and 32 assists. He helped them win one Champions League and five Serie A titles, among numerous other honors.

4. Steve McManaman

The English midfielder had an outstanding spell at Liverpool, making 364 appearances, before moving to Real Madrid on a free transfer in 1999. He made 158 appearances for Los Blancos, scoring 14 goals and providing 20 assists. He won two La Liga titles and two Champions League trophies with them, among other honors.

3. Paul Pogba

Paul Pogba has had a roller coaster of a career. On pure ability, many believed he had the potential to become one of the greatest midfielders of all time. However, it wasn’t to be.

Pogba came through Manchester United’s youth system before joining Juventus on a free transfer in 2012. He shone at the Italian club, helping them win four Serie A titles, three Coppa Italia, and one Supercoppa Italiana.

His performances tempted Manchester United to sign him back in 2016 for over €100 million but he couldn’t live up to the price tag at Old Trafford. He then again moved to Juventus in 2022 but eventually received a four-year ban in 2024 for failing a drug test.

Also Read: Most expensive Man United transfers of all-time

2. Luis Enrique

Luis Enrique was one of the very few players to have played for both arch-rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona. He joined the latter from Los Blancos in 1996 and made 300 appearances, recording 108 goals and 40 assists. He won three La Liga titles with them, among other honors, before retiring at the club in 2004.

Enrique also managed Barca later on and also won a treble with them in 2015.

Also Read: Ranking best Spanish football managers of all time

1. Kylian Mbappe

It perhaps seems premature to put Kylian Mbappe at the top of the list given he’s just moved and we haven’t seen how his career pans out. However, considering his current status in world football and the entire transfer saga, his move to Real Madrid on a free transfer deserves the summit.

Los Blancos were linked with Mbappe since he was at Monaco but he joined PSG in 2017 instead. He became the club’s all-time top scorer with 256 goals and 108 assists in 308 games and won numerous trophies, except the Champions League. He was again linked with a move to Real Madrid in 2022 but signed a two-year extension with PSG.

Mbappe finally joined his dream club in the summer of 2024. He is widely considered one of the best players of this generation and will hope to display that in the whites of Real Madrid.

FAQs

Q. Is free transfer in football really free?

A. Yes. It’s free most of the time. Sometimes, there can be payments like signing-on fees but those aren’t technically considered transfer fees.