Football has come a long way in the past two decades as television audiences saw a boom that has seen a lot of money pumped into the game. As a result, the game has become more expensive in every sense – be it tickets, merchandise and even buying players.
The Spanish La Liga has been no different. With two of the biggest clubs in the world in Real Madrid and Barcelona having the spending power to bring in the best players, it comes as no surprise that the league has benefited as a result. And a number of transfers between La Liga clubs have helped both teams in either strengthening the squad or using the money to invest in replacements.
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We look at the 10 most expensive transfers within La Liga. Data taken from TransferMarkt.
10) Isco: Malaga to Real Madrid – £25.5m
Isco (aka Francisco Alarcon Suarez) was one of Spain’s most exciting talents in the youth teams and represented every Spain team from the U-16s to the senior team. A product of Valencia’s esteemed academy, Isco made his mark only after newly-rich Malaga paid out his €6m release clause to bring him to the Andalusian team.
He played an integral part in Manuel Pellegrini’s project as they moved up the table and finished fourth to qualify for the Champions League where they reached the quarter-finals – their best ever performance in Europe. 2012 was a landmark year in his growth as a player as he was named La Liga’s Breakthrough Player besides winning the Golden Boy award beating worthy contenders such as Thibaut Courtois and Stephan El Shaarawy.
Once Carlo Ancelotti moved to Real Madrid, he made Isco his first signing as Real Madrid paid €30m to secure his services. Isco has blown hot and cold while polarising opinions but he has thrived with Los Blancos winning two Champions League titles with the club.
9) Antoine Griezmann: Real Sociedad to Atletico Madrid – £25.5m
Although he now leads the line for Les Bleus in internationals, he was virtually unknown in France while growing up because he was based in Spain. Antoine Griezmann came up through the ranks of Real Sociedad and was a forward to be reckoned with during his final two seasons with the Basque club.
A move to a bigger club was inevitable and Atletico Madrid came calling with the €30m required to trigger his buyout clause. At the time, Griezmann was booed by the Sociedad faithful when he returned to the Anoeta and came on as a substitute. But the move was always going to be a step up for Griezmann who also started to impress in the Champions League.
In spite of finishing as runners-up in 2016, it earned him a nomination to the top three for the Ballon d’Or and the UEFA Best Player in Europe award. He would also win the Golden Boot at Euro 2016 .
8) Paco Alcacer: Valencia to Barcelona – £25.5m
No top forward or striker would, in their right mind, move to Barcelona when they had the likes of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar up front. But, then again, Paco Alcacer is not exactly world class yet. While he does have the talent to become one on the future, he has been an understudy in both the Spanish and Barca setup so far.
As he consistently averaged 15 goals a season with Valencia, it was different circumstances that prompted him to move to the Camp Nou. Valencia were in a deep financial crisis and were forced to sell their best players yet again.
Barcelona needed someone to warm the bench as a backup to MSN and come on when they needed a rest and Alcacer fit the bill – €30m to become Barcelona’s fourth-choice forward.
7) Asier Illarramendi: Real Sociedad to Real Madrid – £27.2m
Yet another product of Real Sociedad’s youth system, Illaramendi came into prominence in 2012 and 2013 for the Txuriurdin. Plying his trade in central midfield, he was dubbed the next Xavi Alonso and even won the La Liga Best Midfielder award in 2012/13 at the age of 23.
It wasn’t long before Real Madrid spent €32.2m to bring him to the Bernabeu – a move that people believed showed that Real Madrid were moving away from the Galacticos policy of buying proven stars. It also made him Real Madrid’s most expensive Spanish player.
However, he never really established himself in Madrid and made the move back to Sociedad after just two seasons for a cut-price £12.5m – less than half his original transfer fee.
6) Kevin Gameiro: Sevilla to Atletico Madrid – £27.2m
Yet another French striker in La Liga, Kevin Gameiro is a journeyman who has been around clubs in France and Spain. Following stints with Lorient and PSG in Ligue 1, Sevilla snapped him up for just €10m.
In his three seasons with the Andalusian club, Gameiro scored 67 goals across all competitions, helping the club win the Europa League in all three seasons.
Atletico Madrid had their eye on Gameiro and soon came in with a €32m bid when they realised they were not going to sign Diego Costa from Chelsea. The 29-year-old made the switch and even made history when he scored the fastest La Liga hat-trick in 22 years.
5) Arda Turan: Atletico Madrid to Barcelona – £28.9m
This was one transfer that did not go down well with Atletico fans. At the time, the Rojiblancos were on the rise and had just broken the duopoly in La Liga by beating both Real and Barcelona to the league title.
Turan was an integral member of the 2013/14 title triumph and it hurt the fans to see him move to the Camp Nou. Barcelona signed him for €34m in the summer of 2015 in spite of the transfer ban – meaning he couldn’t make his debut until January 2016.
Six months of his career saw him twiddle his thumbs on the sidelines as Atletico also floundered in the first half of the season while Barcelona saw a resurgence.
4) Andre Gomes: Valencia to Barcelona – £29.75m
One of Portugal’s finest young talents in recent years, Andre Gomes started his career with Benfica but was one of many victims of the Curse of Bela Guttman. Twice he reached the Europa League final with Benfica and lost on both occasions to Chelsea and Sevilla.
Soon, he went on loan to Valencia and that move became permanent in 2015. A neat dribbler of the ball, Gomes soon established himself in Valencia’s midfield but he too became a pawn to be traded when Los Che needed the money.
Barcelona were only too happy to sign him up for €35m. Although he is yet to make himself a permanent fixture in the lineup, the 23-year-old has a long way to go and could be a mainstay in Barcelona’s midfield in seasons to come.
3) Dani Alves: Sevilla to Barcelona – £30.2m
Arguably one of Barcelona’s key signings prior to their dominance in Spain and Europe, Dani Alves had a moderately successful career at Sevilla where he started his career as a teenager. Although Liverpool and Chelsea tried to sign him with unsuccessful bids, it was Barcelona who managed to prise him away in what became a tearful farewell for Alves.
However, it wasn’t a futile move as he would go on to become one of the best right-backs in the world under Pep Guardiola. The Brazilian was almost an auxiliary attacker in Barcelona’s setup and it came as no surprise when he grabbed a number of assists or created chances at will from the right.
Alves would eventually leave the Camp Nou with six La Liga titles, four Copa del Rey titles and three Champions League trophies under his belt.
2) David Villa: Valencia to Barcelona – £34m
Having spent years at Valencia and made a name for himself with Los Che and the Spain squad, David Villa had been linked with a number of clubs almost every summer – including Real Madrid, Barcelona, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United. But almost every year, Valencia’s finances decided his fate.
Ultimately, the €40m bid from Barcelona proved too good to turn down and Villa was on his way to the Camp Nou. After receiving his favourite no.7 shirt, Villa would pull up his socks and do what he did best – score goals.
Playing alongside Lionel Messi made Barcelona a team to be feared and it was only an untimely leg injury that saw his career stall. His final season saw him come off the bench more often and Barca soon allowed him to move on. However, he had one last hurrah with Atletico Madrid in the 2013/14 title triumph with 13 goals.
1) Luis Figo: Barcelona to Real Madrid – £51m
Many players have crossed the Madrid-Barca divide such as Michael Laudrup and Ronaldo but Luis Figo’s transfer caused an uproar due to the fact that he was cherished by the Catalan faithful before he made the decision to switch the Blaugrana for the Blancos when he was in his prime.
But Real Madrid had triggered his buyout clause – a move approved by Florentino Perez as he kickstarted the Galacticos era and, in true Hollywood villain fashion, he wanted to send a message. The Barcelona fans responded by throwing bottles, cigarette lighters and even a pig’s head at Figo during the Clasico when he took corner kicks. The referee even had to suspend the game for 20 minutes due to the commotion near the corner flags.
Figo would win the league title in his first season with Real and he would eventually win a Champions League title with Real Madrid in 2002 following the arrival of Zinedine Zidane. After five years with Real, Figo moved to Inter Milan on a free transfer.
Also read: History of how the football transfer record was broken over the last century
