Ranking the 5 best transfer windows of all time: Real Madrid

#3 Summer 2013

Isco has gradually made himself an indispensable player for Zidane

The high-profile departures of Higuain, Ozil and Kaka (to Napoli, Arsenal and AC Milan, respectively) was overshadowed by Gareth Bale's blockbuster world record move from Tottenham for £86 million.

While Bale's injuries have limited his appearances (he made only 19 league appearances last season), the other signings from the summer of 2013, namely, Dani Carvajal, Casemiro and Isco have all proven to be extremely intelligent long-term signings by Ancelotti.

Interestingly, Illarramendi (€32 million) was their second most expensive player of the summer, and he turned out to be a flop at the Bernabeu. He's been much more successful since he made the move to Real Sociedad, though.

While Casemiro and Isco took their time settling in (the former spent a season on loan at Porto), they've both become first team regulars now. Carvajal has gradually developed into one of the best full-backs in the world under Ancelotti and Zidane.

All three of them played starring roles in Real's extremely successful 2016/17 campaign, as the Los Blancos won the La Liga title and defended their Champions League crown.

While Bale might not have completely lived up to the promise of the exciting young talent he was at Spurs, he does form an integral part of the club's future along with the aforementioned trio, and for that reason, the summer 2013 transfer window deserves a place on this list.