All LaLiga clubs may not be able to spend as much as the Premier League clubs but the LaLiga giants, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, can go head to head with any club on the planet for a player.
Out of the last ten transfers that broke the world record, six of them belong to Spanish clubs. Out of those six, five of them belong to Real Madrid, in fact, all five of Real Madrid’s record transfers were in a row.
Four of the eight most expensive transfers in the world currently belong to one Barcelona or Real Madrid. So take a look at the five most expensive transfers made by LaLiga clubs.
#5. Luis Suarez – Liverpool to Barcelona for £75m (2014)
Luis Suarez moved from Liverpool to Barcelona in 2014 for £75m and the time of his transfer, it was the third most expensive transfer ever behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale. Right now, it is the 12th most expensive transfer.
Suarez has thrived since his move to Barcelona. He was a key member of the team that won the treble in 2015 and even scored the winning goal in the final of the Champions League.
He has so far represented Barcelona in 198 games and scored 152 goals in addition to winning 12 trophies with the club.
In the 2015/16 season, Suarez scored an incredible 59 goals in 53 games across all competitions of which he scored 40 goals in 35 league games. In the process, he won the European Golden Boot and became the only player to beat both Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi to the award in the last nine seasons.
#4. Cristiano Ronaldo – Manchester United to Real Madrid for £80m (2009)
In hindsight, Cristiano Ronaldo’s £80m transfer to Real Madrid looks like daylight robbery.
The Portuguese spent nine seasons at the club and scored an unbelievable 450 goals in 438 games. This made him the club’s all-time leading goalscorer in all competitions and in the league by a huge margin.
Ronaldo played a crucial role in winning 15 trophies during his time with Real Madrid including four Champions League titles of which the last three were in succession.
In addition to winning all the team accolades, Ronaldo notably won four Ballon d’Or awards and three European Golden Boots among numerous other individual honours. He also has a plethora of records to his name as well.
#3. Gareth Bale – Spurs to Real Madrid for £86m (2013)
It has been five years since Gareth Bale made his then world record transfer to Real Madrid and he still splits opinion among Real Madrid fans.
Bale’s stint at Real Madrid has been plagued by injury problems but he has still managed to score 88 goals in 190 games for the club.
The Welshman has won 11 trophies with Real Madrid in his five years at the club including four Champions League titles. Bale scored the winning goal in the finals of the Champions League in 2014 and again in 2018.
#2. Ousmane Dembele – Borussia Dortmund to Barcelona for £97m (2017)
When Neymar made his record-breaking transfer to PSG last summer, Barcelona were desperate to find replacements for the Brazilian superstar. However, clubs demanded astronomical fees for their players knowing Barcelona had a war chest.
Dembele was one of Barcelona’s main transfer targets but Borussia Dortmund were unwilling to sanction a move for a player they acquired a year ago for just €15m.
#1. Philippe Coutinho – Liverpool to Barcelona for £106m (2018)
Ousmane Dembele’s record as Barcelona’s and LaLiga’s most expensive player lasted only for a few months. In fact, it wouldn’t have lasted that long if Liverpool weren’t adamant that Philippe Coutinho was not for sale last summer.
Coutinho was the second player Barcelona wanted to buy last summer with Neymar money but their offers for the player were rebuffed by Liverpool in the summer despite Coutinho handing in a transfer request.
Eventually, Coutinho stayed put till the winter and played spectacularly before getting his dream move to Barcelona in January 2018 for €120m plus another €40m in bonuses. It was the second most expensive transfer ever at that time but it dropped to third in the summer when Kylian Mbappe’s loan to PSG became permanent.
The Brazilian has already scored 10 goals in 22 games and also won the LaLiga, Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espana with the Catalan club.