Real Madrid’s transfer window in 2009 is widely regarded as the greatest in football history. The club’s president at the time, Florentino Perez, was determined to build a team capable of winning their 10th Champions League title, also known as the Decima. To achieve this, he sanctioned a £233 million transfer splurge that brought in some of the biggest names in football, as well as rising stars.
The marquee signing of the window was Cristiano Ronaldo, who joined for a world record fee of £80 million from Manchester United. While this fee is now commonplace in football, it was an eye-watering sum in 2009. However, few could argue that it wasn’t money well spent, given what Ronaldo delivered for the club. He scored 450 goals in just 438 games and became Real Madrid’s all-time record goalscorer. He also helped the club win four more Champions League titles before his departure.
Ronaldo wasn’t the only Ballon d’Or winner to sign for Real Madrid that summer. Kaka, one of the most recognizable names in world football at the time, joined for £56 million from AC Milan. Despite his star power, Kaka managed just 23 goals in 85 games across four seasons before returning to Milan in 2013.
The last remaining member of the 2009 cohort was Karim Benzema, who recently announced that he will be leaving Real Madrid at the end of his contract. Benzema arrived for just £30 million from Lyon as a 21-year-old full of potential and proved to be an absolute steal for what he went on to achieve. His 354 goals for the club are second only to Ronaldo, and he won an impressive 25 trophies during his time at Real Madrid.
While the headline names came in the attacking department, there were also some important additions further back on the pitch. Xabi Alonso, who fell out with Rafael Benitez at Liverpool, joined Real Madrid for £30 million and played more than 200 times for the club before joining Bayern Munich in 2014. Other forgotten names who joined the club during that transfer window included Alvaro Arbeloa, Raul Albiol, Esteban Granero, and Alvaro Negrado.
Overall, Real Madrid’s transfer window in 2009 was a masterclass in building a team capable of winning the biggest prizes in football. While not every signing worked out as planned, the club’s success in the years that followed is a testament to the vision of Florentino Perez and the quality of the players he brought to the club.