Real Madrid's Top 5 High-Profile Acquisitions from Premier League Clubs

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Author: Liam Lacey,

With it now looking increasingly likely that Liverpool star right-back Trent Alexander Arnold will become a Real Madrid player in the not-too-distant future, we thought it might be a good idea to look at other times the biggest club in world football were able to prise away some of the biggest names from the biggest League in the world.

If Alexander Arnold leaves English football’s most successful club for the La Liga giants, he will join a glowing list of world class footballers to have traded life in the English Premier League for the revered Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid.

Real Madrid’s Biggest Premier League Transfers

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1️⃣Cristiano Ronaldo

The No1 on our list was never really in any doubt was it. When Portugal legend Cristiano Ronaldo joined Madrid from iconic Premier League club Manchester United, he did so as an established, worldwide star. He had won the 2008 Ballon d’Or, the 2008 Champions League title and 3 Premier Leagues with United but what he went on to achieve on a personal level at Real Madrid was nothing short of sensational. 450 goals in 438 appearances in the famous white shirt, as well as four Champions League titles, four Ballon d’Or awards and two La Liga crowns mean Ronaldo goes down for some as possibly the greatest footballer in the history of the game.

2️⃣Luka Modric

When Modric left Tottenham for Madrid for around £30 Million in 2012, few would have thought the Croatian midfield maestro would have achieved quite what he has managed to during his time at the historic Spanish club. An integral part of the success enjoyed by Madrid during his time there Modric has made over 500 appearances for Los Blancos, winning six Champions Leagues, and four La Liga titles along the way. Modric was also crowned the 2018 Ballon d’Or winner, becoming the first player other than Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi to win the award since 2007.

3️⃣Gareth Bale

Bale became the most expensive player in the world when he joined Madrid from Tottenham for a fee of around £85 million in the summer of 2013. He had just been crowned the PFA Player of the Year for 2012/13 when he left to join Madrid where he went on to make 258 appearances for the club, scoring 106 goals. He made up a devastating front three of himself, Cristiano and Karim Benzema, dubbed BBC to help the club win the 2014 Copa Del Rey and Champions League titles with the Welsh international scoring in both Finals. He would go on to lift the Champions League another four times with the club, scoring one of the greatest goals ever scored in a Final, during the 2018 Final against Liverpool. He also lifted three La Liga crowns.

"Modric was also crowned the 2018 Ballon d’Or winner, becoming the first player other than Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi to win the award since 2007."

4️⃣David Beckham

Although former England captain David Beckham was undoubtedly an extremely talented footballer, his arrival in the Spanish capital brought Madrid far more success off the field than on the pitch during the former Manchester United winger’s time at the club. Madrid had beaten old rivals Barcelona to Beckham’s signature in the summer of 2003, but although commercially a success for Madrid due to the star power of Beckham, the club only delivered one League title over the Englishman’s four years at the club. He left for LA Galaxy in 2007 after making 155 appearances in four seasons at the Bernabeu.

5️⃣ Thibaut Courtois

Widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers of his generation, Courtois made the big move to Real Madrid in 2018 after four successful seasons as Chelsea’s No 1. Courtois had in fact spent three seasons on loan at Madrid’s big city rivals Atletico during his time at Chelsea, playing over 150 times for Atletico, winning the 2013/14 La Liga title as well as the 2011/12 Europa League. He also played in the 2014 Champions League Final for Atletico against Real. Courtois won two Premier Leagues, an FA Cup and a League Cup during his time in London but left for pastures new after a starring role for Belgium at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where he was crowned the Golden Glove winner. Since moving to Real, Courtois has played over 250 times for the club, winning two Champions League titles, along with three La Liga crowns.

Conclusion

If Trent Alexander-Arnold does leave Anfield for Madrid either in January or when his contract is due to expire in the summer, the Premier League will have lost a right back that has redefined the role of a full back during his time at the club. If he can achieve even a fraction of what the men on this list have done however, it will have been a move worth making for the England international.

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✒️ Liam Lacey – Football and GAA Sports Expert

Liam Lacey Liam Lacey is a sportswriter from Ireland. Liam has been an avid sports fan for as long as he can remember with a particular interest in the GAA, football and tennis.

Liam is also a huge tennis fan and like so many has looked on with amazement as the trio of Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic took the men’s game to a whole new level for so long. In his downtime, Liam enjoys watching a good movie or TV series. He likes to attempt to try and play football, but he has finally come to the conclusion that he is better off writing and talking about sport than he is trying to make his mark out on the pitch!

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