Here are our views on football’s 7 greatest free transfer signings:
7. Kingsley Coman – Juventus
In seventh place we start with an inclusion who is rather different to the other six who will feature in this video. Coman is different because he makes this seven not primarily because of his contribution to the team he joined on a free transfer, Juventus, but for the profit they made on him, namely £25 million.
The quick and tricky young wide man joined Juventus after his contract expired at PSG, and as far as we can see, no compensation was ever paid by the Serie A side. Bayern Munich paid 7 million Euros to take him on-loan for two seasons before eventually paying 21 million euros to sign him on a permanent deal in 2017.
6. Esteban Cambiasso – Inter Milan
Esteban Cambiasso of Inter Forever in action during Chelsea Legends v Inter Forever at Stamford Bridge on May 18, 2018 in London, England.
A man who could arguably feature in this seven twice, Esteban Cambiasso was crucial to Leicester City staying in the Premier League in his single season contracted to the Foxes having joined from Inter Milan on a free transfer, a successful survival attempt which facilitated their extraordinary Premier League title win the following season.
It is his free transfer to Inter Milan 10 years earlier in 2004 that qualifies the former Argentinian international for this seven though. A hard working and well-disciplined defensive midfielder who won 15 trophies in 10 years at Inter, including a historic treble in 2010, Cambiasso joined the club after being let go by Real Madrid. The now retired 38-year-old had been on the fringes in Madrid, but became a club legend in the black and blue side of Milan.
5. Steve McManaman – Real Madrid
The English have a reputation, which is largely the result of their tabloid newspapers, of having an over-inflated opinion of their domestic talents. In the case of Steve McManaman though, I think you could make a good case that he is vastly underrated by a large number of Englishmen and women, particularly younger football fans.
An excellent dribbler of the ball who was quick, hard working and energetic, McManaman was a regular provider of goals from the right flank for both Liverpool and Real Madrid. The England international joined Real on a free transfer in 1999, where he won two Champions League’s in his first three seasons.
The most decorated overseas Englishman in football history, he was the Man of the Match in the 2000 Champions League final, but struggled to make much of an impact when he returned to English football with Man City in 2003.
4. Jay-Jay Okocha – Bolton Wanderers
FIFA Legend Jay-Jay Okocha of Nigeria poses after a interview at The Diplomat Radisson BLU Hotel on May 9, 2017 in Manama, Bahrain.
When people talk of the Kevin Nolan’s and Abdoulaye Faye’s of this world as being Sam Allardyce players, the former Everton boss is quick to remind them of his time at Bolton Wanderers. Big Sam brought the likes of Fernando Hierro, Youri Djorkaeff and Nicolas Anelka to the Lancashire club, but no player brought more flair, joy and excitement than Nigerian legend Jay-Jay Okocha.
So good they named him twice, Okocha may not have won league titles and Champions Leagues like some of the others in this seven, but his importance to Bolton was enormous, and few players have had as much seemingly god-given talent and flair as Jay-Jay. He joined Bolton after his contract expired at PSG in 2002, going on to give four years of thrilling service to the club.
3. Sol Campbell – Arsenal
In a similar category to Steve McManaman in terms of English footballers who are underrated by fans who either never saw them play or only caught them in the latter stages of their career, there seems to have been some historical revisionism surrounding Sol Campbell. Tottenham fans may have every right to dislike the three-time PFA Team of the Year member, but no-one should deny his talents as a player. One of England’s all time greatest centre-backs, his international contribution was certainly greater than that of his finest domestic contemporaries, namely John Terry, Rio Ferdinand and Tony Adams.
Campbell joined Arsenal on a free transfer from Tottenham, becoming the world’s first £100,000 a week footballer. He went on to win 2 Premier League’s & 2 FA Cup’s in five seasons with the Gunners.
2. Robert Lewandowski – Bayern Munich
Robert Lewandowski of FC Bayern Muenchen during the FC Bayern Muenchen and Paulaner Photo Session at FGV Schmidtle Studios on September 2, 2018 in Munich, Germany.
One of the finest centre-forwards of his generation, Robert Lewandowski is one of a number of Borussia Dortmund players to leave the club for Bayern Munich in recent years. A particularly bitter pill to swallow for Dortmund, Lewandowski was not only their best player, but he also joined the Bavarian giants on a free transfer.
Having scored 103 goals in 187 games for Dortmund, the classy Pole has since bagged 156 goals in 198 games for Bayern, winning four Bundesliga titles in four seasons, but not yet that illusive Champions League title. Now aged 30, Lewandowski is already the seventh highest scorer in Bundesliga history.
1. Andrea Pirlo – Juventus
“The signing of the century,” that’s how Gianluigi Buffon described Juventus’ acquisition of Andrea Pirlo on a free transfer in 2011. The Italian maestro left AC Milan after ten years of stellar service at the San Siro. Rumour has it that Milan felt Pirlo was past it and not befitting of a new deal. How they would rue that mistake, as Juventus picked up the world class deep-lying playmaker free of charge and quickly made him the lead orchestrator in a team which won four Serie A titles in Pirlo’s four seasons at the club.
Pirlo left Juventus for New York City FC in 2015, but he was named in the club’s all time greatest XI in 2017, which is no small feat at a club like Juve. It’s a tight call for us between Lewandowski and Pirlo, but the Italian gets the nod from us, for now at least.
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