Greatest Free Transfer of All Time

In the modern football world, an incredible amount of transfer fees have shocked the sporting fandom. Clubs must stay educated in their strategy in an inflated market as they plan for the future. But some bargains remain to be explored in the transfer market, and TangoBet can’t wait to see them unfold. Lets discuss the greatest free transfers.

Since the Belgian international Jean-Marc Bosman successfully sued Belgian club Standard Liege at the European Court of Justice in 1995, professional football players can now move to another club without a needed transfer once their contract expires. The free agent pool was stereotypically seen as only tested for aging players who had lost their position in their respected squad. This line of thinking has been completely flipped on its head in the modern era, and now the world’s best find themselves waiting for their contract to run out.

Kylian Mbappe is one of the several stars in the sport who have moved to a new club without a fee. A player who’s also taken the news recently is Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold. The Liverpudlian looks set on joining the likes of Mbappe, Bellingham, and Vinicius at the Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid in a very similar fashion to that of the Frenchman. This blog will discuss the history behind free transfers and the greatest free transfers in the game.

What is a free transfer?

Typically, the transfer of a player involves a compensation payment to the footballer’s current club by the poaching club. This compensation is known as a transfer fee, which depends on several factors, including the player’s value in the market, the value of their existing contract, and how many years they have left on their contract.

However, when a player leaves on a free transfer, they move from one club to another without the new club having to pay a selected fee. A free transfer usually happens when the player’s existing contract has finished or is about to expire. A player can also transfer to another club on a free transfer if his existing club agrees to release them from their existing contract based on mutual consent.

For example, when Lionel Messi ran down the length of his contract with his boyhood club Barcelona, the French giants PSG could sign one of the world’s best players without paying an extortionate fee to the Catalan club. When 6 months or less remain on a player’s current contract, they are entitled to negotiate a potential move with any club they choose without a transfer fee mentioned in the discussion.

What Is The Bosman Rule?

The Bosman Rule starts with the man it was so famously named after: the not-so-well-known football player Jean-Marc Bosman. Bosman was a Belgian international who played in the midfield. The Belgian’s journey to changing football history started in 1990 when he played for RFC Liege. After playing at the club for 2 years, both the Bosman and club began to realise that things were simply not working out. Fortunately for Bosman, the French second division side Dunkirk made a lucrative offer, and Bosman was very keen to make the move happen.

In 1990, if a player wanted to leave a football club, they would need the club’s permission. This would either be on a free transfer or with an agreed upon fee. Players running down their contract to leave on a free transfer was not something out of the ordinary. Bosman had made his intentions very clear to Liege, but the club was not adamant about him leaving without compensation. Liege’s valuation of Bosman was far too high for Dunkirk. This left Bosman stuck at a club he didn’t want to play for. To make it even worse, the club reduced his wages by 75% due to his attempt to leave the club.

With Bosman feeling frustrated and mistreated, he decided to take Liege to court. After a long legal battle that lasted five years, the case was settled on 15 December 1995. With Bosman pursuing this injustice it resulted in the introduction of one of the biggest law changes in the history of football.

The historic victory meant that a law was put into place declaring that when a player’s contract expires they can leave their respected club on a free transfer. This meant players were now able to negotiate considerable signing bonuses and lucrative salaries with new teams to compensate for an absence of a transfer fee. On the other hand, players who were coming to the end of their contracts were put in a position to now demand higher wages from their current club, this meant clubs faced a new pressure to meet the players demands to avoid losing them without receiving a fee from another club.

The Greatest Free Transfers In Football

Lionel Messi

He is often referred to as the greatest football player of all time, Lionel Messi moved from his boyhood club Barcelona to PSG in 2021. Messi had played 17 seasons at Camp Nou, winning 34 titles in his tenure at the club. This included 10 La Liga titles and 4 champions league medals but a new challenge was waiting for him in France. At PSG, Messi won 2 Ligue 1 titles and his goal scoring and goal providing statistics followed him to France. The Argentinian scored 32 goals and provided 35 assists in 75 appearances for the dominant French side.

In the summer of 2023, after playing two seasons in the french division. Messi decided to enter the free agency pool once again. There were many rumours that he was going to join Barcelona once again, in a shock move he decided to move to the MLS (Major League Soccer) and play for David Beckham’s Inter Miami. The Florida based franchise had offered Messi one of the most complex contracts in football history. The deal reportedly includes agreements with Apple and Adidas, and Messi earns an estimated $60m (£47.3m) a year.

Kylian Mbappe

Kylian Mbappe has been one of the many talents that France has produced in recent years and he’s already making a strong case to be the best talent they’ve ever produced. Mbappe was an enormous Real Madrid fan growing up and dreamed of playing for the first team, idolising the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Zidane. In 2024, those dreams became reality. Mbappe signed for Los Blancos when he opted out of extending his contract at PSG.

Mbappe has over 300 appearances in professional football and has won 18 major trophies which includes a world cup. The star player averages more than one direct goal contribution per 90 minutes. These are amazing numbers for a 26-year-old and he still has many years left in the tank. The striker is already beloved by the Real Madrid fans and they can see the benefit he has brought to the club on and off the field.

Robert Lewandowski

If we’re measuring on pure success and positive impact from a free transfer, there’s an argument to be made that Robert Lewandowski might be the best free transfer of them all. Robert Lewandowski helped Borussia Dortmund achieve domestic success in his time at the German club, winning 2 Bundesliga titles and 1 DFB Pokal. The Polish star followed in many of his teammates footsteps in the mid 2010s and made a move to Dortmund’s rival club.

While his teammates, Mario Gotze and Mats Hummels would go on to make the same move before and after his departure from Dortmund. Neither of them would make the same impact and create the legacy that Robert did at the Allianz Arena. Lewandowski would win a Bundesliga title every season he played at Bayern Munich and also received a Champions League medal in 2020. With Lewandowski’s success at Bayern Munich, there’s a strong case that he’s the greatest free transfer of all time, but his transfer often falls under the radar.

Sol Campbell

This was the transfer that shook the footballing world back in 2001. Sol Campbell would be branded as one of the biggest traitors in football with his move away from Tottenham Hotspur to Arsenal. Campbell didn’t help himself in an interview when asked if he was staying at White Hart Lane he declared, “I’m staying”.

As we know, this verbal commitment didn’t stop Campbell from joining Arsenal in 2001. The England star allowed his contract to run down before joining the London rival. It was still Campbell who had the last laugh as the defender would play a vital part of the famous invincibles team just three seasons later.

Andrea Pirlo

Andrea Pirlo is undoubtedly seen as one of the greatest midfielders of his time. The vision, creativity, and range of passing he possessed was up there with the very best in his position. When the Italian international arrived in Turin on a free transfer from Italian powerhouse AC Milan, Juventus knew they had completed a great bit of business. During his time at Juventus, Pirlo had won 4 Serie A titles and had made over 100 appearances for Juventus contributing with 19 goals and 38 assists.

In the summer of 2015, Pirlo made the choice to leave Juventus on a free transfer to join MLS club New York City FC. The Italian played in the MLS for 3 seasons before eventually retiring and trying out a new challenge. Pirlo would make the venture into management, this is where he would make his return to Juventus. It was only a short stint, as he managed the club from August 2020 to May 2021.

There’s no denying that there’s been some sport stopping transfers over the past couple of decades, leaving huge gaps left in legacy clubs. To keep on top of all transfer rumours and predictions, find out all you need to know on the TangoBet news page. And if it’s tips you’re after to place your winning bet, look no further.