On July 27, Real Madrid held Endrick's unveiling at Bernabeu Stadium with the participation of more than 60,000 fans. The 18-year-old striker's contract is worth 35 million Euros, which can later increase up to 25 million Euros depending on performance. Along with Mbappe , Endrick joined Galaticos 3.0 with many young stars such as Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham, Rodrygo, Federico Valverde, Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga.
Acquiring Mbappe on a free transfer and Endrick not being too expensive shows Los Blancos' vision and smart transfer method. They spent 1.2 billion pounds on their current squad, but its real value could exceed 1.8 billion pounds.
In recent years, the reason Real Madrid has rarely "bombed" with expensive contracts is because of COVID-19 and the overhaul of the Bernabeu. Real is almost the only big team to stand firm through the pandemic thanks to the leadership of captain Florentino Perez. After the epidemic, Real Madrid still has money to buy stars and can still ensure the 1.76 billion Euro plan to overhaul its house.
According to Transfermarkt, Real Madrid ranked 12th in transfer spending worldwide as of the 2019-20 season. They spent 650.8 million Euros on transfer fees during that period, a very small number compared to Chelsea's 1.59 billion Euros or Manchester United's 1.01 billion Euros. It is even less than West Ham's 660.7 million Euros.
During this same period, Real Madrid lost 215.2 million Euros in transfers but they were still better than many other major rivals across Europe. Among the great rivals, only Barcelona kept losses lower than Real Madrid (145 million Euro).
One of the ways that Real Madrid has maintained its financial foundation over the years while still being successful is its policy of buying young players. Before Endrick, many other young stars arrived at Real Madrid and quickly became top players in the world.
For example, Casemiro came to Real Madrid in 2013 at the age of 21 and cost 5.8 million Euros. Later, after winning 5 Champions Leagues with Real, Casemiro moved to Man United for 70.3 million Euros. Or like the case of Raphael Varane. Before moving to Man United for 40 million Euros, he won 4 Champions Leagues and only cost Los Blancos 10 million Euros at the age of 18 when moving from Lens.
Real Madrid is also very successful in selling young stars. They earned 43 million Euros when they sold Achraf Hakimi to Inter in 2020 when the defender was 21 years old. Real earned 30 million Euros when selling Sergio Reguilon to Tottenham that same year.
Real Madrid is not always successful in the player market. They failed miserably with Eden Hazard (100 million Euros) and Luka Jovic (60 million Euros) in 2019. Since then, Real Madrid has not spent too much money to buy stars. They succeed on their own to become a magnet for talent like the case of Kylian Mbappe.
One of Real Madrid's other successes in recent years is developing the players' talent to the level of the world's top stars. New contracts after arriving at the Bernabeu often increase in value each season. Typically Jude Bellingham. The English midfielder arrived from Dortmund in the summer of 2023 for 103 million Euros. According to CIES, Bellingham's value is currently about 285 million Euros after a successful season.
Vinicius came to Real Madrid in 2018 for 45 million Euros and now his value has fallen to 231.5 million Euros. Kylian Mbappe arrived on a free transfer and is now valued at nearly 251 million Euros. Some remaining highly valued stars include Rodrygo (203.2 million Euros), Federico Valverde (122.3 million Euros) or Eduardo Camavinga (113.8 million Euros). Even Endrick, after the moment he debuted for his new team, the young star's value increased to 55.7 million Euros.
Some people increase, some people have to decrease. Among Los Blancos' veterans, the lowest value in the transfer market right now belongs to living legend Luka Modric. At the age of 39, he was assessed by CIES to have zero value in the transfer market. However, people like Modric are no longer measured in monetary value, the legacy he left behind over the years is considered priceless.
