There’s no art to buying top footballers when your coffers are full, and you don’t know what to do with the money. A clever and experienced manager can sometimes get a quality player for free. The following chapters feature ten big-name players who didn’t cost their new employers a penny on the transfer market. From Paul Pogba to Ruud Gullit and Sol Campbell, the following are the 11 best footballers who moved to a new club for free!
Ruud Gullit was one of the players that Silvio Berlusconi brought to the San Siro in the second half of the 1980s and turned AC Milan into a European super club. The Holland all-rounder became the world’s most expensive player in 1987 but paid the cost of his purchase from PSV Eindhoven (£6m) handsomely. He has helped win Serie A three times, European Champions Cup twice, domestic Cup three times, UEFA Super Cup twice and the Intercontinental Cup.
He moved to Sampdoria Genoa in 1994 and helped the club win the domestic cup competition. Still, in June 1995, he headed to Chelsea for free. He spent three seasons at Stamford Bridge, though he did not play any games in the last one. By 1996, he was already in the role of acting coach. He became the first Dutchman to hold a coaching position in the Premier League.
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