Ranking Real Madrid's 15 Biggest Signings in Last 8 Years by Liga Contributions

Real Madrid are renowned for buying the biggest and best names in the football world whenever possible, and over the past eight seasons, they have completed 15 signings for £20 million or more.

But just how much bang for their buck are they getting with these large-scale investments? And, more importantly, which players have proved the most impressive over the long term and have offered the best return for the outlay?

Here, we investigate and rank all 15 signings according to their game time in La Liga, expressed as a financial value relative to their longevity and cost. We've calculated the percentage of league minutes played from the time at the club available to each player, then used that figure against the player's initial transfer fee to judge how much "value" is (or was, in the case of players who have already departed) left to recover.

So, the lower the final number the better in this case.

For consistency, all transfer fees are taken from Transfermarkt.

Transfer fee: £55.25 million

Seasons at RMA: Four

Game-time percentage: 36

Outstanding value: £35.16 million

Kaka was a marquee signing toward the end of the Galactico era, but he didn't quite fit into the team in the way that would have been expected from one of the world's finest.

Perhaps it was his fitness issues, perhaps it was the unbalanced nature of the team, but the former AC Milan man never hit top gear for an extended period at the Santiago Bernabeu.

A huge outlay, and nothing in return when he left, makes him arguably the least value-for-money signing in the last decade.

Transfer fee: £85.85 million

Seasons at RMA: 3.5

Game-time percentage: 61

Outstanding value: £33.28 million

It was a world-record transfer fee, hence having a big outstanding value still, but Real Madrid's investment in Gareth Bale has already been proved to be a wise one.

The Welsh winger improves with every passing campaign, and considering he will still be at the club another couple of seasons at least, the outstanding value will soon decrease.

He's 14th on our list, but considering his actual cost was higher than anybody else's, it has still come down a huge amount in a relatively short time.

Transfer fee: £63.75 million

Seasons at RMA: 2.5

Game-time percentage: 49

Outstanding value: £32.2 million

James Rodriguez is far too well-acquainted with the substitutes' bench for his own liking, and having played less than half the available game time since joining the club, it's easy to see why rumours circulate about his future.

The Colombian is supremely talented but hasn't found a role for himself at Real Madrid. Although he holds a high resale value, the club must be bitterly disappointed they haven't gotten more out of him.

Transfer fee: £25.5 million

Seasons at RMA: 4.5

Game-time percentage: 24

Outstanding value: £19.39 million

A complete flop in an investment sense, Fabio Coentrao started off in jittery fashion at Real Madrid. He had one pretty good spell in the team, but he has nosedived since.

Injuries, a poor loan spell away and being sidelined this season means the Portuguese wing-back has barely offered any kind of return on investment since joining over five years ago. 

Transfer fee: £27.2 million

Seasons at RMA: Two

Game-time percentage: 38

Outstanding value: £16.85 million

Asier Illarramendi was always a good player struggling to make it in a bigger team. It's even possible to say he overachieved by playing around 40 per cent of the time, considering he rarely won a regular starting place.

Having returned to Real Sociedad, he is once more showing why he's one of the better midfielders in La Liga, but Real Madrid didn't eke enough of his quality out or improve him considerably. The saving grace from a financial point of view is the resale value achieved of around £12 million.

Transfer fee: £26.35 million

Seasons at RMA: 1.5

Game-time percentage: 40

Outstanding value: £15.77 million

Another player whose outstanding value will only fall dramatically from this point onward, Mateo Kovacic didn't feature too heavily last season, but he has proved his worth in 2016/17.

The Croatian midfielder is an all-action player who contributes in both halves of the pitch—a rare combination for Madrid players in recent seasons. He's a monstrous player and still young, with years of impact left ahead of him.

Transfer fee: £25.5 million

Seasons at RMA: 0.5

Game-time percentage: 38

Outstanding value: £15.72 million 

Had Alvaro Morata been given the game time he deserves this season, he'd rank even higher on our list.

It was a relatively low-cost deal for Madrid to re-sign him, and a short second spell at the club means his value is perhaps a bit skewed. However, over the longer-term—if he remains at the Santiago Bernabeu—he should prove a worthwhile addition.

Transfer fee: £26.78 million

Seasons at RMA: 1.5

Game-time percentage: 52

Outstanding value: £12.86 million

The first surprising stat here is that Danilo has featured in over half the minutes he's been available to Real Madrid for—but with rotations and injuries, the full-back spots are all-important for Madrid, and the Brazilian has filled in plenty.

Danilo hasn't been a fan favourite, but we're not measuring performance level here, rather the return on investment relative to the manager picking the player or him being given chances to show the club why he was signed. On that account, he's not doing too badly so far.

Transfer fee: £79.90 million

Seasons at RMA: 7.5

Game-time percentage: 84

Outstanding value: £12.70 million

As with all players on this list, the difference between original transfer fee and outstanding value is the key indicator, and Cristiano Ronaldo's has come down significantly.

The superstar has been a consistent source of goals down the years thanks to his immaculate performance and fitness levels; an availability of 84 per cent of league minutes over close to eight full seasons is simply breathtaking.

It's the joint-highest game-time rate out of our 15 players, but he has been at Real Madrid far longer than the only other player who can match him.

Transfer fee: £29.75 million

Seasons at RMA: 7.5

Game-time percentage: 60

Outstanding value: £12.05 million

If further proof was needed as to how impressive Ronaldo's position is, compare his outstanding value to Karim Benzema's: they arrived at the same time and have less than £1 million between them, yet Ronaldo's initial fee was close to three times higher—and Benzema himself has been pretty impressive.

The French striker hasn't been at his best this term, but his overall time at the Bernabeu has been excellent, if not quite elite.

Transfer fee: £28.05 million

Seasons at RMA: Four

Game-time percentage: 59

Outstanding value: £11.64 million

Argentinian star Angel Di Maria had an up-and-down time at Real Madrid, finding himself in and out of the side in different years according to manager and formation, but the years he was regularly in the team, he was outstanding.

It's arguable his best year came in central midfield for Real, and he hasn't eclipsed that campaign since leaving the Bernabeu. But either way, Madrid got plenty for their money and a handsome return on his sale price, too.

Transfer fee: £25.50 million

Seasons at RMA: 3.5

Game-time percentage: 58

Outstanding value: £10.68 million

Isco is another who, like James, hasn't really established himself for any length of time in the team—but he had a much lower initial cost and has played somewhat more than James has managed, so Real can comfortably feel they've gotten financial value for Isco, if not complete sporting value.

The playmaker is often shoehorned into the side as and when needed, and it's unlikely he'll ever become a guaranteed regular, but if and when he leaves, it's likely to be with a hefty transfer fee, making him good business overall.

Transfer fee: £25.50 million

Seasons at RMA: 4.5

Game-time percentage: 63

Outstanding value: £9.55 million

Into the podium positions, and our clutch of players can justifiably claim to have offered Real Madrid tremendous service, quality and longevity, as well as value.

Luka Modric remains a key player in the side after several years of service, and only injuries in his time at the club prevent his outstanding value being even lower than it is.  When he's fit, Modric is in the team.

Transfer fee: £30.09 million

Seasons at RMA: Five

Game-time percentage: 76

Outstanding value: £7.25 million

One of the finest midfielders in a generation, Xabi Alonso bossed the centre of the park for Madrid between signing from Liverpool and moving to Bayern Munich, featuring for more than three-quarters of all league games in the intervening five seasons—a quite phenomenal spell.

More than worth the money Real paid for him, Alonso gave the team everything they required: balance, tactical nous, technical excellence and defensive cover.

Transfer fee: £25.50 million

Seasons at RMA: 2.5

Game-time percentage: 84

Outstanding value: £4.16 million

Top billing goes to the team's indispensable midfield maestro Toni Kroos, who has barely missed a kick since signing from Bayern Munich.

The midfielder has perhaps been overused at times, in fact, but such is his standing in the game and such is his impact on the team performance when in form, he's another guaranteed name on the teamsheet.

A big transfer fee has more than been accounted for by his availability and, with years left in him at the highest level, Kroos is likely to be remembered as one of the club's finest purchases in the modern era.