Zlatan Ibrahimovic joined Manchester United for nothing, but is he better free transfer than Andrea Pirlo, Paul Pogba and rest?
Swede arrived for zero in summer and has now hit 26 goals — so does this make him best football freebie in game's history?
ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC has proven to be quite the bargain for Manchester United.
His double in the 3-2 EFL Cup final victory over Southampton made it 26 goals for the season so far — and he cost the club absolutely nothing.
The Swede is 35, and is the first United player to hit that mark since Robin van Persie in 2013.
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Despite spending nearly £150million in the summer, it is a player bought on a free who has been the team’s stand-out performer.
But is Ibrahimovic the best free transfer of all-time? We take a look at 11 other contenders.
Roberto Baggio: AC Milan to Bologna, 1997
THE ‘Divine Ponytail’ was the best player in the world at Juventus, but struggled in his two years with Milan.
Mid-table Bologna couldn’t believe their luck when they landed Baggio for nothing, and he discovered arguably the best form of his career.
He netted 22 Serie A goals, was nominated for the Ballon d’Or and even worked his way into Italy’s World Cup squad at the age of 31, before moving to Inter Milan to partner Ronaldo in attack.
Steve McManaman: Liverpool to Real Madrid, 1999
THE winger was Guus Hiddink’s last signing at Real Madrid and was warned by Raul he was joining a dressing room full of “lies, treachery and whispers”.
But that didn’t bother McManaman, who went on to become one of England’s best foreign exports.
He won the Champions League twice — having been named man of the match after scoring in the first final — two league titles, and played alongside the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Raul and Ronaldo.
Sol Campbell: Tottenham to Arsenal, 2001
ONE of the most controversial transfers in football history.
Campbell had come through the ranks at Spurs and, after deciding to leave at the end of his contract, could have chosen to join almost any team in the world, but elected to sign for North London rivals, Arsenal.
It proved to be a wise choice as he won two league titles and three FA Cups.
Jay-Jay Okocha: Paris Saint-Germain to Bolton, 2002
AN ICONIC Premier League player, whose dazzling skills left a marked impression on fans all over the world.
Okocha expressed himself and played with a smile on his face — despite the threat of relegation looming large at Bolton.
His performances saw him nominated for the PFA Player of the Year award, and the Trotters stayed in the division on the final day of the season.
Henrik Larsson: Celtic to Barcelona, 2004
ANOTHER Swede with incredible goal scoring success, who had broken record after record in Scotland.
When his contract ran out, he decided to move to Barcelona, who were establishing themselves as the best team on the planet — but he tore his cruciate ligaments shortly after the move.
However, at the age 34, Larsson returned and came off the bench in the Champions League final to influence a comeback from 1-0 down to beat Arsenal 2-1.
Michael Ballack: Bayern Munich to Chelsea, 2006
GERMAN was in the prime of his career, but decided to leave Bayern once his contract ran out after four years at the club.
And Ballack became an integral part of the Chelsea midfield as he turned in the best form of his career to propel the Blues to their first-ever Champions League final in 2008.
He won the FA Cup three times, one League Cup and the Premier League in his final season.
Andrea Pirlo: AC Milan to Juventus, 2011
AN ICONIC midfielder, who oozed coolness and class was deemed to be over the hill by Max Allegri as the Rossoneri looked to build on the title-winning success.
Juventus won the subsequent four Scudetti, as well as the 2015 Coppa Italia, with Pirlo at the forefront of it.
He was a leader from the middle of the park and won Serie A Player of the Year in 2012, 2013 and 2014.
Paul Pogba: Manchester United to Juventus, 2012
THE Bianconeri really are the kings of the free transfers.
Pogba couldn’t agree a new contract at Old Trafford, so opted for a move to Turin — and we won four league titles in four seasons and two Italian Cups.
And Juventus later sold the Frenchman back to United for a world-record £89million.
Robert Lewandowski: Borussia Dortmund to Bayern Munich, 2014
COULD have left sooner for a higher fee, but the Yellow-Blacks maintained he had to see out his contract.
Lewandowski inspired Dortmund to back-to-back titles, German double and before making the usual move of any player to star in the Bundesliga — to Bayern.
And his scoring has not stopped, with 90 goals in two-and-a-half seasons, as well as another two championship medals.
Esteban Cambiasso: Inter Milan to Leicester, 2015
NIGEL PEARSON pulled off a real coup when he signed the Argentine, who had recently been released by Inter.
Cambiasso had won everything in Italy, and proved an inspiration as his leadership helped the Foxes stay in the Premier League with an incredible run of seven wins and a draw from their final nine matches of the season.
He decided to leave in the summer — and missed out on the chance of being part of an even better story.
James Milner: Manchester City to Liverpool, 2015
HAS he ever let his side down?
Will never be the most spectacular player, but City signed him for £26m — and he moved to Liverpool for nothing.
Milner’s adaptability means he can fill in all over the pitch, and has shown his versatility by specialising at left-back this season.