Atlético Madrid, a club historically associated with effective management in the transfer market, have also had their share of mistakes. Over the years, some players arrived with high expectations but failed to live up to them, whether due to injuries, lack of adaptation or simply disappointing performances. Below, we look at the five most unfortunate signings in the history of the red-and-white club.
In 2019, Atlético de Madrid made a big bet on João Félix, paying 126 million euros to Benfica. The young Portuguese arrived with the label of being one of the most promising talents in world football, but his time at the Madrid club was disappointing. Despite showing glimpses of his quality, he never managed to establish himself as the leader that was expected. In 2024, Atlético decided to sell him for around 50 million, a sad outcome for such a high investment.
In the summer of 2015, Atlético signed Colombian Jackson Martínez for 35 million euros, after his brilliant performances at Porto. However, his time at the club was a complete failure. With just three goals in 22 games, the striker never adapted to Diego Simeone’s system. He left for China just six months later, leaving a bad taste in the mouth and a considerable financial loss for the club.
Nicolas Gaitan joined Atletico from Benfica in 2016 for €25m, hoping to bring creativity and attacking power to the red-and-whites. However, the Argentine never managed to establish himself in the team. His performances were inconsistent, and after two seasons in which he barely made an impact, he was transferred to Chinese side Dalian Yifang, a move that made it clear that his time at Atletico was a huge mistake.
Frenchman Thomas Lemar arrived at Atlético Madrid in 2018 for 70 million euros, becoming the most expensive signing in the club’s history up to that point. However, his performances have been far from what was expected. Despite some good performances, he never managed to be decisive in the team. Lemar has been criticized for his lack of consistency and his low impact in key matches, being considered one of the club’s biggest failures in recent years.
In 2017, Atlético de Madrid acquired Vitolo after paying 36 million euros to UD Las Palmas, in a deal that included a previous loan to Sevilla due to the FIFA sanction. However, constant injuries and his lack of continuity prevented him from performing at the expected level. Throughout four seasons, Vitolo was more of a spectator than a protagonist, before being loaned out and finally leaving the club.
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