In July 1999, Makaay was signed by Deportivo La Coruña from Tenerife for a transfer fee of PTAS10 million. He made his league debut on 22 August 1999 in the opening game of the season, where he scored a hat-trick to give Deportivo a 4–1 home victory over Alavés. Makaay scored a total of 22 goals in 36 appearances in the 1999–2000 season, including in their final match against Espanyol to inspire the Galician club to their first La Liga title.