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The English Premier League is among the most followed domestic tournaments in the world. It generates significant revenue through broadcasting rights. Naturally, the clubs plying their trade in the competition attract big-money investors towards them.
Such investors make that additional effort to lure some of the best talents from around the world to their clubs in the Premier League. Their involvement only helps improve the overall quality of the English top-tier.
Other countries have also lured superstars from the Premier League
While the Premier League has its own attraction, other European competitions have their own as well.
It often happens that Premier League players are attracted by the nature of the challenge available elsewhere. Even the history of clubs such as Real Madrid has turned out to be a determining factor in players opting to leave the Premier League
Cristiano Ronaldo decided to leave Manchester United and join Real Madrid in order to try out a new challenge away from the Premier League back in 2009.
A number of star players have followed the road traveled by Ronaldo since. The nature of the money involved in these outgoing deals shows how highly the rest of Europe rates talent from the Premier League.
In the list below, we are going to discuss five of the most expensive outgoing transfers from one of the world's most popular leagues - the Premier League.
#5 Luis Suarez (£75 million)
Luis Suarez made the switch from the Premier League to La Liga in the summer of 2014 after three brilliant seasons with Liverpool. In 133 appearances across all competitions for the Reds, Suarez netted 82 goals and registered 47 assists.
The Uruguayan later confirmed that he had been approached by Barcelona during the World Cup in Brazil. Suarez thought it to be his dream move.
However, his chances of fulfilling that dream were jeopardized when he received a four-month ban following an altercation with Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup.
But it eventually turned out that his fears were unfounded when Barcelona spent around £75m to sign Suarez from Premier League giants Liverpool.
Suarez's new team-mate Lionel Messi had already settled into his new role as a false nine by the time he arrived. However, then Barcelona manager Luis Enrique felt the need to find an out-and-out striker who could work as a link between Messi and Neymar at the top.
The MSN trio was then formed at Barcelona and they went on to wreak havoc over the course of the next three seasons before the departure of Neymar in 2017.
Before his departure from Camp Nou last summer, Suarez had scored a resounding 195 goals for the Catalan giants. The 34-year-old is quite easily one of the best strikers to have played for Barcelona, justifying his big-money move from the Premier League.
However, his time with Barcelona did not have a fairytale ending as he was ousted from the club in unceremonious fashion. Eventually, Suarez made Barcelona regret their decision by guiding Atletico Madrid to the La Liga title last term.
#4 Cristiano Ronaldo (£80 million)
Some might argue that the seeds of Cristiano Ronaldo's departure from Manchester United were sown during the 2006 World Cup where he got involved in club teammate Wayne Rooney's dismissal.
Another of their team-mates, Gary Neville, later revealed that the duo shook hands inside Sir Alex Ferguson's office on their first day since returning.
Spanish giants Real Madrid eventually came knocking two years later. The Portuguese star showed his desire to leave Old Trafford but Ferguson decided against sanctioning the move that summer.
Manchester United fans by then had become aware that it was an eventuality. It ultimately happened in the summer of 2009 with Real Madrid paying Manchester United a then record £80m fee.
Ronaldo's arrival at the Santiago Bernabeu was greeted with much enthusiasm. He was joined there by Brazilian Kaka - another high-profile signing of that summer for Real Madrid.
His stint with Real Madrid ended with two La Liga titles and an impressive four Champions League trophies.
While Ronaldo's departure caused much ire among Manchester United fans, it was probably the best decision to make. Ronaldo had certainly shown a laid-back attitude at Old Trafford that season and showed every sign that he needed a new challenge away from the Premier League.
Over the course of the next nine years, Ronaldo carried the hopes of Real Madrid on his strong shoulders and built an exceptional partnership with his team-mates. He currently plies his trade in Serie A with Juventus.
#3 Gareth Bale (£85 million)
Daniel Levy, chairman of Premier League club Tottenham, could be a tough customer to deal with when it comes to transfers. That turned out to be the case back in 2013 when Real Madrid president Florentino Perez targeted the signing of Gareth Bale from the Premier League club.
It was one of that summer's most drawn-out transfers involving lots of twists and turns.
Like so many others, Bale has also seen a move to Real Madrid as his dream. So he felt distraught when Levy stood in the way of his eventual £85m move from the Premier League to La Liga.
He was keen to play in the Champions League, something that wouldn't have been possible at the Premier League club, at least the following year. The temptation to share a dressing room with some of the world's greatest footballers also attracted him to the Santiago Bernabeu.
It was going to be the pinnacle of Bale's football career following his emergence from Southampton. The deal eventually happened and Bale joined Ronaldo and Karim Benzema at the top of Real Madrid's line-up.
Over the course of the next few years, the trio of Bale-Benzema-Cristiano (BBC) went on to impress for Real Madrid. Despite enduring a remarkable fall from grace in recent years, Bale is currently working towards recapturing his best form under former manager Carlo Ancelotti.
#2 Eden Hazard (£103.5 million)
Over the years, Real Madrid have earned a reputation for themselves as a club that gives a player the chance to write his name among the greats of the game.
Hazard left the Premier League to pursue the "next chapter" of his career back in 2019.
In June 2017, Hazard admitted he would be willing to listen to offers from Real Madrid, thus leaving the door open for his eventual departure from the Premier League.
Following the 2018 World Cup he threw his future under further doubt by speaking about his torn state of mind. While he had Chelsea at heart, he was also keen to realize his dream of playing for Real Madrid.
His Premier League exit was eventually sealed for a fee in the region of £103.5 million. Contrary to expectations, Hazard failed to live up to the billings. In the Premier League, Hazard used to play as a left winger, who would often create space and use it to his benefit. Chelsea's entire playing style was based around him.
He would sometimes drop infield and drag opposition defenders along with him. That freed up Chelsea's full-backs, who could then create chances for the strikers. In the process Hazard would draw more fouls.
But that technique failed to work at Real Madrid, often resulting in him picking up injuries and staying sidelined for months. Eventually all his early promises faded and he proved to be one of Real Madrid's biggest misfits.
As things stand, Hazard is a shadow of his former self. Considering his ability, however, it is never too late for him to recapture his menacing form.
#1 Philippe Coutinho (£142 million)
Barcelona were dealt a huge blow when they were forced to part ways with one of their prized assets, Neymar, in the summer of 2017.
The £198m Barcelona pocketed from the deal was used to buy Philippe Coutinho from Premier League side Liverpool for a deal that could rise to £142m. There was a premium added to every deal Barcelona conducted following Neymar's 2017 move as a domino effect.
Following the move, Coutinho said it was incredible to think that he would be living with his idols, "players with a lot of history."
He finished his first season away from the Premier League with 11 goals and five assists.
However, that early promise failed. At Liverpool, Coutinho had emerged as one of the best playmakers in the Premier League.The expectation was that he would do the same with Barcelona.
With the departure of Neymar, the Barcelona midfield lacked creativity and the need was to have someone there who could share the responsibility with Lionel Messi.
While Coutinho has shown sparks of his brilliance, his Barcelona spell has been characterized by inconsistencies.
Ernesto Valverde's insistence on using Coutinho in wider positions also played a crucial role in him losing his early promise.
Initially Coutinho was given more freedom centrally where he could create more chances in his capacity as a playmaker. However, once Valverde switched to the 4-3-3 formation, Coutinho started feeling the heat of bringing the attack from the flanks.
Doubts surround over Coutinho's Barcelona career right now after yet another disappointing campaign last time around. A return to the Premier League hasn't been entirely ruled out.
However, the Brazilian undoubtedly has the potential to turn things around and get back to his best to become a key player for Barcelona in the future.
