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With the January transfer window just around the corner, here is a list of the top ten most expensive transfers that shook the world of soccer!
Manchester United to Real Madrid, 2009, £80million
11 June 2009 became an important day in the history of football when Real Madrid announced that they have signed Portugese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United for an astounding 80 million pounds, smashing the previous record of 56 million pounds that Real had paid days before for Kaka. Ronaldo reportedly earns 11 million euros per year with a buyout clause of a whopping 1 BILLION euros!
2. Zlatan Ibrahimovic
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Inter Milan to Barcelona, 2009, £56.5million
After impressive performances in the Serie A with Inter Milan, Barcelona courted him out of the San Siro for a reported fee of 69 million euros in a deal that took Samuel Eto’o the other way. Even though he performed well on the pitch for Barca, his relationship with manager Pep Guardiola fell apart and he moved back to Milan and joined AC Milan for 24 million euros, thus resulting in a loss of more than 50 million euros for Barca, a figure which would have bought them a Fernando Torres!
3. Kaka
AC Milan to Real Madrid, 2009, £56million
Kaka moved to Real Madrid for 56 million pounds and this was the most expensive football transfer for a few days before Ronaldo’s arrival at the Santiago Bernabeu. But he has so far failed to replicate his mesmerising form with which he made his name at AC Milan, mainly because of niggling injuries. Most recently he has been linked with moves away from Real Madrid.
4. Fernando Torres
Liverpool to Chelsea, 2011, £50million
On 27 January 2011, days before the closure of the transfer window, ‘El Nino’ was the subject of a £40 million bid from Chelsea, which was rejected by Liverpool. He subsequently handed in an official transfer request to Liverpool the next day, which was rejected. Torres completed his move to Chelsea on a five-and-a-half year contract on 31 January for an undisclosed fee, reported to be £50 million, which set a new record for a British transfer. So far, he has failed to replicate his heroics at Liverpool with Chelsea, but he could play a key role when Didier Drogba departs for the Africa Cup of Nations in January 2012. All the best ‘El Nino’.
5. Zinedine Zidane
Juventus to Real Madrid, 2001, £46.5million
In 2001, France legend Zinedine Zidane joined Real Madrid for a then world record fee of 46.5 million pounds and was part of the famous ‘Galacticos’ assembled by Real President Florentino Perez. He went on to become a legend among the Los Blancos fans with his performances that included a stunning volley in the 2002 Champions League final against Bayer Leverkusen. He is now the Real Madrid Sporting Director.
6. Luis Figo
Barcelona to Real Madrid, 2000, £37million
2001 World Player of the Year and another of the ‘Galacticos’, Luis Figo made a hugely controversial move from Barceona to arch-rivals Real Madrid for 37 million pounds and had a glittering trophy laden career at the Bernabeu before moving on to Inter Milan. He is now an adviser to Inter Milan supermo Massimo Moratti.
7. Hernan Crespo
Parma to Lazio, 2000, £35.5million
In 2000, Lazio broke the then world transfer record by paying £35 million (they paid £16 million in cash and transferred Matias Almeyda and Sergio Conceicao) to acquire Crespo, who in turn finished as Serie A’s top scorer with 26 goals. Lazio, however, failed to defend its league title in 2001, and the following season, Crespo suffered from injuries, while new signings Jaap Stam and Gazika Mendieta failed to live up their reputations, following the departures of playmakers Juan Sebastian Veron and Pavel Nedved. Crespo was left without the tremendous support he had enjoyed in 2001, but still scored a respectable haul of goals.
8. Andy Carroll
Newcastle to Liverpool, 2011, £35 million.
Andy Carroll is the most expensive British football player in the world with Liverpool having paid 35 million to Newcastle to bring him to Anfield. On paper, the ‘big-little’ combo of Carroll and fellow new signing Luis Suarez looked like a match made in heaven but so far Carroll has been struggling to replicate his form of St James Park( or SportsDirect Arena ) at LFC and he has been outshone by Suarez.
9. David Villa
Valencia to Barcelona, 2010, £34million.
Before departing for the 2010 Fifa World Cup in South Africa, David Villa switched from the Mestalla to Camp Nou for 34 million pounds and was hugely successful at Catalonia. However, he broke his tibia in a Club World Cup match in Japan and is out for 5 months.
Here’s wishing David ‘The Kid’ Villa a speedy recovery.
10. Gianluigi Buffon
Parma to Juventus, 2001, £32.6million
Gianluigi Buffon became the most expensive goalie in the history of football when he moved to Turin in 2001. He made a huge impact on the team and showed his loyalty by sticking with the club when they were relegated in the ‘Calocopoli’ scandal. He won the 2006 World Cup with Italy after a superb performance in the final, when David Trezeguet missed the decisive penalty for France.
