#4 Christian Vieri – € 45m
Christian Vieri was the first true footballing nomad the world of football witnessed. Plying his trade with Atalanta, Juventus, Atletico Madrid and Lazio between 1996 and 1999, Christian Vieri was the subject of a world record transfer from Lazio to Inter Milan.
The Italian forward cost Inter €45 million at the start of the 1999/2000 season and in 187 games for Inter, Vieri scored 120 goals.
Vieri forged his reputation as one of Europe’s top marksmen during a stellar season with Atletico Madrid where he scored 34 goals in 38 games. The jury is still out on whether this was a true reflection of Vieri’s abilities, especially since he notably underperformed for Italy, having been capped only 51 times and scored 23 goals for the Azzurri since his debut in 1997.
The 1999 Italian player of the year was the top scorer in Serie A in 2002/03 and in La Liga in 1997/98. Despite the huge transfer fee, Vieri failed to inspire Inter to any success of note.
