#3 Gaizka Mendieta – € 48m
The transfers of Christian Vieri and Pavel Nedved for huge sums of money within a relatively short span of time, meant Lazio had their coffers full. They chose to empty a substantial portion of the same on Spanish midfielder Gaizka Mendieta, at the start of the 2001/02 season, the same season when they sold Pavel Nedved to rivals Juventus.
The box-to-box midfielder from Spain had been making waves in La Liga with Valencia and his performances in Spain convinced Lazio to part with €48 million for the services of the then 28-year-old.
The transfer, however, was an epic failure for both club and player, as Mendieta failed to settle into life in Italy. His calm and composed playing style was not suited to the bruising rigours of the Italian game, and he was a complete misfit.
Mendieta’s career started taking a sharp nosedive since his move to Lazio. A loan move to Barcelona after just one season in Italy offered him a lifeline, but his performances back in La Liga could not convince Barca to sign him on a permanent basis. His career ended with Middlesbrough in England.
