5) Rio Ferdinand (Leeds Utd to Man Utd) - £30m

Coming from a family of footballers, Rio Ferdinand is the greatest among them all. So good that he broke a number of records in his time - including the transfer fee record.
Having started his career at West Ham, the Hammers could not turn down an £18m offer from Leeds who wanted a 21-year-old Ferdinand.
The youngest defender to play for the Three Lions at the time, Ferdinand was hot property. Leeds' ever-crumbling finances and an impressive World Cup campaign (at least on an individual level) saw the club accept yet another record-breaking offer for the centre-back who moved to Old Trafford to play under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Barring a missed drug test and a subsequent eight-month ban, Ferdinand has had an otherwise unblemished and very successful career at United, even captaining the side and winning six league titles during his stint at the club.