5 most expensive Serie A signings following Ronaldo's arrival

The Italian top flight isn't particularly known for being cash-rich, but the incredible transfer trends and records that we've seen in the last couple of seasons was bound to affect the Serie A.

We've seen several €100 million transfers that have shattered local and global transfer records, starting with PSG's big money acquisitions of Neymar and Mbappe.

The two transfers sparked off a series of deals including Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona. The exorbitant fees being quoted these days would have once been hard to comprehend.

But still there were some lines that no one thought would be crossed - for example, Cristiano Ronaldo leaving Real Madrid.

Who would be willing to shell out an astronomical fee for a 33 year old? Who could afford his wages? Over the last decade or so, he'd come to personify Real Madrid, and him leaving the Spanish capital had become unthinkable.

But then even the unthinkable happened - after 9 record breaking seasons with Real Madrid in La Liga, Ronaldo has finally left the Los Blancos to join the Old Lady of Turin.

The £105 million that Juventus paid for him was a Serie A league record.

Now that that's done, we take an updated look at the biggest incoming transfers in Serie A history.

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5. Gaizka Mendieta to Lazio (€48 million)

Remember that time when Lazio had both Alessandro Nesta and Gaizka Mendieta?

Following the departure of Pavel Nedved and Juan Sebastian Veron, Lazio signed Spanish playmaker Gaizka Mendieta from Valencia for €48 million in the summer of 2001.

This transfer made him the sixth most expensive signing of all time, and his performances in La Liga seemed to justify it.

But he lasted only one season in Italy, making just 20 appearances for Lazio, before being shipped out to Barcelona and Middlesbrough on loan.

Unfortunately, even though he was a regular in the one season he spent at the Camp Nou, he could never quite replicate the success he enjoyed at Valencia elsewhere.

4. Gianluigi Buffon to Juventus (€52.8 million)

There was not a dry eye in Turin as Buffon announced his departure to PSG

17 years ago, Juventus paid Parma a mind boggling €52.8 million for a 23 year old Gianluigi Buffon, making him the most expensive goalkeeper of all time.

That record stood for 16 years, until Ederson Moraes was signed up by big spending Manchester City for a higher fee.

Having finally left Turin for Paris this summer, Buffon won nearly every trophy available at club level with Juventus, with the exception of the Champions League. This included an incredible 7 successive Scudettos and 4 successive Coppa Italias.

At the age of 40, he's still going strong, and will be looking forward to his first season in Ligue 1 with PSG.

3. Hernan Crespo to Lazio (€56.8 million)

Crespo's prolific displays for Parma convinced Lazio to sign him in 2000

Prolific Argentine forward Hernan Crespo signed for Lazio from Parma in 2000, but his time in the Italian capital was rather short-lived.

He did have a massive impact at Lazio though, ending his debut season as top scorer with 26 goals in 32 appearances, although Lazio could only finish third in the league.

Following the departure of some high profile players in 2001, Crespo found himself without a stable attacking partner up front, and still managed to score 13 goals.

Lazio's poor performances in the Serie A coupled with their financial problems forced them to sell him after only 2 seasons, as Inter snapped him up for around €31 million.

His first season at Inter was ravaged by injuries, but his second spell there (following 3 seasons spent at Chelsea and AC Milan) was considerably more successful, as he won three consecutive Serie A titles.

2. Gonzalo Higuain to Juventus (€90 million)

Higuain with his second Serie title with Juventus

Although Higuain enjoyed a very successful and prolific period of time at Real Madrid, it was only after he left Spain that he truly became one of the most lethal strikers in Europe.

In his third season at Napoli, he scored a mind boggling 36 league goals in 35 matches, skyrocketing his market value. A big money move was inevitable, and Juventus eventually came knocking.

The €90 million that they paid for him raised some eyebrows, but to his credit, he's been equally potent for them as he was for Real and Napoli, and helped them retain their league title in 2017 and 2018.

Following the arrival of a certain Portuguese player though, his future in Turin is up in the air. To abide by FFP regulations, Juventus will have to offload some players, and Higuain might be one of the first ones to leave.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus (€117 million)

Hundreds of fans throng the streets of Turin as Ronaldo finally touches down in Italy

How many players can command a transfer fee of €100 million plus at the age of 33?

We've been hearing rumours of Ronaldo leaving Real for at least 3 or 4 seasons now, but we always assumed they were just ploys to increase his salary or earn a more lucrative contract. Let's be honest, we never actually thought it would happen.

And yet, in the midst of all the World Cup frenzy, CR7 managed to stun the entire footballing world into a collective silence, as Juventus shelled out a ridiculous amount to bring him to Turin.

Even if Juventus manage to get only a couple of good seasons out of him, his signing is bound to raise their brand value exponentially, not to mention an entire fan demographic he's going to bring with him to Italy, and increased viewership of Serie A.

There are few players who can do that, and solely because of Cristiano playing in a new league this year, the 2018/19 season is going to be a historic one.