European football has made the game the commercial success it is today. Be it the exciting nature of the English Premier League, the ruggedness of the Serie A, the tactical brilliance of the Bundesliga or the famed line-ups of the La Liga, European matches continue to be an event that millions of football fans look forward to.
One of the growing traits of successful European clubs is their willingness to go the extra mile in their pursuit of the best footballing talent in the world and it comes as no surprise that transfer fees paid by these clubs continue to grow with every passing transfer window.
Also read: Football's most expensive XI of all time
In this segment, we bring to you the most expensive European XI of all time and boy, it’s a team that could steamroll oppositions.
Goalkeeper
Gianluigi Buffon - Parma to Juventus (£32.6 million)
The legendary Italian goalkeeper first made waves with his performances for Parma in Serie A as a teenager after rapidly rising through the club’s youth ranks. He was instrumental in Parma’s successful Coppa Italia and European campaign in the 1998-99 season and was already one of the best keepers in Europe when the Old Lady came calling for him.
Buffon moved to Juventus in the summer of 2001 and has since been the bedrock of the club’s success. During his time at the Juventus stadium, he won seven Scudettos and two Coppa Italias and was also a part of the triumphant Italian national team in the 2006 FIFA world Cup.
Having only recently made the list of players who have featured in 1000 professional games, Buffon continues to be a leader in the Juventus defence and it does not seem like age is catching up with him.
Right-back
John Stones – Everton to Manchester City (£47.5 million)
Ever since Sheikh Mansour decided to buy Manchester City, the club’s stock has risen meteorically in England as well as Europe. From a team that was more often than not a mid table club prior to the acquisition, City now find themselves mixing it with the best in the world.
One of the many talents at the club is Englishman John Stones who arrived at the Etihad Stadium after impressing with Everton. A rock-solid defender who has the ability to carry the ball out of defence, Stones joined the Manchester club for a fee believed to be in the region of £55.60 million, making him the costliest defender of all time.
While he might not have had a great start to life in Manchester, there is no denying his talent and it is obvious that City’s defence is in good hands.
Centre-back
Rio Ferdinand – Leeds United to Manchester United (£30 million)
A product of the West Ham academy, Rio Ferdinand is a name that is forever etched into English football history. The centre-back earned himself a big-money move in the summer of 2002 owing to his great performances at the heart of the defence for West Ham and subsequently for Leeds United.
Chelsea and Manchester United, amongst several other clubs, had been extensively linked with him throughout his formative days and when Leeds showed an inclination to sell their prized asset at the end of the 2001-02 season, Manchester United were the quickest to react.
Of course, a move for the talented youngster was not going to be cheap and Manchester United had to part with a whopping £30 million, the then world record transfer fee for a defender, to acquire his services.
The Englishman, who formed an enviable partnership alongside the Serbian Nemanja Vidic, won an incredible six Premier League titles, two European titles and a host of other trophies in England. To this day, Ferdinand is considered one of the best defenders to have graced the game.
Centre-back
Shkodran Mustafi – Valencia to Arsenal (£35 million)
While Arsene Wenger does have a reputation of being thrifty, there are times when the Frenchman is willing to go to any lengths to acquire the signature of a player. He did so with the likes of Mesut Ozil, and more recently, Shkodran Mustafi.
When the Frenchman decided to pursue the World Cup-winning defender, it did not come as a surprise to anybody in the footballing world. The 24-year-old learnt the tricks of the trade at Hamburg, Everton and Sampdoria, and rose to fame at Valencia with his steely performances at the back. A leader of the defence, Mustafi was precisely what the Gunners needed in the summer transfer window.
While he might not have had a great start to life in England, especially with his side shipping in the 2nd highest goals amongst the top six in the Premier League, the defender’s presence allows Wenger to address other areas of concern.
Left-back
Luke Shaw – Southampton to Manchester United (£30 million)
Luke Shaw is another example of how, sometimes, achieving too much too soon can prove detrimental. Shaw impressed with Southampton ever since he was drafted into the Saints first-team in 2012.
His attacking abilities were what caught the eyes of Manchester United and Chelsea and come the beginning of 2014, United decided to part with a whopping £30 million to acquire his services.
However, after a decent beginning to life at Old Trafford, the player’s time has been blighted by injuries as well a loss in form. The left-back was deemed overweight by Louis van Gaal and then had to spend months recuperating from a horrific double fracture. Moreover, his playing time has reduced due to the presence of the Dutch international, Daley Blind.
At just 21 years of age, though, Shaw still has time to make an impression at Old Trafford and millions of Manchester United fans worldwide will be praying that he comes of age soon.
Central-midfielder
Paul Pogba – Juventus to Manchester United (£89.30 million)
Paul Pogba was destined for greatness ever since he made waves with the Manchester United youth sides. The former Le Havre graduate had arrived in England in 2009 in controversial circumstances and immediately made an impact with the club’s youth teams.
However, the lack of first team opportunities forced Pogba to leave the Theatre of Dreams for Juventus and it was in Turin that the player truly made a name for himself, winning titles and also being crowned the Golden Boy in 2013.
A return to Manchester United was always on the cards and he is well on his way to repaying the humongous fee United were forced to pay for him,
The 24-year-old had a tough start to the season with fans and pundits challenging his credentials as a world class player. However, the second half of the 2016-17 season has been much kinder to the Frenchman as he has established himself at the club and looks destined to be the midfield general of Mourinho’s army for several years to come.
Central attacking midfielder
Kevin De Bruyne – Wolfsburg to Manchester City (£55 million)
While clubs often look to nurture homegrown talent and promote them into their first team, there are several incidents of clubs letting go of their talent. Belgian Kevin de Bruyne’s story is an example of the same.
After impressing with Genk, the player was signed by London heavyweights Chelsea in January 2012. However, the move did not go as per the plan for the Belgian as he was shipped to Werder Bremen in the same year on loan.
With his chances at the club limited, de Bruyne decided it was time to move away from Stamford Bridge and was signed by Wolfsburg in the January transfer window of the 2013-14 season. The young attacking midfielder has since gone from strength to strength to establish himself as one of Belgium’s best players.
His exploits did not go unnoticed and Manchester United’s noisy neighbours snapped him up at the starting of the 2015-16 season for over £50 million. De Bruyne remains pivotal to City’s long-term plans under Pep Guardiola and could be the player around whom the Spanish manager builds his squad.
Right-wing
Gareth Bale – Tottenham Hotspur (£85 million)
The flurry of world-class talent Southampton has produced over the years has not gone unnoticed as any player who is currently with the club’s academy is monitored closely by several other clubs. While the likes of Adam Lallana and Theo Walcott have had a good career, there remains no doubt as to who their best youth product has been.
Gareth Bale is a name that is often talked about in the same breath as the likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Suarez and Neymar. The Welshman, who initially began his career as a left-back, destroyed oppositions while with Tottenham Hotspur and was instrumental in helping them qualify for Europe.
Bale, who secured a multi-million pound move to Real Madrid in the summer of 2013, has now established himself as one of the key members of the famed BBC attacking trio.
However, the rumours surrounding his future do not seem to be dying out with the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea keen on bringing him back to England. Could we see them break the bank to acquire the services of Bale?
Left-wing
Cristiano Ronaldo – Manchester United to Real Madrid (£80 million)
The riches of Real Madrid ensured the arrival of the Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo at the club.
Ronaldo, who began his footballing journey at Sporting Lisbon, moved to Manchester United in 2003 and spent six successful years at the club, winning several trophies in the process. He was a force to reckon with at Old Trafford and when linked with Real Madrid, it was believed to be a marriage made in heaven.
When he moved to Spain in 2009, it was for a world record transfer fee of £80 million and the player has proved that he is worth every penny. The Portuguese has won everything there is on offer in Spain and Europe and despite being 32 years of age, he does not seems keen on slowing down.
His performances continue to be the biggest talking point of every match day. While comparisons with Lionel Messi are inevitable, there remains no doubt about the fact that Ronaldo is one of the best players to have ever graced a football pitch.
Forward
Fernando Torres – Liverpool to Chelsea (£50 million)
El Nino was one of the most beloved figures at Anfield until he decided to switch the Red of Liverpool for the Blue of Chelsea. The Spanish striker was already a world-class player when he arrived at Liverpool from Atletico Madrid for a fee of £20 million and took the Kop by storm. The Spaniard scored 81 goals in 142 appearances for the Reds and continues to be secretly revered by the club’s fans to this day.
His performances ensured that Chelsea were more than willing to pay a fee in the region of £50 million on deadline day in the January of 2010 to secure his services. However, what was believed to be the arrival of one of the best strikers in England to Stamford Bridge turned out to be a complete nightmare for both, the club and the player.
Torres featured in 175 games for Chelsea and found the net on just 45 occasions, a return that did not please most of the Blues.
Currently, Torres is back where it all began, at Atletico Madrid, and despite being restricted to a bit-part role, he continues to score important goals. His current contract with Atletico Madrid runs until the end of the 2016-17 season and it remains to be seen if he will remain at the club for the foreseeable future.
Striker
Zlatan Ibrahimovic – Inter Milan to FC Barcelona (£56 million)
How could Zlatan not be on the list of some of the most elite footballers the game has ever seen? The Swedish superstar, who seems to be getting better with age, is currently at Manchester United after successful spells with Ajax, Juventus, Inter Milan and PSG.
However, if there was one stint he did not enjoy as much as the rest of them, it was his time at Barcelona under Pep Guardiola. Zlatan arrived at the Nou Camp in the summer of 2009 for a fee that was believed to be in the region of £56 million coupled with the departure of the Cameroonian Samuel Eto’o to his former club Inter Milan.
While he did score 21 goals in 45 appearances for the Catalan giants, the idea of playing second fiddle to Lionel Messi did not entirely please Ibrahimovic and he moved to AC Milan at the beginning of the 2010-11 season on loan before permanently leaving Barca in the subsequent season.
After having conquered France, the 35-year-old superstar arrived at Old Trafford to re-unite with his former manager Jose Mourinho on a one-year contract, and given his impact, he could be at the club for at least another season.
