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Football has changed over the years, and so has the value of players. Big owners with their pockets full of moolah need quick success, and so the transfer amount spent on some big players has been almost enough to feed an island full of a people for a year.
Here is a list of all the players who went for big money transfers, and are till date the most expensive players in their positions. The players have been assembles in the form of a football XI.
Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Buffon
Transfer amount: €53 million
Clubs involved: Parma and Juventus
Regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world, Gigi Buffon signed for Juventus for a world-record goalkeeper’s transfer fee of a reported €53m from Parma, with Jonathan Bachini going the other way.
Central Defender: Rio Ferdinand
Transfer amount: €44 million.
Clubs involved: Leeds and Manchester United.
Rio Ferdinand may have been the centre of controversy for the past few years, but there is no denying that the guy had his own share of great days. Standing tall like a wall for the Red Devils, Rio is the most expensive defender of all time.
Central Defender: Thiago Silva
Transfer amount: €41 million
Clubs involved: Milan and PSG
One of the best defenders in world football presently, Thiago Silva wanted to stay at Milan for a long time. But when a fee of around €42m comes knocking at your door, you can’t simply ignore it. Especially if you are Silvio Berlusconi and you were in need of a lot of money. It was the second most expensive transfer fee paid for a central defender, and was followed by yet another high-profile move for team-mate Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Right-back: Lilian Thuram
Transfer amount: €41 million
Clubs involved: Parma, Juventus and Barcelona
Former French International Lilian Thuram became the most expensive defender of all time when he signed a five-year contract with Juventus, which cost them around 80 billion Italian lire. The story didn’t end there as Thuram later joined Barcelona for €5 million after Juventus were relegated to Serie B due to the Calciopoli scandal.
Left-back: Fabio Coentrao
Transfer amount: €29 million
Clubs involved: Benfica and Real Madrid
Signed by Jose Mourinho as a versatile player, Fabio Coentrao was brought as a cover for Marcelo, Xabi Alonso and, at times, Cristiano Ronaldo. However, he was never capable of living up to the expectations that the club demanded.
Midfielder: Zinedine Zidane
Transfer amount: €72 million
Clubs involved: Parma, Juventus and Real Madrid
One of the the greatest player to ever grace the football pitch, Zinedine Zidane’s move to Los Blancos may not have been as successful in terms of trophies as one may have hoped, but the impact he left on the pitch wearing that white shirt is still nostalgic to the Madrid fans. He was one of the few players in history who was actually worth that much.
Midfielder: Ricardo Kaka
Transfer amount: €64 million
Clubs involved: Milan and Real Madrid
Kaka was the world’s most expensive player for a few days when he joined Real Madrid for €64 million. Even though the move didn’t go through the way both Kaka and Real Madrid would have wanted, it is hoped that new manager Carlo Ancelotti will be able to milk the last ounce of football that is left in Kaka.
Left winger: Cristiano Ronaldo
Transfer amount: €85 million
Clubs involved: Manchester United and Real Madrid
How much do you pay for someone like Ronaldo? You pay a hell of a lot. You break all the transfer records. That is what happened when the much-anticipated move was completed in the year 2009. The interesting thing is that the €85 million transfer tag was never a burden for Ronaldo. He was worth every penny as he became the focal point of Real Madrid’s attack, scoring 146 goals in his 135 league appearances.
Right winger: Luis Figo
Transfer amount: €60 million.
Clubs involved: Barcelona and Real Madrid.
The most controversial move of all time, Luis Figo’s move to Real Madrid made him the most hated player in the Catalan region. Remember the pig head incident? Nevertheless, Luis Figo was nothing short of exceptional and so was his move to Real Madrid.
Striker: Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Transfer amount: €68 million
Clubs involved: Inter and Barcelona
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has changed clubs like a person changes t-shirts. But his move to Barcelona has been the most controversial of them all. Ibrahimovic’s move cost Barca €68 million, but later ended up costing them around €76.6 million. The move turned out to be a big mistake as he lasted only one season at the club, and Barcelona also had to give up on Samuel Eto’o.
Striker: Radamel Falcao
Transfer amount: €68 million
Clubs involved: Atlético Madrid and Monaco
The most expensive line-up
*Players’ values subject to change based on currency fluctuations.
