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#3 Summer of 2017
Economics in football turned on its head in the summer of 2017, thanks to Paris Saint-Germain's ambitious swoop of Neymar. After failing to negotiate with Barcelona for their star man, the French side agreed personal terms with Neymar and triggered his €222m release clause. The transfer saw the Brazilian become the most expensive player in history, changing the course of football.
Despite having Neymar on their books, PSG went after Ligue 1 star Kylian Mbappe. Due to Financial Fair Play restrictions, PSG got the player on loan from Monaco for the 2017-18 season, with the option to buy for €145m and €35m in variables the next summer.
Having sold Neymar to PSG, Barcelona immediately signed Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho for €135m each. Neither has come close to justifying the fee and has only contributed to the lop-sidedness of the transfer market.
#2 Summer of 2009
The summer of 2009 saw the most successful transfer in the 21st century, with Cristiano Ronaldo moving from Manchester United to Real Madrid. The 2008 Ballon d’Or winner cost €94 million at the time, becoming the most expensive player in history.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored 450 goals for the club between 2009 and 2018, helping them to four Champions Leagues and two La Liga titles amongst other trophies.
Apart from Ronaldo, Real Madrid signed the 2007 Ballon d’Or winner Kaka (€67m), Lyon forward and current club captain Karim Benzema (€35m), 2005 Champions League winner Xabi Alonso (€34.5m), Liverpool defender Alvaro Arbeloa (€4m) and five other stars.
The transfer window also saw Bayern Munich sign Arjen Robben from Real Madrid for €25m, with the Dutchman going on to define an era in the German Bundesliga.
#1 Summer of 2021
The transfer window we just witnessed, in the summer of 2021, has easily been the craziest of the century. We have seen Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos leave Barcelona and Real Madrid, respectively, and join PSG as free agents. We also witnessed Cristiano Ronaldo move to his old club, Manchester United, from Juventus, for a reported fee of €15m plus €8m in add-ons. And we even learned about PSG reportedly turning down Real Madrid’s bid of over €220m for Kylian Mbappe.
Romelu Lukaku, who fired Inter Milan to the Serie A title, has returned home, to Chelsea, for €115 million. Austrian left-back David Alaba has joined Real Madrid from Bayern Munich on a free transfer, hoping to pitch in for Ramos. Four-time Champions League winner Raphael Varane has committed to United for €41m, looking for a new challenge. And finally, reigning Premier League champions, Manchester City, have made Jack Grealish the most expensive Englishman in history, signing him from Aston Villa for €117.5m.
Topping the summer transfer window of 2021 will be a tough task. However, given how unpredictable the market currently is, we will not bet against the transfer windows to come.
