'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Italian football has given some of the greatest players of all times to the world football. From the likes of Alessandro Del Piero to Paolo Maldini, some of the best players in the history of football have come from Italy.
Known for its defensive brand of football, the land of 4-times World Champions have some of the most historic clubs in club football. Be it 7-times European champions AC Milan or 34 times Italian Champions Juventus, the Italian Serie A has always been a treat for the football fans all around the world.
So it shouldn't come as a surprise that it has been able to attract some of the biggest names in world football even after not having the financial power like the other leagues.
We take a walk down the memory lane to take a look at 5 of such big signings in the history of the league based on the stir it created in the footballing world and the transfer amount involved to acquire foreign players.
#5 Samuel Eto'o, Inter Milan
Known for his eye for goal and clinical finishing, Samuel Eto'o joined Inter Milan from Barcelona after winning the treble last season in a swap deal comprising Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Samuel Eto'o had scored 36 goals for Barcelona in the previous campaign, which included the opening goal in UCL final against Manchester United.
A lot was expected from the Cameroonian striker when he first joined Inter and he didn't disappoint as he went on to win another treble with Inter Milan in his first season at the club becoming the first player ever to win back-to-back European trebles.
He scored 16 goals in the campaign and provided the crucial assist for Diego Milito's second goal in the final vs Bayern Munich. Samuel Eto'o will go on to better his individual records next season at the club as he scored the most goals for Inter Milan in the league with 21 goals and scored 37 goals in total. He scored 2 goals in the SuperCoppa Italiana final and helped them win the title and also gave a legendary performance in Munich against Bayern Munich to eliminate them from the Champions League.
The signing of Samuel Eto'o turned out to be a huge success for Inter Milan as he had two very successful seasons in Italy in which he scored a total of 53 goals. Regarded as the greatest African player of all time, Samuel Eto'o left a mark in only 2 seasons at Inter as he helped them to become the first and only Italian team to win the treble and 5 titles in a single year.
#4 Ronaldo, Inter Milan
Ronaldo Nazario announced his arrival on the footballing stage by scoring 47 goals in 49 games in 1996-97 for Barcelona. Ronaldo delivered a brilliant individual season as he played a crucial role in Barcelona winning the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, Copa Del Rey and Supercopa de Espana.
After the season ended Ronaldo was destined to stay in Barcelona and renegotiate his contract however the talks between the Barcelona board and Ronaldo collapsed. Inter Milan took advantage of it and signed him for a then world record fee of $27 million.
In his 5 seasons at Inter, Ronaldo captured the imagination of world football as he haunted the likes of Paolo Maldini. He scored the most number of goals in his first season at Serie A and won the Serie A player of the season award. After his starting 2 seasons at the club, Ronaldo started having problems with niggling knee injuries. He came back from them and helped Brazil win the FIFA World Cup 2002 and went on to win the FIFA World Player of the Year award that year before securing a move to Real Madrid for 46 million Euros.
His time at Inter is remembered as the best phase of his career where he won the FIFA Best Player award twice and the Ballon De Ore. He did some breathtaking stuff in a league that was dominated by defenders and cemented his status as one of the greatest strikers of all time even after being affected by injuries continuously.
#3 Lothar Matthaus, Inter Milan
Lothar Matthaus joined Inter Milan from Bayern Munich in 1988 and became a fan favourite quickly.
He helped Inter win their first Scudetto title after 8 seasons and also won the Italian Supercup title. He then would help the Italian giants win the UEFA Cup in 1991. Matthaus was a box-to-box midfielder in Bundesliga but he transitioned into a more creative force in Italy where defensive robustness was the name of the game.
Matthaus also captained West Germany team that won the FIFA World Cup in 1990 in Italy. He went onto win the Ballon De Ore in 1990 and the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 1991 as he scored 23 goals in 46 matches in the 1990-91 season with 16 of them coming in Serie A.
The following season turned out to be one of the worst seasons for Inter Milan and also the last one for Lothar Matthaus in Italy as Inter finished eighth in the league. Even after a disappointing season and his following move to Bayern Munich, Matthaus remains one of the most influential signings in Milan's history. Matthaus was a marquee signing that helped in galvanising the Inter squad and helped them in winning the Scudetto title again.
#2 Diego Maradona, Napoli
Diego Maradona is considered as one of the greatest players of all time and for some the greatest of all time, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that when he signed for Napoli from Barcelona 75,000 fans welcomed him. A world record at that time for the unveiling of a player until Cristiano Ronaldo was unveiled at Bernabeu.
Prior to his arrival, the Italian football was dominated by the likes of Juventus and AC Milan and Napoli fans saw the arrival of Maradona as their time to conquer Italy and Maradona didn't disappoint.
At Napoli, Maradona reached the peak of his footballing career as he leads Napoli to the most successful era in their history and became a fan favourite. He helped them to their first ever league title in the 1986-87 season which led to wild celebrations in Naples with Maradona's murals being made on city's buildings and children being named in his honour.
Napoli won their second league title in 1989-90 and finished runners-up in 1987-88 and 1988-89, apart from this Maradona also helped them to win Coppa Italia in 1987, UEFA Cup in 1989 and Italian Supercup in 1990. Despite playing as an attacking midfielder, Maradona finished as the top scorer in Serie A in the 1987-88 season and was the highest goalscorer in Napoli's history with 115 goals until Hamsik broke that record in 2017.
Maradona started having personal issues towards the end of his spell at the club with increasing drug use and his off-the-field relationships, he finally left the club in 1991 with an indelible mark on Napoli's history. Later, Napoli officially retired his number 10 jersey in honour of his achievements at the club.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo, Juventus
When Ronaldo to Juventus rumours came out first, no one really believed them. Why would Real Madrid let go of their most prized possession, why would Ronaldo leave Madrid after winning three UCLs in a row recently? However, as the rumours started gathering pace even the most cynical minds started believing that and on July 10, 2018, it was all official. The day when World Cup semi-final was being played, a transfer took away all the headlines.
Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus was official for a fee of 105 million Euros, the biggest transfer fee ever paid by a Seria A club. The 5-time Ballon De Ore winner, the 5-time Champions League winner had joined the biggest club in Italy and Juventus for once has surprised the world. Apart from the footballing aspect, it is the financial and marketing aspect that makes this deal huge.
Cristiano Ronaldo signing is not huge for Juventus only, but also for Serie A as it has gone behind the other top leagues in terms of popularity. Cristiano Ronaldo is a global superstar with arguably the biggest fan-following and that will help Serie A and Juventus immensely.
Juventus has seen unbelievable growth in their social media interactions and their market capitalization has seen exponential growth since Ronaldo rumours starting gathering pace. Juventus are set to gain a lot in the future on the financial level after associating themselves with Cristiano Ronaldo.
Juventus fans will hope that Cristiano Ronaldo not only makes them a truly global brand but also brings them the elusive UEFA Champions League title.
