There are quite a few cases in world football where clubs, having acquired players for the future, then sold them for huge sums of money. The Football Review blog presents the most successful transfers in football history.
Radamel Falcao
The competent Porto selectors found the young Colombian in the Argentine River Plate and took the risk of buying his transfer for 5.5 million euros. At Porto, Falcao broke the Europa League scoring record, so Atlético Madrid did not skimp on paying a club record 47 million euros for the player. As a result, plus 41.5 million in 2 years. This is how they earn money in Porto.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
If you add up all the money spent by clubs on his transfers, the Swedish giant will be the most dear football player in history - 171 million euros. Inter profited the most from Ibra's transfer, acquiring the striker from Juve for 25 million euros, winning three Scudetto with him and selling him to Barça for 46, simultaneously receiving Samuel Eto, with whom he won the Champions League a year later.
Edinson Cavani
The promising Uruguayan was bought from Palermo for 17 million euros by Napoli, where the matador killed bulls for a relatively small salary of about a million euros a year. Kokorin and Denisov wouldn’t even lace up their boots for that kind of money, but Cavani scored 78 goals in 104 matches. As a result, a transfer to PSG for 64 million.
Hernan Crespo
The South American forward has repeatedly become a transfer target for leading clubs. Parma's breeders were the first to consider the Argentine supertalent and purchased him for only 4 million. In the “yellow-blue” camp, Hernan became a real star, won the UEFA Cup with the club and moved to Lazio for 55 million euros. As a result, plus 50 million and the main trophy in the history of Italian dairymen.
Luis Figo
The Portuguese hated by Barça fans. In 1995, the “blue garnets” acquired the leader of Sporting for a modest 2.5 million euros, receiving in him a new captain and a superstar. After a hugely successful period in the Catalan capital, Figo moved to worst enemies from Madrid, and Barca received 54.5 million and pigs' heads at the corner flag.
Kaka
A regular in transfer ratings. When buying a young player for 8 million euros from Brazil, Berlusconi and the company took a big risk, but as it turned out, it was the most profitable deal in the history of the Rossoneri. Kaká helped the Italians win a bunch of trophies, he himself received the Ballon d'Or and moved to Real Madrid for 65 million. Plus 57 for Silvio.
Luis Suarez
One of the few expensive but successful purchases of Liverpool cost the Merseysiders 26 million euros. And the risk paid off. Over the course of three seasons, Louise played better and better, and his teeth became sharper. Barça's lawyers claim that they paid 80 million euros for the scandalous "zombie".
Zinedine Zidane
The great, the greatest Zizou. Now it’s impossible to believe, but in 1996, Juventus acquired the 24-year-old Frenchman from Bordeaux for 3.5 million euros. This is approximately how much Vladimir Dyadyun is worth today. While playing in Italy, Zidane twice became the best football player in the world. So Florentino Perez was not afraid to pay a then record 73.5 million euros for the player.
Cristiano Ronaldo
At first, many criticized Alex Ferguson’s most successful purchase. After all, for 18 million euros you could take an already established player, and not an 18-year-old teenager. But the great Scot believed in the Portuguese and gave him the iconic jersey with the number seven on the back, which had previously been worn by George Best, Eric Cantona and David Beckham. Cristiano did not disappoint, grew into the best football player on the planet, won the Champions League with the Red Devils and was sold to Real for an insane 94 million euros. This is officially the most expensive transfer in football history. And so far, along with Zidane, he is the most successful in terms of results.
Gareth Bale
London Tottenham purchased a promising winger from Southhamton for 9 million euros and at first were absolutely dissatisfied with the Welshman’s performance. In two years, Bale started only one match for Spurs. They tried to exchange him for free to Middlesbrough and almost pushed him to Birmingham for 3 million pounds. However, the player seized his small chance with a stranglehold and clawed out a place in the starting lineup. And a few years later he turned into the most coveted player in the world. Many top clubs fought for the transfer of the football player, and, as usual, Real Madrid won, officially paying 91 million euros. In any case, from a financial point of view, Bale's transfer is the most successful deal in the history of world football.
Top 20
Dear readers of the football portal Oursoccer , today we present to your attention a list most expensive transfers in football history. In football nowadays, as we know, money decides a lot, and the fat wallet of the club owners often helps to achieve the highest goals. Players receive fabulous sums, but not everyone manages to live up to their expectations. It is worth noting that all football transfers took place in the 21st century. Also, among the 20 teams that paid record sums for the transfer of players, there is one club from Russia.
20. Andrey Shevchenko
Citizenship – Ukraine
Position - forward
Transfer – from Milan to Chelsea
Transfer amount – 46 million euros
Transfer date: 2006
One of the best football players Ukrainian football opens the list the most expensive transfers in football history. After spending 7 years in Italian Milan, Andrei moved to London Chelsea in 2006 for 30 million pounds or 46 million euros. However, the transfer was not successful. During the 2 years he spent in England, the Ukrainian football player suffered a severe back injury and underwent two surgeries. In August 2008, Shevchenko went on loan back to Milan, and a year later he moved to Dynamo Kiev.
19. Gaizka Mendieta
Citizenship – Spain
Position - midfielder
Transfer – from Valencia to Lazio
Transfer amount – 48 million euros
Transfer date: 2001
Spanish midfielder Gaizka Mendieta, who played in Spanish Valencia in the 2001/02 season he moved to Roman Lazio for 48 million euros. However, the football player's career in Italy did not work out. The midfielder spent only one season with Lazio, playing 20 matches and not scoring a single goal. The very next year the player went on loan to Barcelona, and spent the next season on loan in Middlesbrough, England.
18. David Louis
Citizenship – Brazil
Position - defender
Transfer – from Chelsea to PSG
Transfer amount – 49.5 million euros
The most expensive transfer of a defender in the history of French football took place in May 2014. David Luiz moved from Chelsea to PSG for a record 49.5 million euros. Louis spent 3 years in Chelsea, playing 81 games for the London club, scoring 6 goals. The move to PSG took place at the age of 27. Currently, David is the main player for the Parisians.
17. Mesut Ozil
Citizenship – Germany
Position - midfielder
Transfer – from Real (Madrid) to Arsenal
Transfer amount – 50 million euros
The German footballer, of Turkish origin, became the most expensive transfer of London Arsenal in history. Ozil played for Real Madrid from 2010 to 2013, and in September 2013 it was announced that the German midfielder would move to London's Arsenal. The transfer amount was 45 million euros, plus another 5 million were paid in bonuses. In his debut season, Mesut scored 5 goals and provided 15 assists.
16. Gianluigi Buffon
Citizenship – Italy
Position - goalkeeper
Transfer – from Parma to Juventus
Transfer amount – 54 million euros
One of the best Italian goalkeepers of all time, Gianluigi Buffon, moved from Parma to Juventus in Turin in 2001. Having completed this transfer, two records were set at once, becoming the most dear player, bought by Juventus and the most dear goalkeeper in the history of football. Buffon has been an indispensable goalkeeper for the Turin team for many years, having played more than 400 matches for the club.
15. Hulk
Citizenship – Brazil
Position - forward
Transfer – from Porto to Zenith
In September 2012, Zenit St. Petersburg blew up the Russian transfer market by completing the most expensive deal in history Russian football. The striker of the Brazilian national team, Hulk, moved from the Portuguese Porto to the St. Petersburg camp. Gazprom paid 55 million euros for Khalk, and some sources claim that the transfer amount was 60 million. It is also worth noting that in 2008, the striker’s transfer to Porto was only 5.5 million euros.
14. Hernan Crespo
Citizenship – Argentina
Position - forward
Transfer – from Parma to Lazio
Transfer amount – 55 million euros
Transfer date: 2000
A record sum for the Roman Lazio and all Italian football was given for the transfer of the Argentine striker Hernan Crespo in 2000 from Parma to Lazio. The transfer fee was 35.5 million pounds or 55 million euros. In the first season, Crespo became top scorer Italian Series And, scoring 26 goals. In total, Crespo played 54 matches for the Roman club, scoring 39 goals. In 2002, Hernan moved to Inter for 40 million euros.
13. Neymar
Citizenship – Brazil
Position - forward
Transfer – from Santos to Barcelona
Transfer amount – 57 million euros
Transfer date: 2013
The star of the Brazilian national team and its young leader, Neymar, moved from the Brazilian Santos to Barcelona in 2013 for 57 million euros. Neymar signed a 5-year contract with the Catalans and is currently one of the club's leaders. It is worth noting that the player’s presentation, which took place at the Camp Nou, was attended by 56,500 spectators.
12. Fernando Torres
Citizenship – Spain
Position - forward
Transfer – from Liverpool to Chelsea
Transfer amount – 59 million euros
Transfer date: 2011
The transfer of Spanish striker Fernando Torres from Liverpool to Chelsea has long remained the most expensive transfer English Premier League, and still remains the most expensive transfer of London Chelsea. On January 31, 2011, the player's contract was signed. Torres's salary in Chelsea was 175 thousand pounds per week. Fernando played for the aristocrats until 2014, when he was loaned to Italian Milan. For more than 3 years, the striker played 110 matches for the aristocrats and scored 20 goals, which is very little for a striker.
11. Luis Figo
Citizenship – Portugal
Position - midfielder
Transfer – from Barcelona to Real (Madrid)
Transfer date: 2000
Until 2009, Luis Figo's transfer to Real Madrid remained the club's most expensive transfer. By 2000, Luis had spent 5 seasons with Barcelona, taking part in 172 matches and scoring 30 goals. Figo played for Real Madrid for 5 seasons, playing in 164 games and scoring 36 goals. In 2005, Figo moved to Italian Inter.
10. Falcao
Citizenship – Colombia
Position - forward
Transfer – from Atlético to Monaco
Transfer amount – 60 million euros
Transfer date: 2013
The most expensive transfer of French Monaco took place on May 31, 2013, when a contract was signed with Colombian striker Falcao. For the player's transfer, Atletico Madrid received about 60 million euros. The striker played 20 matches for Monaco, scoring 11 goals. In January 2014, the player suffered a cruciate ligament injury and missed the 2014 World Cup. In September 2014, Falcao moved to Manchester United on loan.
9. Edinson Cavani
Citizenship – Uruguay
Position - forward
Transfer – from Napoli to PSG
Transfer amount – 64.5 million euros
Transfer date: 2013
The most expensive transfer in the history of French football and FC PSG took place in 2013. Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani moved to PSG for 64.5 million euros. Before this, the player played for Uruguayan Danubio, Italian Palermo and Napoli. As part of the Neapolitans, Cavani played 69 matches, scoring 52 goals; also in the 2010/11 season, the player played in Napoli on loan, playing 35 matches and scoring 26 goals. Currently, Cavanni continues to play for the French team, being one of the leaders of its attack.
8. Kaka
Citizenship – Brazil
Transfer – from Milan to Real
Transfer amount – 65 million euros
Transfer date: 2009
The attacking midfielder of the Brazilian national team, Ricardo Isekson dos Santos Leite, better known to football fans as Kaka, joined Real Madrid in 2009 for 65 million euros. Previously, Kaká played in Milan, Italy, taking part in 193 games and scoring 70 goals. The player’s performance with Madrid was not very productive; in August 2010, Kaká was injured and was out of action until the end of the year. In March 2011, the player was injured again. In 2013, Kaká returned to Milan. The footballer played 85 matches for Real Madrid, scoring 23 goals.
7. Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Citizenship – Sweden
Position - forward
Transfer – from Inter to Barcelona
Transfer amount – 69.5 million euros
Transfer date: 2009
7th on the list most expensive transfers in football history Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is located. The Swede has changed many teams during his career, but Barcelona paid the largest sum for him. In 2009, as a player of the Italian Inter, Zlatan moved to the Catalans for 46 million euros, plus Samuel Eto'o, whose value was estimated at 20 million euros, went to the Milan club. Barcelona also had to pay about 5 million euros. According to official sources, the Swede's transfer cost 69.5 million euros. Zlatan spent 2 incomplete seasons with Barca, playing 29 matches and scoring 16 goals. In 2010, the Swede moved to Milan on loan, and a year later signed a contract with the Italian team.
6. Zinedine Zidane
Citizenship – France
Position – attacking midfielder
Transfer – from Juventus to Real Madrid
Transfer amount – 73.5 million euros
Transfer date: 2001
One of the most brilliant players of the French national team, Zinedine Zidane, set a record in 2001 by moving to Real Madrid from Juventus for 73.5 million euros. At Juventus, Zidane played 151 matches, scoring 24 goals. For a long time the Frenchman could not find himself in the team and adapt to Spanish championship, but since the winter of 2002, Zidane has become one of the leaders of Real Madrid, leading his club to new titles. Zidane ended his career with Madrid in 2006, having played 155 matches for Real Madrid and scored 37 goals.
5. Angel Di Maria
Citizenship – Argentina
Position - midfielder
Transfer – from Real Madrid to Manchester United
Transfer amount – 75 million euros
Transfer date: 2014
Argentine national team player Angel Di Maria moved to Manchester United in 2014 for a record amount for the English team of 75 million euros. While playing for Real Madrid, Di Maria took part in 124 games, scoring 22 goals. On August 26, 2014, the football player signed a contract with Manchester. The Argentine midfielder wears number seven in the team.
4. James Rodriguez
Citizenship – Colombia
Position – attacking midfielder
Transfer – from Monaco to Real Madrid
Transfer amount – 80 million euros
Transfer date: 2014
Colombian midfielder James moved to Real Madrid on July 22, 2014 for 80 million euros. Before this, Hames played for the French Monaco, where he moved for 45 million euros. James played 34 matches for Monaco, scoring 9 goals. James managed to make his official debut for Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup match, reaching starting lineup. The Colombian scored his first goal for Real on August 19 in the Spanish Super Cup match against Atletico Madrid.
3. Luis Suarez
Citizenship – Uruguay
Position - forward
Transfer – from Liverpool to Barcelona
Transfer amount – 81 million euros
Transfer date: 2014
Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez became famous not only for his brilliant play on the field, but also for his “biting ability”. This bite was the third in the player’s career! After the incident, the football player was suspended from football for 4 months. In July 2014, it was announced that the football player would move from Liverpool to Barcelona. The transfer amount was 81 million euros. Suarez spent 4 seasons with Liverpool, scoring 69 goals in 110 games. As part of the Catalans, Suarez is currently an indispensable link in the attacking trio Neymar - Messi - Suarez.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo
Citizenship – Portugal
Position - forward
Transfer – from Manchester United to Real Madrid
Transfer amount – 94 million euros
Transfer date: 2009
World football star - Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo set a record in 2009 by moving from Manchester United to Real Madrid for 94 million euros. The footballer won the Golden Ball twice in his career in 2013 and 2014. For Manchester United, Cristiano played 196 matches, scoring 84 goals. While playing for Real Madrid, Ronaldo has already scored more than 200 goals against opponents and continues to increase this number.
1. Gareth Bale
Nationality – Wales
Position - forward
Transfer – from Tottenham to Real Madrid
Transfer amount – 100 million euros
Transfer date: 2013
The most expensive transfer in football history was the transfer of Welsh striker Gareth Bale from English Tottenham to Real Madrid in 2013. For this transfer, the Spanish team had to pay about 100 million euros (some sources indicate a figure of 91 million euros). While playing for Tottenham, Bale took part in 146 games, scoring 42 goals against opponents. Currently, the player is one of the leaders of Real Madrid and, together with Cristiano Ronaldo, forms the attacking line of the royal club.
At the end of the story about most expensive football transfers, I would like to summarize a few results:
Among the 20 most expensive transfers, 11 players play as strikers, 7 as midfielders, and one defender and goalkeeper each.
All transfers were made by European teams: 9 teams from Spain, 4 teams from England, 3 teams each from Italy and France, and 1 Russian team.
Among 20 most expensive transfers Real Madrid made 6 purchases; Barcelona – 3; Chelsea, Lazio and PSG – 2 each; Arsenal, Juventus, Zenit, Monaco and Manchester United one each.
As for the teams that received funds for selling players, in our top 7 sales were made by Italian clubs, 5 by English and Spanish teams, and one each by clubs from Portugal, Brazil and France.
There are 20 on the list most expensive transfers 4 representatives of the Brazilian national team, 2 representatives of the teams of Spain, Argentina, Portugal, Colombia and Uruguay and 1 each of the teams of Ukraine, Germany, Italy, Sweden, France and Wales.
“Soviet Sport,” warning Russian clubs, recalls the most unsuccessful transfers in the history of the RFPL.
Maniche, Dynamo, 16 million euros
13 matches, 2 goals
In 2005, Russian businessman Fedorychev was one of the first in the RFPL to discover America. Leave the planned development of the club to the weirdos, and we - it seems that’s what Dynamo decided then - will immediately adapt the changing world to ourselves. Who is the champion there now? You say that Porto won the Champions League, but Portugal only miraculously didn’t win the Euro? So it’s easier than that - we take the Portuguese, in bulk.
The main one of that landing was Manishe. In Russia, they were waiting for the arrival of a player with a magical shot and an equally wonderful track record (he won absolutely everything at Jose Mourinho’s Porto). Instead, Dynamo received a capricious football player, the ceiling of whose dreams in Russia were highly polished boots and regular SMS notifications about his incoming salary. When this was not enough, it turned out that Manisha did not like everything - the country, its climate, its championship. And the Portuguese first went on loan to Chelsea, and then to Atlético for a contract. Well, he had the right. Cooperation built solely on the financial component tends to end this way.
That time still brought benefits to Dynamo. Firstly, young Danny came to Russia along with the stars Maniche and Costinha. And, secondly, even Fedorychev’s team realized that the unknown Brazilian Ivo Wortmann was a weak coach.
Costinha, Dynamo, 15 million euros
10 matches
Another player from the great “Porto” Jose Mourinho and silver medalist Euro 2004. The Portuguese played so reluctantly that it is just as lazy to write about him. In addition, Costinha’s story completely follows Manishe’s path. Except that the second one at least scored a beautiful goal against Amkar. Costinha will be remembered only for his bad character.
Sebastien Puigrenier, Zenit, 6 million euros
13 matches, 1 goal
Here's some basic data: there is a 26-year-old French defender from the middle peasant of the French championship "Nancy", who has never been called up to the national team. He spent one good season, when his team climbed to fourth place, and the player himself was included in the symbolic team of the league. That's all. And now the question is: will you buy such a player?
Zenit answered in the affirmative. And to make it even more convincing, he sprinkled another 6 million euros on top. It all ended quickly: in the first match - against Rubin - the tough Frenchman, entering the field in the 64th minute of the match, went to the locker room in the 76th minute. Only the numerical minority of Zenit reminded of the player’s stay in Kazan.
Ramon, CSKA, 5.7 million euros
35 matches, 2 goals
Ramon came from Corinthians to CSKA at a time when it was appropriate to play the Brazilian anthem before army matches. At that time, Wagner, Jo, Carvalho, and Dudu had already shown themselves to be great in Russia. No less was expected from a person who was on the short lists of Arsenal and Milan, who was still top. But something went wrong: after a bright debut (goals to Spartak and Lokomotiv), Ramon began to disappear from the radar. During his six-month loan spell at Krylia, he spent only one minute on the field and began to rapidly gain weight. I tried to be reborn by returning to my homeland - to Flamengo. But according to Giner, it was clear that a comeback was unlikely: “Ramon, I think, is done with football. His priorities turned out to be different. Talented football player. But, like many talented people, they end up at a beer stall and tell where they played and how they played. He chose this path, it’s his right.”
Now 28-year-old Ramon plays in one of the lower divisions of Brazil.
Fernando Cavenaghi, Spartak, 8.6 million euros
63 matches, 17 goals
Even those who associate football with meaningless running around knew about the arrival of the 21-year-old Argentine in Russia. The crazy spending on the River Plate striker in 2004 should have paid off: the best striker arrived in Russia best team Argentina. And it seemed that Cavenaghi was already an established player, which means there should be no problems with adaptation. Go out and do what you know how.
However, Cavenaghi had to wait two months for his first goal. Then things got better, but the Argentine's rate of fire was depressing. Inflated expectations drove both Cavenaghi and his employers, which led to the Argentine’s departure to the French Bordeaux. There the forward became the champion of France. Over the following years, Cavenaghi won another half-dozen trophies different levels: from the Libertadores Cup to the Cyprus Championship. The Argentine's last club was the Cypriot APOEL - and the forward played brilliantly for them, scoring 19 goals in 18 matches. Now Cavenaghi is without a club - he is recovering from an injury and does not intend to quit football.
Ivan Soloviev, Zenit, 750 thousand euros
2 matches
If the book “How Russian Football was Killed” is ever written, then the story of Ivan Solovyov will be one of the central ones in it. As a symbol of the era.
The 20-year-old midfielder broke into the RFPL in 2013 - under Petrescu at Dynamo. He played great. For a 20-year-old, nothing more. And then Zenit appeared with significantly greater contract terms and promises that all dreams would definitely come true.
Soloviev can blame anyone for what happened: Boas, Dynamo functionaries, who in those years did not miss a fork, but otherwise - for counting hits and correct decisions in their track record One finger is enough. I won't say which one.
Yes, Soloviev can blame anyone, but the result will not change: he spent those years in which he needed to tirelessly progress in front of the TV, watching Zenit matches.
Now Soloviev is trying to revive his career in the Voronezh “Fakel”.
Alberto Zapater, Lokomotiv, 7.5 million euros
27 matches, 1 goal
This may be the worst transfer that has ever happened in world football. It failed on absolutely every count.
Firstly, the price. 7.5 million euros for some no-name player who played for Zaragoza and spent one season each at Genoa and Sporting? But at the time of his transfer to Loko from the Portuguese club, he was already 26 years old! That is, most likely, the clubs mentioned above were his ceiling.
Secondly, Zapater, having spent five years in Russia, did not even earn a million euros. This is judging by football categories.
Thirdly, not only did he not help the club, he also milked Loko for five years with the passion of a crazy milkmaid. Zapater saved on everything - from expensive restaurants to gasoline, riding the metro, while going to the club to train and recover from injuries, receiving about 2 million euros a year for this. The Spaniard refused to go on loan to Torpedo and Tom - he would have to play there, and they would pay less. In general, I was doing business.
Having earned his old age, Zapater returned to Zaragoza.
Carlos Eduardo, Rubin, 20 million euros
46 matches, 6 goals
Eduardo is a good player - that's obvious. A year before joining Rubin from Hoffenheim, he began to be involved in the Brazilian national team, playing six matches in two years.
But the price tag forces him to apply special requirements, none of which the Brazilian, of course, meets. A generally talented player in Russia mostly received treatment, moped and occasionally played football.
Bruno Alves, Zenit, €22 million
72 matches, 1 goal
22. Million. Euro.
This is exactly how much it cost to prepare the ground for one of the most powerful memes in Russian football - about Twente and three rubles.
29-year-old Alves was taken from Porto for the Champions League, but things didn’t work out for him in the Europa League either. I don’t know what the Portuguese looked like at the time of the transfer, but after that Alves began to age before our eyes, which resulted in a complete lack of speed.
Any action of the defender was perceived through these same 22 million euros. Therefore, pretty soon Spalletti began to look for a replacement for Alves, training Hubochan to the position of central defender.
At Fenerbahçe, it seems that the selectors have little interest in football, watching mostly only major forums every two years, so they happily bought Alves from Zenit for 5.5 million euros. Today, Alves is slowly bringing him to Cagliari.
Bayeux Djibi Fall, Lokomotiv, €4.7 million
11 matches, 0 goals
Another hero of folklore. At the time of his transfer to Loko, when the forward was already 24 years old, the number 32 proudly appeared on his record - that’s how many goals he scored in two seasons in the Danish championship. “Of course we’ll take it!” - Loko selectors exclaimed.
The level of the Danish championship could be judged from Fall’s first matches in the RFPL. Against the backdrop of the Senegalese forward, the RFPL defenders gained confidence in Maldini, and Dmitry Sychev again began to believe in the return of 2002.
The then president of Loko Olga Smorodskaya argued that Fall was in fact a capable striker. But neither his career in Russia nor his subsequent path confirmed this. Now 31-year-old Fall plays in the Kazakh Irtysh.
Real Madrid's profit - € 42 million: bought from Benfica for € 33 million, sold to Manchester United for € 75 million.
Usually it is Real that buys established stars from other top clubs, and the move to Madrid becomes the culmination of the transfer for them. But Di Maria managed to climb onto the “bandwagon” of our rating, managing to do the incredible - bring “cream” a profit, and a considerable one at that. The scheme is the same as Manchester United had with Ronaldo, only in the opposite direction: buying a young talent from the Portuguese club, turning into a star and changing from one top club to another.
9.
Inter's profit - € 44.7 million: bought from Juventus for € 24.8 million, sold to Barcelona for € 69.5 million.
The Swedish forward was sold to PSG for a rather modest sum, but at one time Zlatan moved to Barcelona for fabulous money, more than recouping the expenses of Inter, which bought him from Juventus after the latter was banished to Serie B. But besides financial benefit for Inter, that deal with the Catalans did not bring happiness to either party.
8.
Parma's profit - €51 million: purchased from River Plate for €4 million, sold to Lazio for €55 million.
Looking at it, one can only remember when the club was raking in money almost by the shovel, selling Buffon and Crespo for 50 million. This was not Lazio’s best transfer; although Crespo continued to score a lot, he was sold to Inter 2 years later for much less.
7.
Napoli's profit - € 52.5 million: bought from Palermo for € 12 million, sold to PSG for € 64.5 million.
Napoli at one time took a close look at Cavani, renting him from Palermo, so the amount of € 12 million is quite arbitrary; in combination with the rental period, the Neapolitans paid the Sicilians more. But in any case, the benefit was enormous, and it is unlikely that the Parisians will ever sell Matador for money comparable to what they paid. However, this does not negate the high class of the player.
6.
Liverpool's profit - €54.5 million: bought from Ajax for €26.5 million, sold to Barcelona for €81 million.
Liverpool could have earned more from the Uruguayan if not for the long disqualification from FIFA, against the backdrop of which Barcelona bought him. In any case, it was the most profitable transfer in the history of the Merseysiders, even better than Fernando Torres. But only in terms of the economic component, since Suarez’s departure football team broke and led to a rollback from barely restored positions among the leaders.
5.
Milan's profit - € 56.75 million: bought from Sao Paulo for € 8.25 million, sold to Real for € 65 million.
The most disastrous transfer for the buyer in our top ten. Here Real not only overpaid, but also made a mistake. After moving to Madrid, Kaká was overcome by injuries and football problems, and his career began to decline, so after 4 years, Milan took the faded and much cheaper Brazilian for free, as a free agent. But even there he did not find a second youth, remaining on at the moment one of the most overrated football players in the history of the transfer market
4.
Barcelona's profit - € 57.5 million; Bought from Sporting for €2.5 million, sold to Real for €60 million.
At one time, Figo's transition from Barcelona to Real had the effect of a bomb exploding. The Portuguese was cursed at the Camp Nou. But everyone won economically: Figo received the best contract, Barcelona made enormous money, because five years earlier they bought Luis for two and a half million, and Real once again blew up the market and sold hundreds of thousands of T-shirts. After another 5 years, Figo left for Inter as a free agent.
3.
Juventus profit - € 70 million: bought from Bordeaux for € 3.5 million, sold to Real for € 73.5 million.
Another example when the club recognized the colossal potential of a player in time and helped him grow into a real football legend. Zizou comes to Juventus as a 24-year-old talented dispatcher, but nothing more. And he left 5 years later as an Italian, world and European champion, a superstar and the best player in the world. The payment was in accordance with the status. For 4 years, no one, including Real itself, could break the transfer record - both in terms of amount and profit.
2.
Manchester United profit - € 76.5 million: bought from Sporting for € 17.5 million, sold to Real for € 94 million.
In 2003, Sir Alex Ferguson did not skimp on the prodigy from Sporting, and 6 years later he sold to Manchester United best player world for crazy money, which significantly exceeded even the payment to Juventus for Zidane. Naturally, United remained in a colossal profit, more than covering all their transfer miscalculations (and they also happened) of the Ferguson era.
1.
Tottenham's profit - € 79.3 million: bought from Southampton for 14.7 million, sold to Real Madrid for € 94 million.
At the moment, Tottenham is the champion of the transfer business. The owner of the club, Levi, is generally reluctant to spend money, but the purchase of Bale was fully justified. The Southampton graduate grew over the course of 6 years, first into a guy with a crazy left hand and amazing speed, and then simply into a top-class attacking midfielder. In order not to offend anyone, the nominal amount of the deal for the Welshman repeated the “check” for Ronaldo, but Spurs earned more than United at one time, if only because they paid less for Gareth.
The list of the most expensive transfers in the history of world football reveals a number of patterns. Firstly, the top 11 includes only players from the creative group - four attacking midfielders and seven strikers. Secondly, the most expensive deals are always concluded between seasons: the only exception was the winter transfer of Fernando Torres to Chelsea - perhaps this is partly why the Spaniard was not able to immediately adapt to the team's play. Thirdly, the Spanish superclubs, Real Madrid and Barcelona, take the lead in the ranks of bottomless wallets, having bought 7 of the 11 players on the list. French clubs hit South American forwards with money this summer, and two more places are occupied by the above-mentioned Torres, who moved to Zenit (how could we not Russian club?) . Fourthly, Italian clubs sell their players more successfully than others, with all four Italian sales being in the top five on the list. Finally, one cannot help but note the complete absence of German clubs in the ranking - they do not sell profitably, but they also do not spend crazy amounts.
1. from Tottenham to Real Madrid, € 100 million, 2013
"Our response to Chamberlain" is Real Madrid's reaction to Neymar's transfer to Barcelona. The Royal Club needed a high-profile transfer to fill the information field that at the beginning of the summer belonged to the Brazilian newcomer of the Blaugrana. Bale's transition lasted an incredibly long time, and given that English and Spanish journalists are among the most nosy in the world, more and more details of the impending (No, already prepared! No, still in preparation!) deal were constantly being thrown into the press. From a sporting point of view, the need for Bale for Real is doubtful - the Welshman plays in the same position as. As for the financial side, for a long time any successful and inexpensive transfer in Europe will be correlated with Bale. For example, Bale is five Jesus Navas. Or 11 Carlos Tevez.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United to Real Madrid, €90 million, 2009
This transition was inevitable - the most glamorous football player in the world was bound to end up in the most glamorous club in the world. The crazy money Real invested in buying Ronaldo has long since paid off not only in his achievements, but also in marketing. Real Madrid fans survived even the change of the Portuguese's number to seven, under which the absolute idol of fans performed for many years, relatively painlessly. Royal Club» Raoul. In the last one and a half to two years, Manchester City, PSG, Monaco, and Manchester United have shown interest in Ronaldo, but the amount of compensation of € 200 million seems to frighten even the Russian-Arab-French nouveau riche . And President Perez will not give up the main pearl of his team for less money, even on pain of death.
3. from Juventus to Real Madrid, € 73.5 million, 2002
While Ronaldo’s move most likely pursued marketing goals as well as football goals, Zidane’s call to the Galacticos flag was mainly for sporting reasons. “Real” then needed a footballer who would accelerate attacks, and when this club needs someone, Madrid is not going to skimp – they just buy. For a long time, the famous Frenchman did not show the mesmerizing game that fans and experts expected from him, there was talk that Zizou was under pressure from the amount of his transfer, but in the end he paid for his transfer with one single blow - a stunningly beautiful volley in the Champions League final with Bayer, which for a long time entered the picture of the main club tournament in Europe. By the way, Juventus was not particularly offended by the transfer: the proceeds helped the management of the “old lady” lure Gianluigi Buffon for more than € 50 million.
4., from Inter to Barcelona, € 69.5 million 2009
While Real signed a contract with Ronaldo, Barcelona decided to keep up with their main rival and shelled out almost €70 million for one of the main bad boys of modern football. It’s interesting that if the most expensive newcomer in the history of the Catalan club had suddenly decided to work out his contract to the end, his agreement would have been valid for another year - it ended in the summer of 2014, but the Swede has since played for Milan and Paris Saint Germain." Ibrahimovic, who had not worked out even a third of his worth, left Barcelona with scandals: having quarreled with Guardiola and being offended by Messi, calling himself a hostage to the Argentine’s desires. Since then, Barca decided - only cantera. Well, or...
5., from Milan to Real Madrid, € 65 million 2009
Probably no one remembers, but the transition from Milan to Real was no less loud than the transfer of Ronaldo, but in the end the career paths of the Portuguese and the Brazilian developed completely differently. Kaka still hasn’t found himself at Real, for the third year in a row he has been unsuccessfully sold to Milan, Manchester City or any other club by all the newspapers in the world and dreams of playing time in at least some stable position on the field. In many ways, the Madrid period of the Brazilian midfielder’s career was ruined by a left knee injury; because of it, Kaká missed half of his second season, which could have been a breakthrough for the team. But he didn't.
6., from Napoli to Paris Saint-Germain, € 64.5 million 2013
The owner of Napoli, Aurelio de Laurentiis, quickly navigated the changes that came with the arrival of big money conditions of the transfer market and repeated every day that he would release Cavani only for the prescribed amount of compensation. De Laurentiis cared little about where the main star of his team would continue his career - in England, France or Russia; he sarcastically stated that Manchester City dropped out of the race for Cavani because he was not ready to pay big money. In the end, everything turned out to be banal - Cavani followed his former partner Ezequiel Lavezzi, and Napoli received a lot of money with which they could buy, perhaps, all the strikers of the championship of Cavani’s native Uruguay at once. Even the start of Cavani’s presentation at PSG dragged on for two hours, as the Parisians tried until the last minute to bring down the price even a little, but De Laurentiis was unshakable.
7., from Atlético to Monaco, € 60 million 2013
Falcao and Cavani are doomed to eternal comparisons in the new season. The Uruguayan churned out goals for Napoli, and the Colombian carried Atlético into the Champions League on his powerful shoulders, and when the club became third, Radamel, considering the job done, went to the camp of ambitious newcomers to League 1. Falcao cost the Monegasques almost €5 million cheaper, but this does not mean that Monaco has better negotiators - both went to new clubs after the activation of compensation clauses. Note that Falcao remained the most expensive transfer in the history of League 1 for a month and a half, but given the ambitions and plans of PSG and Monaco, it is quite possible that in a year the Colombian will even fall out of the top three.
8., from Barcelona to Real Madrid, € 60 million, 2000
Figo became part of the “galactic” squad of Real Madrid at the beginning of the century, but what is remarkable about this transfer is not so much the amount as the circumstances of the transfer. The Portuguese moved to Real Madrid from Barcelona, and fans of the Catalan club, to put it mildly, did not approve of this move. As a result, the transfer led to one of the brightest events in the history of the clasico, when the match in Barcelona was almost disrupted - Figo, who was taking corners, was attacked by coins, glasses, lighters, and even a pig's head that had been prepared by fans, landing a few meters from the former idol of the Barcelona public.
Barcelona fans
9., from Liverpool to Chelsea, € 58.5 million 2011
The striker's transfer at the winter deadline of the 2010/11 season caused a reaction in Liverpool similar to Figo's transfer - Torres' jerseys were on fire everywhere, and the footballer's family was cursed to the seventh knee. In the end, Liverpool, as it turned out, concluded perhaps the best deal in history, since Torres's performance at Chelsea is still far from the amount paid. It’s just a pity that the Reds uselessly invested the proceeds in Andy Carroll.
10. Neymar, from Santos to Barcelona, €57 million, 2013
The saga called “Neymar leaves. No, it remains until the World Cup. No, he's leaving. No, not to Barcelona. No, he’s leaving” lasted more than a year, but ended happily. Neymar restored the balance of ethnic Brazilians, shaken with the departure of Alcantara, and took his number 11, and the footballer’s prospects in Europe in general and in Barcelona in particular have yet to be assessed. If it doesn't work out, Ibrahimovic knows why it might happen.
11., from Porto to Zenit, € 55 million 2012
The appearance of the Brazilian St. Petersburg club increased Zenit's marketing income, but from a sporting point of view, the footballer's first year in the new team was not very successful. Hulk, who came to Zenit as an absolute star, faced alienation from some Russian players blue-white-blue, often pulled the blanket over himself, earned the dubious reputation of a player who falls at every opportunity, but also scored several important goals. It was worth it for him to move to Russia, if only for the sake of something like June’s “Real Madrid wants to rent Hulk from Zenit” to appear in the headlines of the European press - sounds, you see, funny.
