Football is a sport that packs in oodles of action and gives us weekends filled with quality entertainment, and often, edge of the seat excitement. While every football fan has his own loyalties and views on what moves a club should make, transfers are a far more complicated matter. Considerations made while buying and selling players run the whole gamut – from performance in the current season to years left on their contract and the obvious “star player” tag that accompany certain individuals. So, what factors have dictated some of the most significant transfers ever made? Let’s take a look.
Gareth Bale
Transfer Details:
Tottenham Hotspur-Real Madrid
Year: 2013
Transfer fee: 85 million pounds
Primary Considerations:
Big money sell
Very good season performance
4 years left on contract
Bale became the world’s most expensive footballer when he made his move from Tottenham Hotspur to Real Madrid. The Welshman signed a 6 year contract with the Galacticos, and is set to earn 36,000 pounds a day. The transfer comes on the back of a season that saw Bale score 21 goals and a higher pass completion rate than the man next on the list – Cristiano Ronaldo.
Who benefited most – Bale is among the best players in the world but the Spurs made upwards of 80 mil in the trade, which was a great deal for them.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Transfer Details:
Manchester United-Real Madrid
Year-2009
Transfer Fee: 80 million pounds
Primary Considerations:
Big money sell
Very good season performance
3 years left on contract
The Portugese footballer embodies the term “rags to riches” and his transfer to Real Madrid was an apt culmination in his journey from local prodigy to arguably the world’s best footballer. His technique has been the subject of many a documentary and he continues to fascinate the sporting world with his mix of almost inhuman ability and air of stardom.
Who benefited most – Manchester United came into a huge sum of money, while Real Madrid has gotten a whole lot of goals and cups in the bargain. It’s hard to say for sure but the scales seem to be tipping towards Madrid’s end.
Zinedine Zidane
Transfer details
Juventus-Real Madrid
Year- 2001
Transfer fee: 53 million pounds
Primary Considerations:
Big money sell
Very good season performance
4 years left on contract
Star player
The Frenchman made the move to Real Madrid already having the tag “legend” sewn to his reputation. He was introduced to the press by Real legend Alfredo di Stefano and lived up to all the buzz the move had generated. He helped his team the La Liga title in the 2002-03 season and was even named FIFA Player of the Year for the third time. This April, he was named in Marca’s list of “Best foreign eleven in Real Madrid history.”
Who benefited most: Real Madrid, without a doubt. He made them a ton of money, scored a European Cup winning goal and even became assistant coach and club ambassador
Fernando Torres
Transfer Details:
Liverpool-Chelsea
Year-2011
Transfer fee: 50 million pounds
Primary Considerations:
Big money sell
Star Player
Domestic Rival
Fernando Torres staked his claim as one of the world’s best strikers during his days with Atletico Madrid, where he famously spun circles around the likes of Barcelona legend Puyol. Four successful seasons at Liverpool later, he was ready to be inducted into the list of big sum transfers. His stay at Chelsea has seen his genius wane and he is a shadow of the player he once used to be.
Who benefited most-I’m going with Liverpool on this one. They made the money and got a better deal as Torres lost the form he used to show at Liverpool.
Radamel Falcao
Transfer Details
Atletico Madrid- Monaco
Year- 2013
Transfer fee- 50 million pounds
Primary considerations:
Very good season performance
Financial issues in club
Third party ownership
In a league that has the two best players in the world, most others get eclipsed and are hardly spoken about. Falcao managed to buck this trend. With a killer instinct in front of goal and a commanding physique to boot, Falcao managed to be named among the likes of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as one of the top goal scorers in the La Liga.
Who benefited the most – Falcao did. Monaco is not the biggest club in the world but Falcao has been in the spotlight at Atletico and now takes home a fat pay-cheque in France.
Luis Figo
Transfer details:
Barcelona- Real Madrid
Year: 2000
Transfer fee: 37,000,000 million pounds
Primary considerations:
Big money sell
Very good season performance
Star player
It’s come to be known as “The great betrayal of 2000.” After five seasons of dazzling Barcelona fans with the efficiency of a hypnotist, Luis Figo snapped, and left for their greatest nemesis: Real Madrid. The deal was Real’s way of flexing it’s monetary muscle. Adored by those at the Bernabeu and vilified by the Catalans, Figo’s transfer remains one of the most polarizing moves in footballing history.
Who benefited the most: Real Madrid. They managed to one-up their main rivals and landed a world-class player in the bargain.
Rio Ferdinand
Transfer details:
Leeds United-Manchester United
Year: 2002
Transfer fee: 34,000,000 million pounds
Primary considerations:
Special Talent
Big money sell
Domestic Rival
Age at transfer- 24
Rio Ferdinand is the costliest defender in the English League and has been a stalwart of the modern Manchester United side.
Who benefited most: Still at Manchester United and still performing at the highest level. The buyers certainly won.
Wayne Rooney
Transfer details:
Everton- Manchester United
Year: 2004
Transfer fee: 25,600,000 million pounds
Primary considerations
Special Talent
Big money sell
Domestic Rival
Age at transfer- 18
The temperamental Rooney has matured greatly in his years at United and has become a lynchpin of their attack.
Who benefited the most: Everton did get a really good price but lost out on a really special talent.
Robin Van Persie
Transfer details:
Arsenal- Manchester United
Year: 2012
Transfer fee: 24,000,000 pounds
Primary considerations:
Special Talent
Years left on contract: 1
Domestic Rival
Bad injury record
At 29 years, Robin Van Persie was approaching the end of his career. Silencing the naysayers, the Dutchman has recreated some of his goal-scoring magic from his Arsenal days. Another transfer mired in controversy and accusations of betrayal, Van Persie has come to his own at the club and is continuing to make brilliant performances.
Who benefited most: Manchester United, without a doubt. He got them out of the hole a number of times and eventually won them the league.
Zlatan Ibrahimovich
Transfer details:
AC Milan-Paris Saint-Germain
Year: 2012
Transfer fee: 20 million pounds
Primary considerations
Star player
Very good season performance
Wage bill reduction
Who benefited the most: AC Milan – They got the expensive Zlatan off their wage bill and recruited fresher faces to the team.
Santi Cazorla
Transfer details:
Malaga-Arsenal
Year: 2012
Transfer fee: 15 million pounds
Primary considerations
Financial issues with club
Very good season performance
Potential – in prime
Who benefited the most: Arsenal got a lowered price on one of the world’s best because of Malaga’s financial troubles.
Diego Maradona
Transfer details:
Barcelona-S.S.C Nepoli
Year: 1984
Transfer fee: £5 million pounds
Primary considerations
Maverick player
Very good season performance
Potential – in prime
A Maradona very much in the prime of his career made the move from Barcelona to Nepoli in 1984. This has largely to do with a falling out he had with the Barcelona administration. He enjoyed a glorious spell at Napoli and went down in footballing history as one of the greatest ever.
Who benefited most: Maradona did. Barring the cocaine thing, his move to Napoli turned out pretty well for him.
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