Neymar has joined Paris Saint-Germain in a world record £198million move
The move would almost double Paul Pogba's
existing world transfer record
It looks like Neymar is no more, at Barcelona at
least.
The Brazilian has completed his move to French
giants Paris Saint-Germain for a world
record transfer fee of £198million. He's also said to be earning more than
£500,000-per-week.
The deal blows the previous record, Paul Pogba's
£89million switch to Manchester United, out of the water by more than
£100million.
Given the size of the deal it's easy to forget
how far the record has come since transfer fees became the norm; just 20 years
ago the biggest fee ever paid was still below £20million.
See below those 10 World record transfers so far:
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August 9, 2016 - Paul Pogba (Juventus to
Manchester United, £89m)
Having left United for nothing during the reign
of Sir Alex Ferguson, the French midfielder returned to Old Trafford in a
Stormzy of publicity as the grime star reintroduced him to Red Devils fans with
a viral social media video.
The overall price, with add-ons and agents' fees
taken into account, will rise to £100m.
September 1, 2013 - Gareth Bale (Tottenham to
Real Madrid, £85m)
The Welshman agreed a £300,000-per-week deal to
swap north London for the Spanish capital, saying it was 'the right time to say
goodbye' to Spurs.
The transfer generated a £75m profit for
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy, who bought Bale for £10m six years previously.
July 6, 2009 - Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester
United to Real Madrid, £80m)
It was the deal that shook football, raising the
transfer record by almost 50 per cent in a single swoop.
Ronaldo was greeted at the Bernabeu by 80,000
delirious fans and quickly declared: 'This is a spectacular day'.
June 9, 2009 - Kaka (AC Milan to Real Madrid,
£56m)
It didn't last for long, but for a while the
elegant Brazilian was the world's most expensive player. Kaka signed an
£8m-a-year contract at Real, leaving Milan to lament their loss with a truly
exceptional statement.
'The loss technique, while serious, can be
remedied. It will be very difficult to fill the void that will be left by Kaka,
a shining example of professionalism, commitment and professionalism,' it read.
'AC Milan, (according to) the wishes of the
managers, players and supporters of the Rossoneri, offer him the most cordial
and affectionate wishes for the continuation of his sporting career.'
July 10, 2001 - Zinedine Zidane (Juventus to Real
Madrid, £45m)
FIFA had only just resolved to introduce new
transfer rules which would have allowed Zidane to move for a free (what ever
happened to them?) when the star man from France 98 and Euro 2000 relocated to
Spain.
Zidane would collect £3.5m a year at Madrid. He
said: 'A while back I said the amount of money was enormous and that I was not
worth that much.
'It is indeed a lot of money. I am fully aware
of that and my thoughts on the matter have not changed. A new challenge is at
hand. I was really in need of something different. Things came into focus
today.'
July 24, 2000 - Luis Figo (Barcelona to Real
Madrid, £37m)
Uh oh. Barca to Real. Luis Figo was one brave
man. Florentino Perez built his presidential campaign on the promise to sign
the Portuguese, going so far as to commit to paying for every Madrid fan's
subscription if he failed to land his man.
So it was just as well he did. Though the whole
process left Perez's Barcelona counterpart Joan Gaspart incredulous.
'I'll not forget this. Whoever is responsible
for this will pay for it. We'll see how and when,' he said. We're still
waiting.
July 13, 2000 - Hernan Crespo (Parma to Lazio,
£36m)
Another man who barely held the record long
enough to take a picture with it, Argentinian striker Crespo appeared to have
been the subject in the fastest-moving transfer of all time.
On the Tuesday, 24 hours before he signed, he
told reporters: 'I am amazed at this news. I have not signed anything and have
no idea at what stage the negotiations are.'
Thanks for that, Hernan.
June 8, 1999 - Christian Vieri (Lazio to Inter
Milan, £28m)
Vieri made a happy habit of being incredibly
expensive. The Italian striker's San Siro switch ensured he had three entries
in the top-10 dearest transfers of all time (at the point of his departure from
Lazio).
These were the days before the Euro, of course.
In old money, Vieri set Inter back 80billion lire. Yikes.
August 27, 1998 - Denilson (Sao Paulo to Real
Betis, £22m)
Hold up. Real Betis? £22million? What the?
Yep, it happened. Back in '98, Brazilian whizkid
Denilson left his home country for the Seville on a quite ridiculous 11-YEAR contract.
To make it all that bit more whacky, a £260m buyout clause was inserted into
the deal.
By 2006, the forward was on trial at Portsmouth.
Oof.
June 20, 1997 - Ronaldo (Barcelona to Inter
Milan, £19.5m)
After 47 goals in 49 games for Barca, the
original Ronaldo fell out with the Catalans just as they were willing to tie
him to a 10-year deal.
In stepped Inter president Massimo Moratti. 'It
was a whim of mine,' Moratti recalled recently. 'When you a buy a club you
dream of something exceptional, even at the expense of perfect administration.'
A £19.5m whim.
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