By Robbie Butler
This week Sky Sports reported that more than £660,000,000 had been spent on transfers during the 2014 Summer Transfer Window. This figure will break through the £700 million figure once Angel di Maria signs for Manchester United, and with the window not closing until Monday night, will no doubt rise further. The table below lists the sixteen most expensive transfers during the current window (including di Maria), each of which broke through the £20 million barrier.
This week Sky Sports reported that more than £660,000,000 had been spent on transfers during the 2014 Summer Transfer Window. This figure will break through the £700 million figure once Angel di Maria signs for Manchester United, and with the window not closing until Monday night, will no doubt rise further. The table below lists the sixteen most expensive transfers during the current window (including di Maria), each of which broke through the £20 million barrier.
It may seem crazy but £20 million is no longer an absurd amount of money to spend on a player. In fact, bids of this size raise few eyebrows in the world of football. While it’s obvious to see that transfer fees have increased in size over the years it’s more interesting to consider the ‘real’ value of a transfer through time. I previously investigated this with Cristiano Ronalado and Gareth Bale and showed that despite the fact Bale was bought for £85.3 million in 2013, Ronaldo was actually more expensive. The £80 million spent on the Portuguese star in 2009 was the equivalent of more than £90 million in 2013, when taking inflation into account.
But what about historical transfer fees? Where would these stand if one were to consider the impact of inflation over the years?
Given my age, I’m a little biased when it comes to where to start. For me Diego Maradona is the greatest player that’s ever played the game. The Argentinian was the most expensive player in the world twice, the second of which was his £5 million move from Barcelona to Napoli in 1984. It’s this point from where we start. The table below lists every transfer that broke the record transfer fee since 1984. Sixteen transfers are reported with the nominal fee (what was paid) listed next to the real fee (cost in today's money).
But what about historical transfer fees? Where would these stand if one were to consider the impact of inflation over the years?
Given my age, I’m a little biased when it comes to where to start. For me Diego Maradona is the greatest player that’s ever played the game. The Argentinian was the most expensive player in the world twice, the second of which was his £5 million move from Barcelona to Napoli in 1984. It’s this point from where we start. The table below lists every transfer that broke the record transfer fee since 1984. Sixteen transfers are reported with the nominal fee (what was paid) listed next to the real fee (cost in today's money).
It's clear to see that not only have nominal transfer fees soared but so too have real fees. Diego Maradona cost Naopli a mere £11.9 million in real terms today. Roberto Baggio cost less than £15 millions in real terms. The pending transfer of Angel di Maria to Manchester United is just less than the money paid by Real Madrid to Juventus for Zinedine Zidane. Di Maria is an excellent footballer but I'm not so sure he's a 'Zidane'.
There are various reasons for the huge surge in the real cost of transfers over the past thirty years. TV broadcasting revenue have risen exponentially over the course of the past two decades. Merchandising is at saturation point and is now truly a global thing for the world's top clubs. Ticket prices have also soared. Attending football matches, historically a past-time of the working class, is now a pursuit for those with money. All of this means that transfers and by extension wages have rocketed since the early 1980s. If Maradona were playing today he likely to be sold for closer to £119 million rather than £11.9 million. What a bargain he was.
There are various reasons for the huge surge in the real cost of transfers over the past thirty years. TV broadcasting revenue have risen exponentially over the course of the past two decades. Merchandising is at saturation point and is now truly a global thing for the world's top clubs. Ticket prices have also soared. Attending football matches, historically a past-time of the working class, is now a pursuit for those with money. All of this means that transfers and by extension wages have rocketed since the early 1980s. If Maradona were playing today he likely to be sold for closer to £119 million rather than £11.9 million. What a bargain he was.
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