With Bale, Ronaldo & Dembélé: More flops than hits for transfers above €100m

By


12 players reached the benchmark 

There have been just 12 transfers that cost more than €100 million in the history of the game. The first player was Gareth Bale when he joined Real Madrid in 2013—the latest player to go for €100 million or more was Romelu Lukaku when he joined Chelsea in 2021. Deals of this category have to be well thought through; otherwise, they can come with significant issues for the purchasing club as the price tag also comes with considerable salary demands. With that in mind, clubs generally have a poor record when it comes to deals in that category. 

While it is too early to determine whether Lukaku’s return to Chelsea or Jack Grealish’s transfer to Manchester City was a success, other €100 million transfers have dominated the headlines negatively—four of those players will be free transfers in the summer of 2022. 

Within five months, FC Barcelona wanted to move Antoine Griezmann (now Atlético), Philippe Coutinho (now Aston Villa), and Ousmane Dembélé for a second time—players that since 2017 have cost €395 million. Dembélé has been the only player the club has not been able to move; his contract will expire on Jun. 30, 2022. It would be more than accurate to describe all those signings as a waste of money. Dembélé and Coutinho, in particular, have been often hindered by injuries. 

Bale, Dembélé & Co.: All €100m deals at a chronological order

Gareth Bale | Tottenham -> Real Madrid | Fee: €101m

&copy imago images

Transfer in the summer of 2013

Paul Pogba | Juventus -> Man United | Fee: €105m

&copy imago images

Transfer in the summer of 2016

Neymar | FC Barcelona -> PSG | Fee: €222m

&copy imago images

Transfer in the summer of 2017

Ousmane Dembélé | BVB -> FC Barcelona | Fee: €140m

&copy imago images

Transfer in the summer of 2017

Philippe Coutinho | Liverpool -> FC Barcelona | Fee: €135m

&copy imago images

Transfer in the summer of 2018

Kylian Mbappé | AS Monaco -> PSG | Fee: €145m

&copy imago images

Initially on loan in 2017, permanent transfer in 2018

Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid -> Juventus | Fee: €117m

&copy imago images

Transfer in the summer of 2018

Eden Hazard | Chelsea -> Real Madrid | Fee: €115m

&copy imago images

Transfer in the summer of 2019

Antoine Griezmann | Atlético -> FC Barcelona | Fee: €120m

&copy imago images

Transfer in the summer of 2019

João Félix | Benfica -> Atlético | Fee: €127.2m

&copy imago images

Transfer in the summer of 2019

Jack Grealish | Aston Villa -> Man City | Fee: €117.5m

&copy imago images

Transfer in the summer of 2021

Romelu Lukaku | Inter -> Chelsea | Fee: €113m

&copy imago images

Transfer in the summer of 2021

In Cristiano Ronaldo, a third player of the €100 million category, moved clubs in 2021—after three years at Juventus, he left the club without a significant success. Juve signed the Portuguese superstar in 2018 with the ambition to win the Champions League. The €117 million spent were a good investment, just not from a sporting perspective. 

While the Vecchia Signora gained followers on social media and were able to sign significant new sponsorship deals with Adidas and Jeep, the hoped-for success in the Champions League remained out of reach. Quarterfinal, round of 16, and quarterfinal was where Juve were eliminated with Ronaldo in the squad. Ronaldo earned €93 million during that time. 

The final season of the five-times Ballon d’Or winner saw Juventus finish fourth in Serie after having previously won the title nine times in a row. Even though Ronaldo’s performances for Juventus were excellent, the club failed to reach the lofty goals that set with the record signing’s arrival. 

Real Madrid’s €100 million transfers: Title guarantee Bale and a struggling Hazard

Real Madrid waited one year after Ronaldo’s departure before signing Eden Hazard for a club-record fee. The club was convinced about the now 31-year-old’s qualities that they paid €115 million to Chelsea, even though Hazard had just one year left on his contract. 

What followed were 63 games with just six goals—Hazard also missed 61 games with injuries. Once his salary of €30 million is added, then every goal cost… That sort of example is not necessary to underline that Hazard and Real were not a match made in heaven. 

The second top earner in Real’s squad is one of the club’s long-standing veterans, who signed one of the most significant contracts in the history of football when he was still a top player. Real boss Florentino Pérez signed Bale to a six-year contract worth €30 million a year before taxes in October 2016—after signing the new deal, Bale’s form and market value started to drop significantly. 

After five months without a game, the winger received a start in the 0-0 draw against Villarreal. “Gareth has struggled with injuries; his contract expires,” head coach Carlo Ancelotti said to realtotal. “Maybe he wasn’t very motivated lately. Now he is in good form, and he wants to end his career here on a high note.” 

Bale’s performances after his brace in the 2018 Champions League final have not matched his salary—but in the five previous seasons, the Welsh winger was instrumental in the club’s four UCL titles and two national championships, and the one Copa del Rey. Enough to satisfy the €101 million fee that Real Madrid paid to Tottenham Hotspur. It is, therefore, unfair to reduce Bale to golfing and the last two years in which he struggled with injuries. 

Messi, Beckham & Co. – The most valuable free transfers in history

45 Ruud van Nistelrooy – 2010 – Market Value: €16M

&copy Getty Images

Real Madrid to Hamburg

44 Goran Pandev – 2010 – Market Value: €16M

&copy imago images

Lazio to Inter

43 Ryan Fraser – 2020 – Market Value: €17.5M

&copy imago images

Bournemouth to Newcastle

42 Max Meyer – 2018 – Market Value: €18M

&copy imago images

Schalke to Crystal Palace

41 Mark Uth – 2018 – Market Value: €18M

&copy imago images

Hoffenheim to Schalke

40 Joel Matip – 2016 – Market Value: €18M

&copy imago images

Schalke to Liverpool

39 Maxi Rodríguez – 2010 – Market Value: €18M

&copy imago images

Atlético to Liverpool

38 David Beckham – 2007 – Market value: €19.8M

&copy imago images

Real Madrid to LA Galaxy

37 Edinson Cavani – 2020 – Market Value: €20M

&copy imago images

PSG to Manchester United

36 Henrikh Mkhitaryan – 2020 – Market value: €20M

&copy imago images

Arsenal to Roma

35 Dani Parejo – 2020 – Market value: €20M

&copy imago images

Valencia to Villarreal

34 Mario Balotelli – 2019 – Market value: €20M

&copy imago images

Marseille to Brescia

33 Diego Godín – 2019 – Market value: €20M

&copy imago images

Atlético to Inter

32 Mario Balotelli – 2019 – Market value: €20M

&copy imago images

Nice to Marseille

31 Jack Wilshere – 2018 – Market value: €20M

&copy imago images

Arsenal to West Ham

30 Yevgen Konoplyanka – 2015 – Market value: €20M

&copy imago images

Dnipro to Sevilla

29 Sami Khedira – 2015 – Market value: €20M

&copy imago images

Real Madrid to Juventus

28 Keisuke Honda – 2014 – Market value: €20M

&copy Getty Images

CSKA Moscow to Milan

27 Fernando Llorente – 2013 – Market value: €20M

&copy Getty Images

Athletic Club to Juventus

26 Michael Ballack – 2010 – Market value: €20M

&copy imago images

Chelsea to Leverkusen

25 Luis Figo – 2005 – Market value: €20M

&copy TM/imago images

Real Madrid to Inter

24 Serge Aurier – 2021 – Market value: €20M

&copy imago images

Tottenham to Villarreal

23 Yacine Brahimi – 2019 – Market value: €21M

&copy imago images

Porto to Al Rayyan

22 Joe Cole – 2010 – Market value: €21M

&copy imago images

Chelsea to Liverpool

21 Héctor Herrera – 2019 – Market value: €22M

&copy imago images

Porto to Atlético

20 Samuel Eto’o – 2013 – Market value: €22M

&copy Getty Images

Anzhi to Chelsea

19 Willian – 2020 – Market value: €22.5M

&copy imago images

Chelsea to Arsenal

18 Thomas Meunier – 2020 – Market value: €24M

&copy imago images

PSG to Borussia Dortmund

17 Sergio Agüero – 2021 – Market value: €25M

&copy imago images

Manchester City to Barcelona

16 Ander Herrera – 2019 – Market value: €25M

&copy TM/imago images

Manchester United to PSG

15 Georginio Wijnaldum – 2021 – Market value: €30M

&copy imago images

Liverpool to PSG

14 Santi Mina – 2019 – Market value: €30M

&copy TM/imago images

Valencia to Vigo

13 Emre Can – 2018 – Market value: €30M

&copy imago images

Liverpool to Juventus

12 James Rodríguez – 2020 – Market value: €32M

&copy imago images

Real Madrid to Everton

11 Adrien Rabiot – 2019 – Market value: €35M

&copy imago images

PSG to Juventus

10 Michael Ballack – 2006 – Market value: €35M

&copy Getty Images

Bayern Munich to Chelsea

9 Hakan Calhanoglu – 2021 – Market value: €35M

&copy imago images

AC Milan to Inter Milan

8 Aaron Ramsey – 2019 – Market value: €40M

&copy imago images

Arsenal to Juventus

7 Leon Goretzka – 2018 – Market value: €40M

&copy imago images

Schalke to Bayern Munich

6 Stefan de Vrij – 2018 – Market value: €40M

&copy imago images

Lazio to Inter

5 Memphis Depay – 2021 – Market value: €45M

&copy imago images

Olympique Lyon to Barcelona

4 Robert Lewandowski – 2014 – Market value: €50M

&copy imago images

Borussia Dortmund to Bayern Munich

3 David Alaba – 2021 – Market value: €55M

&copy imago images

Bayern Munich to Real Madrid

2 Gianluigi Donnarumma – 2021 – Market value: €60M

&copy imago images

AC Milan to PSG

1 Lionel Messi 2021 – Market value: €80M

&copy imago images

Barcelona to PSG

Dembélé aside, Kylian Mbappé and João Félix also moved as teenagers for fees above €100 million. While Félix has struggled to justify the high fee at Atlético Madrid and, as a result, has seen his market value drop, Mbappé has become the most valuable and in-demand player on the planet. The €145 million PSG paid to AS Monaco have since been repaid with goals. 

The Frenchman arrived in 2017, and together with record transfer, Neymar has formed the most expensive duo in football history. But while the two have collected several national titles, PSG are still waiting to win a major international title. This season could be the last chance for the duo to win the Champions League together as Mbappé is on the verge of joining Real Madrid on a free transfer.

Even if Mbappé leaves on a free transfer, the deal has been a good one for PSG as it accelerated the club’s ascent from a regional club to a genuine global brand. Neymar also aided that process, even if his performances and 102 missed games have made it somewhat difficult to justify the Parisians’ high price for the player. 

Available on a free transfer in the summer and often injured—those two terms are often associated with Paul Pogba. Manchester United paid a then-record €105 million for the French midfielder in 2016 and have since won just the Carabao Cup and the Europa League. Not enough to meet the ambitions of what was once one of the biggest clubs in the world. 

Pogba, who has missed 84 games for United, only showed his immense potential when he played for France’s national team. As a result, it is difficult to describe the transfer as a success. Pogba’s market value has since dropped from €100 million in 2019 to €55 million now. 

Ignoring Lukaku and Grealish, who both moved for €100 million or more in 2021, only Bale, Mbappé, and, perhaps, Neymar were able to meet the high expectations that came with their transfer fees. Dembélé, Coutinho, Griezmann, Hazard, Félix, and even Ronaldo were unable to meet the demands that came with their €100 million transfer tag. 


Homepage

 



Source link

Share This Article