Most expensive signings ever AFTER inflation including Ronaldo’s Inter Milan deal worth £380m and Maradona’s £300m move
TRANSFER fees have increased and increased to astronomical heights in recent years as £100million deals become a frequent occurrence.
But many smaller fees from years back caught the eye just as much at the time given their relative value when the transfers were completed.
Diego Maradona, who sadly died aged 60 in 2020, was the closest to Ronaldo, costing £300m when he joined Napoli from Barcelona in 1984.
Famous for his Hand of God goal against England at the 1986 World Cup, Maradona is regarded as one of finest footballers of all time.
He racked up an impressive 310 goals during his 21-year career.
Michel Platini and Christian Vieri are third and fourth on the list, respectively.
Platini, left French side Saint Etienne for Juventus in 1982 and the attacking midfielder went on to finish his career with the Italian giants after racking up 103 goals in 222 matches.
Despite costing just £1m in 1987, the report revealed Dutch legend Marco van Basten would have cost £289m in the modern game.
Two more Argentinians are next on the list, with Gabriel Batistuta and Gonzalo Higuain costing a whopping £247m and £232m, respectively.
Batistuta left Fiorentina for Roma in 2000 and the striker bagged an incredible 292 goals during his 17-year career.
He also boasted an impressive 54 goals in 77 matches for his country.
Higuain played for some of Europe's biggest clubs, including Real and Chelsea, but his transfer from Napoli to Juventus in 2016 would now amount to £232m.
Neymar is the world's most expensive footballer, after joining Paris Saint-Germain for £199m from Barcelona in 2017, but that fee would have been the least-expensive of the eight players named in the report.
Club team-mate Kylian Mbappe may be the only man who can threaten that fee in the pandemic world.
However, he signed a mega £300million deal with the French club - ending speculation of a move to Real Madrid.