John Stones becomes second-most expensive central defender after joining Manchester City for £47.5million
Classy England ace only behind David Luiz — SunSport takes a look back at the top ten cost centre-backs in football history
JOHN STONES’ £47.5million move from Everton to Manchester City will make him the second-most expensive defender in football history.
He is one of only two English centre-backs to have been sold for over £30m.
To put into context just how much City are paying for Stones, it is over double what AC Milan paid Lazio for Alessandro Nesta back in 2002.
Who joins the 22-year-old in the list of world’s most expensive central defenders?
SunSport takes a look...
David Luiz: Chelsea to Paris Saint-Germain, 2014 — £50m
ERRATIC Brazilian swapped Stamford Bridge for the Parc des Princes two years ago.
Luiz has undoubted ability on the ball, but could often be caught out of position due to his aimless runs forward.
His unreliability ultimately meant he was far from the perfect fit for Jose Mourinho.
John Stones: Everton to Manchester City — £47.5m
ENGLAND ace is only 22, but could still be money-well-spent.
City boss, Pep Guardiola, likes his defenders to be comfortable on the ball and play out of the back.
And Stones is one of the classiest centre-backs England have produced in years.
Thiago Silva: AC Milan to Paris Saint-Germain — £35m
LUIZ’S central defensive partner at PSG.
A leader in every sense and commonly regarded as the planet’s best defender for many years.
Was named in the Uefa and FIFPro Teams of the Year three times each.
Eliaquim Mangala: Porto to Manchester City — £32m
ONE of the more dubious inclusions on this list.
Frenchman has seriously failed to come anywhere near justifying his fee.
Mangala was never going to displace Vincent Kompany and lost his place to the next man on this list.
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Nicolas Otamendi: Valencia to Manchester City — £31.7m
ANOTHER who has struggled to live up to the hype.
Otamendi was wanted by Manchester United and Real Madrid but Manuel Pellegrini got his man.
Showed glimpses he could show his worth and will surely get a chance under Guardiola.
Mats Hummels: Borussia Dortmund to Bayern Munich — £30.7m
A STEAL in comparison to some of his more expensive predecessors.
Hummels is a world class defender who has played in World Cup and Champions League finals.
His acquisition will take Bayern Munich to an even higher level.
Rio Ferdinand: Leeds to Manchester United — £30m
QUITE frankly, one of the best defenders English football has ever produced.
Ferdinand was twice the world’s most-expensive players — joining Leeds for £18m in 2000.
One of few Englishmen to have captained a team to European glory and won the Premier League six times.
Eric Bailly: Villarreal to Manchester United — £30m
NOT too well-known to English football before Mourinho plucked him away from Villarreal earlier this summer.
Bailly has already endeared himself to the United faithful with a man-of-the-match performance in the Community Shield.
However, at just 22, he is far from the finished article.
Marquinhos: Roma to Paris Saint-Germain — £27m
ANOTHER expensive Brazilian in the PSG backline.
Marquinhos became the fifth-most expensive teenager when he moved from Roma at the age of 19.
His has been a constant target for the likes of Barcelona and Chelsea.
Pepe: Porto to Real Madrid — £25m
NOT everybody’s cup of tea, but a quality defender.
Pepe was integral as both Real Madrid and Portugal were crowned European champions last season.
Signed in 2007 and won La Liga and Champions League twice apiece.