As the noughties come to an end, the world of football braces itself for what is surely another decade of crazy spending sprees and transfer madness. In the past ten years, the title of most expensive player on the globe has changed hands on three occasions, with Luis Figo breaking the bank in 2000, followed by Zinedine Zidane a year later, and last but surely not least, Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009 for the staggering sum of €94M. While these players have justified their price tag – to a certain relative extent – others have flopped just as admirably. Here is a look over a list of transfers who the parties involved will surely want to forget:
1. Walter Samuel (July 2004; AS Roma to Real Madrid; €25M)
One of the best defenders at the turn of the century, Walter Samuel ignited his career in Serie A, establishing himself as a household name in the art of defending. His strong, rough style of play earned him the nickname “Il Muro” – Italian for “the wall” – a reputation that helped him conquer the 2001 Serie A title under Fabio Capello at Roma. In 2004, the Argentine earned a high-profile transfer to Real Madrid. His time in the Spanish capital however, was awful, as he took his time adapting to a new league. As Real had another wayward campaign, he was shipped off to Internazionale after just one season. Since then, he has been back to his best, and forged a solid partnership with fellow South American Lucio at the heart of Inter’s defence.
2. Robbie Keane (July 2008; Tottenham Hotspur to Liverpool; £19M)
A name that has been synonymous with Spurs for much of the decade, Robbie Keane was subject to interest from Merseysiders Liverpool in the summer of 2008. Keane’s supposed “long-awaited move” took some time to get going though as his current and prospective employers found themselves entangled in a heated war. The deal finally went through, yet the honeymoon soon turned into a nightmare as goals became a rarity for the Irish captain, and manager Rafael Benitez soon consigned Keane to bench warming duties. After just six months at Anfield, he was shipped back to Spurs for a basic fee of £12M, making it probably the silliest transfer that the Premier League has witnessed over the past few years.
3. Andriy Shevchenko (May 2006; AC Milan to Chelsea; £30.6M)
Quite possibly the best Eastern European striker the world has ever seen, Andriy Shevchenko was moulded into a legend at Italian side AC Milan, winning everything there is to win with the Rossoneri. His high profile transfer to Roman Abramovich’s Chelsea – for more than £30M – was supposed to be the driving force behind the Blues’ Champions League success. However, whilst José Mourinho’s Chelsea triumphed domestically, they could not crack Europe and “Sheva” was finding life hard in London, often being overlooked in favour of Ivorian Didier Drogba. Mourinho’s sudden departure from Stamford Bridge saw no change in fortunes and Ukraine’s most known player was skating on thin ice, appearing less and less under Avram Grant and Luiz Felipe Scolari. Seeing that he was simply not cut-out for the Premier League, having scored nine league goals in two years with the Pensioners, the Ukrainian returned to Italy for another loan spell with Milan – which was horrible as well – before transferring back to boyhood club Dynamo Kyiv in 2009.
4. Francis Jeffers (July 2001; Everton to Arsenal; £8M)
Arsène Wenger usually manages to spot potential kilometres away, but his eyesight surely faltered when he thought that Francis Jeffers would be a suitable recruit: Having shown promise with Everton – long before the surfacing of a certain Wayne Rooney – Jeffers was at one point the Toffees’ hope for a bright future. A row with manager Walter Smith however, meant that the door was open for him to make the move to Arsenal, for a club record £8M. Labelled a “fox-in-the-box” by Wenger, Jeffers was more of a bench-warmer in London, as injuries and a serious drop in form meant that he could not replicate his Everton days. Four league goals in 22 appearances for Arsenal – in two years – meant that his descent from fame was as steep as his rise: He was loaned back to Everton for the final year of his contract, and has been up and down the UK for the past few years, playing for the likes of Ipswich Town and Sheffield Wednesday. Currently, he is bound to a ten-game contract with Australian side Newcastle Jets.
5. Adrian Mutu (August 2003; Parma to Chelsea; £15.8M)
In similar fashion to Shevchenko, Mutu’s stock was on the rise in Serie A, and he was eventually lured by Chelsea and Abramovich’s millions. The Romanian started extremely well, but the goal-well soon dried up, and he got on José Mourinho’s bad side as fights broke out over Mutu’s alleged injuries. That proved to be pointless however, as he soon failed a drug test, receiving a seven-month ban and a £20,000 fine. Consequently, his contract was terminated, and he is currently in the midst of a juridical battle with previous owners Chelsea, with the latest ruling in the affair obliging Mutu to pay €17M. He returned to Italy afterwards to ply his trade with Juventus and Fiorentina, and despite gathering relative success with the Viola, failed a second drugs test, likely meaning that his adventure in Tuscany will come to an abrupt end too.
6. Ricardo Quaresma (September 2008; FC Porto to Internazionale; €18.6M + player)
Having previously flopped at Spanish giants Barcelona, Ricardo Quaresma chose to relaunch his career in his homeland, joining Porto. Back in Portugal, the winger’s form greatly improved and he instantly turned into a fan favourite, helping the team win the domestic league title on three consecutive occasions. Naturally, Europe’s biggest teams were back in contention for his much-valued signature, with Inter President Massimo Moratti being lucky enough to lure him to Milan as his main recruit for the new 2007/08 season, in a deal that was nearly valued around the €30M mark. Having started amazingly well for Inter, a series of poor performances soon attracted criticism. His luck didn’t change, winning the Bidone d’oro – or golden bin – award for Serie A’s worst performer of 2008, and being a close runner-up the following term. A short, awful spell with Chelsea followed before he finally managed to revive his career at Turkish side Besiktas.
7. Diego (July 2009; Werder Bremen to Juventus; €24.5M)
One of the best Bundesliga stars of the past few years, Diego Ribas da Cunha’s stock rose as the diminutive playmaker made headlines all over Europe, plying his trade at Werder Bremen. Forming a wonderful understanding with midfield veteran Torsten Frings and young talent Mesut Ozil, Diego won the Cup and League Cup in Germany, before transferring to Italian side Juventus, in a move that was, it was said, his next step on the path to greatness. The former Porto star found life difficult in Turin though, with his displays being a shadow of the performances that had made him one of Europe’s most wanted men. As a result, the Brazilian retreated to Germany last summer, this time to Wolfsburg for €15M, ten million less than the amount the Bianconeri had shelled out just twelve months earlier.
8. Dmytro Chygrynskiy (August 2009; Shakhtar Donetsk to Barcelona; €25M)
Having won the UEFA Cup in 2009, Dmytro Chygrynskiy caught the attention of powerhouses Barcelona, who were eager to add the Ukrainian to their already complete squad. His arrival, intended as backup for Gerard Piqué and the ever-injured Gabriel Milito, meant that the former Shakhtar captain would find playing time hard to come by at the Camp Nou though. When called upon however, the Ukrainian was nothing less than a disaster and Chygrynskiy managed just twelve league appearances in his first season as a Blaugrana player. His nightmarish form, coupled with mistakes that cost his team dearly – notably in the Copa del Rey against Sevilla – meant the exit door was slowly being opened. As Sandro Rosell became the new Barcelona president in the summer of 2010, he sanctioned the defender’s departure back to Shakhtar, making his year-long trip to Catalonia nothing but a distant memory.
9. Alberto Aquilani (August 2009; AS Roma to Liverpool; £17M)
One of Roma’s most polished jewels – next to Daniele de Rossi – Alberto Aquilani was slowly, but steadily on his way to becoming Italian football’s next big thing, despite a career that has been plagued time and time again with injuries. Named “Il Principo” – Italian for “the prince” – due to his elegant style of play, Aquilani was expected to be one of Roma’s shiniest lights for seasons to come. In 2009, he caught the eye of Liverpool, who were on the lookout for a suitable replacement for Xabi Alonso, who had departed for Real Madrid. His start as a Red was less than average; the player visibly struggling to adapt to the Premier League, and still picking up injury niggles on a regular basis. While his displays started to improve as Liverpool struggled domestically, it was in the Europa League that he truly shone, with his performance against Atletico Madrid in the semi-final his best in a red shirt. Nonetheless, his time at Liverpool was cut short with Rafael Benitez’s departure to Inter, and he was loaned out to Juventus for this season.
10. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (July 2009; Internazionale to Barcelona; €66M + player)
The answer to Florentino Perez’s massive spending spree in the summer of 2009, Zlatan Ibrahimovic landed at Barcelona as the team’s newest number 9, part of an exchange deal that sent Samuel Eto’o and €20M in cash to Milan. With a €250M buyout clause, Barcelona made sure that they upgraded the best squad on the planet, despite winning every trophy there was to win during that year. “Ibra” started his league career with a bang, becoming the only Barcelona player to score in his first four league matches. However, a drop in form meant that he was relegated to the bench in favour of youngster Pedro. Furthermore, increased speculation surrounding his frosty relationship with Josep Guardiola was clear indication that life away from Serie A wasn’t what the Swede expected it to be. While he believed he would stay at Barca for the second year of his contract, the Camp Nou side shipped him out to AC Milan, in a loan deal with the option to make it permanent at the end of the season for just €24M, in a deal labelled by Rosell as “the best transaction” he has ever made. Back in familiar surroundings, Ibrahimovic is currently helping Milan to their first Scudetto in six years and forgetting the pain of Spain.
