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The G-8 That Broke Banks in Summer Transfer Windows
Just as the transfer market in Europe is bubbling with unfolding events, so are the banking halls as vaults are being opened and closed with huge amounts either coming out or inflowing into players and clubs’ accounts.
The world is at the verge of witnessing the biggest movement of money in football history when Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior moves from FC Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain. Courtesy of 90min, the world’s largest football media platform, Sports Village Square brings to you the eight teams that have had to pay ridiculous amounts during summer transfer.
8. Paris Saint-Germain – Summer of 2012
Total spend: £144.5m
In their first transfer window with the Qatari owners on board, Paris Saint-Germain went all-out ahead of the 2012/13 season, spending nearly £150m on signing seven of Europe’s brightest and most experienced players.
The double swoop of Thiago Silva and Zlatan Ibrahimovic from AC Milan was worth in excess of £55m, while the likes of Lucas Moura, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Marco Verratti helped put the French side on the map.
7. Manchester United – Summer of 2016
Total spend: £147m
Last summer was a big one for Manchester United. Two of football’s biggest personalities, Jose Mourinho and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, joined the club, but neither are included in United’s total transfer spend.
Rather, the world’s most expensive player, Paul Pogba, as well as the additions of Armenian playmaker Henrikh Mkhitaryan and no-nonsense defender Eric Bailly, cost a combined fee of £147m.
6. Manchester City – Summer of 2015
Total spend: £147.5m
Manchester City are serial spenders when it comes to the transfer window, but even by their own lofty standards the summer of 2015 was an expensive one, as they captured five players for a combined fee of nearly £150m.
While Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne represented the bulk of the spending at nearly £100m together, Fabian Delph, Patrick Roberts and Nicolas Otamendi were hardly on the cheap side.
5. Barcelona – Summer of 2014
Total spend: £148m
Newly installed manager Luis Enrique was backed by the Barcelona owners to return to winning ways, following a disappointing 2013/14 campaign and the flurry of signings had the desired effect, with Barca finishing the season as treble-winners.
The main expenditure went on Luis Suarez, who cost £65m from Liverpool, while the arrivals of Claudio Bravo, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, Ivan Rakitic, Thomas Vermaelen and Jeremy Mathieu took the spending almost to £150m.
4. Real Madrid – Summer of 2013
Total spend: £148.5m
Beating Barcelona by just £500,000 to 4th spot here, Real Madrid broke the world record in September 2013 when they brought Gareth Bale to La Liga, signing a cheque for around £85m.
The Welshman was joined by Dani Carvajal, Casemiro, Isco and Asier Illarramendi, the former being the second priciest signing of that summer for Los Blancos, and the new arrivals contributed to the club’s unprecedented ‘La Decima‘ success.
3. Manchester United – Summer of 2014
Total spend: £149m
After the disaster of David Moyes’ stewardship the year before, Manchester United’s owners gave new boss Louis van Gaal a transfer warchest ahead of the 2014/15 season and he gladly accepted it, bringing in five major players.
The Red Devils broke a British transfer record when they acquired Angel Di Maria from Real Madrid for almost £60m, while the likes of Luke Shaw, Marcos Rojo, Daley Blind and Ander Herrera also came through the doors of Old Trafford.
2. Manchester City – Summer of 2017
Total spend: £202m
The Citizens find themselves this summer as having the second most expensive transfer window of all time for a club, after a number of pricey acquisitions following a somewhat disappointing campaign last year.
Kyle Walker (£45m), Benjamin Mendy (£52m), Ederson (£35m), Danilo (£26m) and Bernardo Silva (£43m) have all signed on the dotted line for Pep Guardiola’s men and the spending might not even be done yet!
1. Real Madrid – Summer of 2009
Total spend: £230m
The summer of 2009 saw Real Madrid begin a new dawn of the Galacticos era, by breaking the world record not once, but twice in a matter of week as they followed the £56m capture of Kaka with the £80m signing of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Also arriving to the Spanish capital prior to the start of the 2009/10 season were Xabi Alonso (£30m from Liverpool), Karim Benzema (£31m from Lyon) and Raul Albiol (£13.5m from Valencia).
Mamelodi Sundowns and Ulsan HD had targeted their Group F opener as their best chance to get a win on the board at the Club World Cup, with Brazil’s Fluminense and German side Borussia Dortmund expected to advance from Group F.
South Africa’s Sundowns took all three points with a 1-0 win over the South Koreans and went top of the group after Fluminense drew 0-0 with Dortmund.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
African and Asian teams are not expected to make much of an impact at the new-look 32-team Club World Cup so points are like gold dust for the likes of the Sundowns and Ulsan.
KEY QUOTES
Miguel Cardoso, Mamelodi Sundowns coach: “We prepared tactically and strategically very well, and then we found a commitment between everybody. I think it was clear we made a very wonderful first half. It was important that we could keep the pace and not stray from the game plan in the second half, so that we could score a second goal that for little details or little centimetres, we could not do.”
Kim Pan-gon, Ulsan HD head coach: “We had targeted this game to win because we understand the other two teams in the group, Fluminense and Borussia Dortmund, are favourites. Our players gave their best efforts in this game and we’re very proud of their efforts. Now we need to recover quickly for the next game.”
-Reuters
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With a year until Mexico makes history as the first three-time World Cup host, the dream of a spectacular showcase is colliding with the practical challenges of modernising the iconic Azteca Stadium for global soccer’s premier event.
Beneath the imposing silhouette of Mexico’s football cathedral – where Pele dazzled with Brazil in 1970 and Maradona’s ‘hand of God’ propelled Argentina to glory in 1986 – construction crews tackle the formidable task of bringing one of the sport’s most storied venues into the 21st century.
The stakes are magnified as the ‘Santa Ursula colossus’ will host the tournament’s opening match, a global spectacle that will focus the world’s attention on Mexico from day one.
Renovations will expand the stadium’s capacity from 87,000 to 90,000, with upgrades centred on meeting FIFA standards through new changing rooms, enhanced hospitality zones, revamped VIP areas and additional seating in spaces previously occupied by boxes and lounges.
While government officials and football administrators envisioned the project as a symbol of national pride, the renovation process has eroded trust between developers, local residents and other stakeholders.
Stadium administrators announced in February that they had secured a 2.1 billion peso ($110.19 million) credit line from local financial group Banorte – along with a controversial new name: Estadio Banorte.
FIFA regulations mean the stadium will be referred to as “Estadio Ciudad de Mexico” during the World Cup, yet the rebranding has sparked a fierce backlash from some fans, who view it as sacrificing football heritage for commercial interests.
HARSH REALITY
The backlash over the stadium’s new name represents only one facet of the mounting tensions. Box and suite holders – some with relationships spanning decades – have threatened legal action after FIFA announced it would commandeer their seats during the tournament, overriding established contracts.
One member of the Mexican Association of Box Holders has already filed a legal challenge to defend access rights.
Beyond the stadium walls, frustration runs equally deep. Residents of Santa Ursula and surrounding neighbourhoods fear that promised infrastructure improvements like pedestrian bridges and transit lines will fail to address fundamental issues including inadequate lighting, water shortages and persistent traffic congestion.
“We’re not the stadium’s backyard,” one local resident told Expansion Politica. “But we’re always treated that way.”
By contrast, Guadalajara and Monterrey, Mexico’s other two host cities, face fewer obstacles.
Guadalajara’s 48,000-seat stadium, opened in 2010, has already hosted major events including the 2011 Pan American Games, while Monterrey’s 53,500-capacity venue, inaugurated in 2015, needs only minor upgrades – primarily new turf and a pitch ventilation system.
“We’ll install a system to ventilate and oxygenate the pitch before replacing the grass,” said Alejandro Hutt, Monterrey’s Host City Manager. “That will be an important legacy from the World Cup and beyond.”
As construction continues, Javier Aguirre’s Mexico squad are building towards a crucial summer, with a Gold Cup title defence ahead and friendly matches against Turkey this week, followed by Japan and South Korea in September.
After failing to advance beyond the group stage at Qatar 2022 – their worst World Cup performance since 1978 – Mexican fans crave more than just a well organised tournament. They want to see Mexico break the ‘fifth-game‘ curse and reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 1986, the last time they were World Cup hosts.
-Reuters
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All contenders are now known for this year’s President Federation Cup grand finale, following Saturday’s elimination of Edo Queens and Ibom Angels in the women’s semi-finals.
Multiple-winners Rivers Angels saw off the stiff challenge of Ibom Angels of Uyo 1-0 in Aba, while Nasarawa Amazons bumped Edo Queens 2-0 in Ayingba.
Cup holders Rivers Angels, who have won the competition nine times, will have their hands full against 2005 and 2019 champions Nasarawa Amazons of Lafia.
In the men’s competition, Abakaliki FC of Ebonyi are getting set to tackle Kwara United FC in the final.
Results of Semi Finals (Women)
- Rivers Angels (Rivers) 1-0 Ibom Angels (Akwa Ibom)
- Edo Queens (Edo) 0-2 Nasarawa Amazons (Nasarawa)
Results of Semi-Finals (Men)
- Abakaliki FC (Ebonyi) 0-0 Ikorodu City (Lagos) – Abakaliki FC win 5-4 on penalties
- Kwara United (Kwara) 1-0 Rangers Int’l (Enugu)
WOMEN’S FINAL
- Rivers Angels vs Nasarawa Amazons
MEN’S FINAL
- Abakaliki FC VS Kwara United
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