James rodriguez - £63 million to Madrid

Stats don't mean everything  Haven. Watch him play enough and you can see why they've paid it. I only watch abit of French footy but his quality stands out. The goal against Japan is something I haven't seen anyone else currently playing do. They might not win the Spanish League as their side is suited to teams sitting back every week but they are a good thing in the Champions League and against any team that comes on to them.

Not a surprise. He was the only real stand out at an otherwise abysmal world cup.

So nothing to do with winning three consecutive titles as a great team player ??

He's a midfielder not a striker so that goals to games ratio is more than respectable.

if Luke Shaw is £30 million then it's no surprise

Ridiculous money, he is certainly no where near that ffs ...Oh most of u guys defending him, u probably did not even know he was before the world cup !! Get a grip !!

Oh and*

who's defending anything?

Lallana £25 million, Borini £14 million all ludicrous money

football gone mad

I do rate him and I agree stats are not everything , and he's not an out and out striker, but the point is he is still not worth that amount, if Madrid tried to sign him before the world cup, they could have got him for at least £25+ mil less, 5 games later his price is 60 odd million, I personally pay no attention to the Portuguese league, porto's budget is probably more than the other 15 clubs put together

Well if you got the money you might aswell spend it. Madrid and Barka piss all over the other spanish side financially.

Real Madrid have broken the transfer record the last 5 times. Figo £37m, Zidane £46, Kaka £56m, Ronaldo £80m, Bale £85m.

£63m isn't relatively speaking all that much. Wonder when we see the first £100m player. Maybe in around 3 or 4 years.

I just had a look on wikipedia and the top 8 highest transfer fees paid are all by Madrid and Barka. ^Those 5 by Madrid and Barka bought Neymar, Suarez and Ibrahimovic.

PSG paid £55m for Cavani and £50m for David Luiz. Wikipedia says, Comparison of fees in different nations is complicated by varying exchange rates.

Chelsea have been flops in the transfer market. £50m for Torres, and £30m for Shevchenko in 2006. I'm going to stop taking to myself now.

DiMaria or Benzema will be off loaded 30 mil + to cover it, just like Ozil went for 40 mil after the Bale 90mil deal.

Was offered to UTD (and maybe a few other prem clubs) for £5m a few years back but Bebe was just too good to turn down.......

they could have got him for at least £25+ mil less

Very much doubt it, he only moved there for £38mill (45m euros) last summer. There would have been no way Monaco would have let him go for less than they paid. Agree he's not worth 60 odd million though.

June 2009 :

UEFA chief Platini blasts Real's £80m bid for United star Ronaldo

'These excessive transfers are happening almost every day,' Platini told AFP. 'These transfers are a serious challenge to the idea of fair play and the concept of financial balance in our competitions.' The Frenchman has vowed to clean up the financial side of the game and create a level economic playing field.

How's it going Michel?

Only one transfer fee marginally more than that in the 5 years since, so think he has done pretty well in stopping fees inflating?

World Cup must have added £20-£25m so pretty poor business from that point of view.  Isco will hardly get a kick, would be a cracking signing for someone.

Only one transfer fee marginally more than that in the 5 years since

Bale, Neymar, Suarez theres 3 for a start

"the concept of financial balance in our competitions"

Bayern Munich deserve some recognition. They've only ever paid more than £30 million for a player once and that was Javier Martinez in 2012, yet they manage to compete at the highest level in European club competition year in year out.

Bayern have the 4th highest average weekly wage bill (behind City, Real and Barcelona)

How interesting. Wikipedia is full of interesting facts like that. I spent ages on there reading up on it.

?

they also have a un-competitive league so if a player wants to win league titles thats the place to go!

Real Madrid, Barcelona are football financial super powers. PSG, Monaco, Man City and Chelsea not far behind.

You have to hand it Madrid. A click of the fingers is all it takes to get any player they want. Makes the self-proclaimed biggest club in the world Manure look like a Mickey Mouse outfit in comparison.

One thing I read which makes the big 2 in Spain more appealing is that the tax on wages is much much lower there than say compared to the EPL where the highest band is 50%.

But the top, top players will always choose Madrid and Barca even if an EPL side is willing to pay more in wages.

Probably true. Every player dreams to play for them.

scandanavian_haven 22 Jul 14 14:37 
A fee based mostly on  5 matches at the world cup against, Uruguay, Greece, Japan, Ivory Coast and a penalty v Brazil

Columbia - 11 goals in 27 games
Monaco  - 10 goals in 38 games
Porto  - 32 goals in 105 games

Hardly a strike rate worthy of such a fee, game's gone mad





Pretty impressive strike rate for an attacking midfielder. And the strike rate at Porto is even better when you consider he was only 19 when he went there.

A huge talent and no surprise Real wanted him.

An amazing player. Watched him playing a lot for my team (fc Porto)! I remember like it was yesterday, the away match against Benfica when this little 19 years old kid jumps from the bench in the final 20 minutes of the match and gave us the victory!  A little genius

Everyone saying he's unproven and had just one good WC can keep watching EPL and La Liga.....been watching this kid since his days in Banfield and everywhere he's gone he's been class, ask any Banfield, Porto or Monaco supporter or any fan that watches any of those 3 leagues and ask them if they think they price tag is justified and they'll tell you. Like someone pointed out if £30 million is being paid for the likes of Luke Shaw then this is money well spent for a creative midfielder who just carried his team to a WC QF and finished up as Golden boot winner despite playing 2 and a half games less than his nearest rivals....football snobs that don't have a fookin' clue about players do my head in.

one pepperoni with spicy beef please

he is the "now" flavour
had a great wc tourney
peaking at the right time
but
is he worth that kind of money?

is anyone?

rich people spunk £63million on paintings ffs

bargain for a true world class player

Worth it. Post his assist stats please.

As for Porto, they aren't rich at all and are still in the red. They buy South American players on mass so have loads on their books which equals high wage bill. They hope a few will turn into gems and leave for big money, which of course does happen. But when Porto struggle for Champions League qualification which also happens they try and keep the players but sell off part of the player rights to a third party company....so when their top players eventually move on, Porto only get a fraction of the price.

YOMOMMA     22 Jul 14 19:40 
One thing I read which makes the big 2 in Spain more appealing is that the tax on wages is much much lower there than say compared to the EPL where the highest band is 50%.
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didnt the tories cut it to 45%?