Big Players; Big Money; players that clubs have made a profit or loss on

Money in football has continued to grow rapidly in recent years with big money takeovers. This has resulted in vast amounts of money being spent on players in the transfer windows. This has culminated in 100’s of millions now being staked such as on Paul Pogba and Neymar.

Here’s a look at the biggest profit and loss that has been made from clubs following the buy or sale of some of the top players across the globe.

PROFIT

NEYMAR – £126.5 MILLION+

Paris Saint-Germain more than doubled the world record transfer fee earlier this summer when they spent €222 million on signing Neymar from Barcelona – which converted to £198m at the time.  Though the Brazilian attacker technically bought himself out of his transfer, the French Ligue 1 side gave him the money to give to the Spanish giants!  Barcelona were reported to have signed the superstar for £71.5 million, though figures to vary – but at the end of the day they made a substantial gain on Neymar’s sale!

GARETH BALE – £76 MILLION+

Gareth Bale became the subject of attention from some of the bigger clubs during his time at Southampton. This resulted in Tottenham Hotspur forking out £10 million to pay for the 17-year-old’s signature. Following six successful years at the North London club he was recruited by Real Madrid and signed for a then world record £86 million. This meant a profit of £76 million for Spurs.

CRISTIANO RONALDO – £68 MILLION+

Sir Alex Ferguson certainly had an eye for talent and saw the potential in Cristiano Ronaldo and invested in the now legend of the game. Manchester United paid £12 million for him back in 2003 which was a large figure back then compared to the vast amounts now being paid for players. It didn’t take long for Ronaldo to turn out to be a success and in 2009 he signed for Real Madrid for £80 million, making United about £68 million profit.

ROMELU LUKAKU – £62 MILLION+

Romelu Lukaku seems to have been around for a long period of time but is still only 24 years old. Everton signed him from Chelsea following a successful loan period at the club, which was for a club record £28 million. Following his continued progression during two years at Everton, they eventually got an offer they could not turn down. The Belgian signed for Manchester United earlier this summer for a deal that could reach £90 million. This will turn into a profit of around £62 million for the Evertonians.

ZINEDINE ZIDANE – £59.5 MILLION PROFIT IN TODAY’S MARKET

Zinedine Zidane is one of the all-time greats of the game. Juventus signed the French star for just €3.5 million from Bordeaux in 1996. Then following his unrivalled success at the club he signed for what at the time was the world’s most expensive transfer of £45.8 million to Real Madrid in 2001. In today’s inflated market this would equal around a £59.5 million profit for the Old Lady.

LOSSES

PAUL POGBA – £89 MILLION

Manchester United originally allowed a young Paul Pogba to leave for Juventus in 2012 on a free transfer with some fees believed to be around £1.5 million. Pogba then made giant strides in Italy prompting United to come looking for the player to return to the club. Then they amazingly re-signed the midfielder for a world record fee at the time of £89 million. This meant United lost around £89 million on the player. Many experts now believe it is Pogba’s form at the start of the 2017-18 season that their football betting tips include Manchester United to have a very successful season.

KAKA – £45.5 MILLION

Kaka strongly became renowned as one of the best players in the world between 2003 and 2009. The huge success the Brazilian had at AC Milan meant even bigger clubs were looking for his signature. Real Madrid splashed out £45.5 million for his signature in 2009. Kaka unfortunately failed to find his spark at the club and then signed back on a free for AC Milan in 2013. This meant Real Madrid lost all of their £45.5m.

FERNANDO TORRES – £38.85 MILLION

Fernando Torres became one of the world’s most sought-after strikers following his time at Liverpool. Chelsea therefore signed him for £40.95 million in January 2011. Unfortunately Torres joined the select group of strikers who struggled at Chelsea. Later he was moved onto AC Milan for a fee believed to be around £2.1 million. This meant a loss of around £38.85 million for Chelsea.

ANDRIY SHEVCHENKO – £30.31 MILLION

Andriy Shevchenko makes the list as he joined Chelsea when he was regarded as one of the best strikers in the world at the time, following his 175 goals in 322 games for AC Milan. However, the Ukrainian hitman could not make a successful transition to the Blues, scoring only 22 goals in 77 games. He left and signed for Dynamo Kyiv on a free transfer which meant a loss of £30.31 million for Chelsea.