10 greatest transfers of all time
Sometimes what stops a good team from being a great one is a marquee signing. We have seen this a lot in the past. A recent example of how one signing can transform a team is Bruno Fernandes' arrival at Manchester United. A struggling Manchester United was galvanized and made to look decent with just one signing.
But here today, we take a look at some of the signings that absolutely flipped the fortunes of teams on their heads. In fact, many of the greatest teams in football have at some point made a signing so incredible that it defined their legacies.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the top 10 greatest transfers of all time.
Honourable mention: Cristiano Ronaldo to Manchester United and Real Madrid
Well, the only reason why Cristiano Ronaldo is not on the list or not topping it is because he joined sides that were already dominant forces. Of course, he was Manchester United's and Real Madrid's best player as they both tasted great success in Europe, the latter more so than the former.
Ronaldo won 3 back to back titles at Real Madrid and you could say that they became less of a force in Europe after he left them to join Juventus. The Portuguese is one of the greatest players of all time without a doubt.
#10 Sergio Aguero to Manchester City
Sergio Aguero perhaps registered the greatest moment in Manchester City's history by scoring a last-minute winner that won them the Premier League title on goal difference in the 2011-12 season. He did that in his debut season after joining from Atletico Madrid for £35 million.
The Cityzens had been struggling to find a good goalscorer after having invested well over the previous campaigns and secured the services of an array of top quality individuals. Aguero has gone on to become one of their greatest players and their greatest goalscorer of all time.
The Argentine is also the 4th greatest goalscorer in the history of the Premier League. At the age of 32, he is still going strong and is one of the most lethal finishers around.
He has won four Premier League titles, one FA Cup and five League Cups with Manchester City and despite City having signed a multitude of excellent players this past decade, Aguero is arguably their best.
#9 Frank Lampard to Chelsea
Widely regarded as one of the greatest Chelsea players of all time and one of the greatest midfielders of his generation, Frank Lampard is the best £11 million that Blues have and will ever spent.
Frank Lampard made 648 appearances for Chelsea across all competitions and scored a staggering 210 goals from midfield in his 13 year stint at West London. Lampard was one of the most important players in the side as Jose Mourinho came and transformed Chelsea into world beaters in the opening decade of the 21st century.
He has won four FA Cups, three Premier League titles and one UEFA Champions League title with Chelsea. Now he is back at Stamford Bridge as the manager of the club and looks to be doing a great rebuilding job. Chelsea would probably never get returns this good for an investment of £11 million ever again.
#8 Michel Platini to Juventus
One of the greatest midfielders of all time, Michel Platini's initial days at Juventus were rather forgettable and he even considered leaving the club in the winter in his first season after being hounded by the demanding Italian media.
Platini and teammate Boniek rallied for a change successfully and Juventus reached the European Cup final that season and also won the Italian Cup. After that, there was no stopping the Frenchman.
He was the top scorer in Serie A for three consecutive seasons and won two League titles, one European Cup, one Inter Continental Cup, one European Super Cup and one European Cup Winners' Cup in his five year stint in Turin. To top it all off, he was the Ballon d'Or winner in 1983, 1984 and 1985.
Juventus had bought him from St. Etienne for €129,000 and his signing will always be regarded as some of the best business that the Bianconeri have been able to pull off.