Top 10 most expensive footballers of all time
Transfers have always held a paramount importance in football, solely for the fact that they are the best way to reinforce or build a title-winning team.
Since the beginning of time, the beautiful game has witnessed a number of record transfers being pulled out by various clubs. But, with an astonishing surge in the amount of money circulating between European clubs, the most expensive transfer record has been surpassed more often in the recent years.
Long gone are the times when the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka held the crown as the world's costliest footballers. A number of deals in the recent times have seen them fall down the list of the most expensive footballers in history.
Keeping that in mind, let's have a look at the players who currently dominate the list of 'most expensive footballers':
Transfer value courtesy: Transfermarkt.com
#10 Virgil van Dijk
At last! After a tiresome saga that saw the Dutchman move to Anfield this January, the fans can't be more pleased than to see him playing in the Liverpool shirt.
Apart from shelling out a fortune, the Kop also had to face certain problems in the chase for the Dutchman. They had to apologise for their illegal approach towards signing the player. Also, Van Dijk initially submitted a transfer request; a plea that fell on deaf ears - as Southampton put in their resilient best to keep hold of the defender.
However, the transfer did go through by the end of December and he joined Liverpool for a fee of €78.8 million, as soon as the transfer window commenced in January. He had a dream start to his career at Anfield, scoring a winning header in a 2-1 victory against Everton in the FA Cup.
Just so you know, he's only the second player to score in a Merseyside derby debut since Bill White in 1901.
It remains to be seen whether Virgil van Dijk can become a crucial part of the Merseysiders' bid to win silverware.