While everyone talks about forward, strikers and defenders transfer, if there is one role that is not given its due when it comes to football, then that is goal-keeping. While there is little we can do to change this, we can bring you Top 5 Most Expensive Goalkeepers Transfers in History who did make a difference in this stereotype and were able to create a little bit of dent in Premier League transfer market.
5) David de Gea to Manchester United – £14m
David de Gea
While Real Madrid and Manchester United are still in talk with each other about David de Gea`s transfer for a “record” amount. We cannot forget that that the Old Trafford club Manchester United themselves paid a price tag of £14m for a young a 20-year-old goalkeeper. De Gea was hand-picked by Manchester United’s former and legendary coach Sir Alex Ferguson who was looking to replace Edwin van der Sar at that time. After the record pay to La Liga club Atletico Madrid for young starlet David de Gea, the Spaniard has grown tremendously over the years at Old Trafford and has now become one of the most sought out after goalkeeper in the world especially following his English Premier League (EPL) 2014-15 season performance.
4) Sebastien Frey to Parma – £14.7m
Sebastien Frey
While David de Gea is the most sought out after goalkeeper today, back in 2003 Sebastien Frey was fast becoming a name that many clubs wanted in Italy. Paid slightly better than De Gea, Frey in 2003-2004, and then in 2004-2005 became a key member of the Parma squad. Though the luck was not on his or the club’s side and the club was soon forced to loan Frey out to Fiorentina in 2005 and even after a record £14.7m signing Frey was never able to play for Parma again and was sold to Florence a year later.
3) Francesco Toldo to Inter Milan – £18.55m
Francesco Toldo
If there is one person who forced Sebastien Frey out of Inter Milan’s picture in 2001, then that was Francesco Toldo’s transfer to Inter Milan for a record £18.55m, following which Frey left for Prama to replace Gianluigi Buffon, who in turn left to join Juventus In his 10 years with Inter Milan, Toldo enjoyed the best years of his career as he won five Serie A titles, three Coppa Italia crowns and a UEFA Champions League during this tenure and then finally hung up his gloves in July of 2010.
2) Manuel Neuer to Bayern Munich – £21m
Manuel Neuer
If there is one person who can give Manchester United’s David de Gea a run for his money then that is German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. Though De Gea is the next generation of legendary goalkeepers to come, who will come into more prominence in the coming years, Neuer even at 29 can still give him a run for his money in the years to come. Neuer’s decision to move to German giants Bayern Munich from his childhood club Schalke caused a lot of rift between his fans and him but his persona and the fact that he is considered one of the best Goalkeepers in the world could not leave his true fans angry for long and the soon embraced him as a member of Bayern where he has gone on to win three Bundesliga titles, two German cups and a UEFA Champions League medal in a short while.
1) Gianluigi Buffon to Juventus – £37.02m
Gianluigi Buffon
Even at the age of 37 years, Italian legend Gianluigi Buffon is considered a force to be reckoned with. Back in 2006 one of the biggest driving force that led Italy to win their fourth World Cup was their goalkeeper Gianlugi Buffon. But even before that Buffon talent’s were known and respected, back in 2001 when Italian clubs were fighting over Frey and Toldo and paid millions for them, Juventus was the one who took the cake away by paying Prama £37.02millions, the highest amount for a goalkeeper in history to secure Bufoon’s services for them in the upcoming years. Though is sad that even though it’s a world-record, the fee equates roughly to just about £2.5m per season to field arguably the best keeper of his generation for over 15 years. The signing gave Juventus one of the best goalkeepers in history, but it’s sad to see the amount is peanuts compared to what is given to best Midfielders and strikers out there. Buffon’s contract expires in June 2017, but the legend already has six Serie A titles under his belt and is very much in contention to win few more before he hangs his gloves for good. He in the next two seasons would also be targeting to grab the UEFA Champions League trophy, a title that has eluded him even with such a fantastic Premier league career under his belt.
