Trash Chronicles

We’re less than a month into the summer 2009 transfer window, and we’ve already seen the world’s transfer record shattered not once, but twice.

After archrivals Barcelona grabbed headlines this past season on the way to completing a La Liga/Champions League/Copa del Rey treble, Real Madrid needed to make a big splash this summer, and they’ve done that and then some by signing the last two men crowned World Player of the Year.

Earlier this month, Real landed Kaka from AC Milan in a £56m deal, breaking the record that they’d held since 2001, when they signed Zinedine Zidane from Juventus for what now seems like a paltry £45.62m. While the previous record last nearly eight years, that one stood for only a few weeks, as Real blew it out of the water when they completed the long-awaited and highly-anticipated signing of Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo for a whopping £80m.

Before this summer, Real held the top two spots in the list of the world’s most expensive transfers, and now they hold the top four spots for most expensive purchases.

Top 10 Overall Transfers

1. Cristiano Ronaldo: Manchester United to Real Madrid - £80m (2009)
2. Kaka: AC Milan to Real Madrid - £56m (2009)
3. Zinedine Zidane: Juventus to Real Madrid - £45.62m (2001)
4. Luis Figo: Barcelona to Real Madrid - £37m (2000)
5. Hernan Crespo: Parma to Lazio - £35.5m (2000)
6. Gianluigi Buffon: Parma to Juventus - £32.6m (2001)
7. Robinho: Real Madrid to Manchester City - £32.5m (2008)
8. Christian Vieri: Lazio to Inter - £32m (1999)
9. Dimitar Berbatov: Tottenham to Manchester United - £30.75m (2008)
10. Andriy Shevchenko: AC Milan to Chelsea - £30m (2006)

Bumped from the top 10: Rio Ferdinand (Leeds to Manchester United - £29.1m in 2002), Gaizka Mendieta (Valencia to Lazio - £29m in 2001)

Ronaldo’s move from United to Real is certainly the most expensive transfer out of the Premier League, but as of now, the record for most expensive transfer into the Premier League remains the same, with Manchester City topping the charts with their £32.5m purchase of Robinho on deadline day last summer.

Top 10 Premier League Transfers

1. Robinho
2. Berbatov
3. Shevchenko
4. Rio Ferdinand: Leeds to Manchester United - £29.1m (2002)
5. Juan Sebastian Veron: Lazio to Manchester United - £28.1m (2001)
6. Michael Essien: Lyon to Chelsea - £24.43m (2005)
7. Didier Drogba: Marseille to Chelsea - £24m (2004)
8. Wayne Rooney: Everton to Manchester United - £23m initially (2004)
9. Shaun Wright-Phillips: Manchester City to Chelsea - £21m (2005)
10. Fernando Torres: Atletico Madrid to Liverpool - £20m (2007)

It’d be safe to assume that Ronaldo’s record won’t be broken for a while, but how much longer will the Premier League record last? Manchester United are in the market for a new forward, and whether they land David Villa, Karim Benzema, or Sergio Aguero, a purchase of any one of that trio will more than likely knock City’s Robinho move from top spot.

However, they aren’t the only ones who could be spending big this summer, and with two months to go before the window closes, don’t bank on these lists looking the same as they do now.