World Record Transfers 1987-1992

First, let's set the scene. The year is 1987. Margaret Thatcher is Prime Minister of Britain. Hassan Gouled Aptidon is President of Djibouti. Oh... you think that's a random fact to give? Thatcher and Britain OK, but Hassan and Djibouti a bit random? White leader good, black leader bad. Shame on you. In the football world, Diego Maradona reigns supreme. He is the world's most expensive player after moving to Napoli for £5m. He had a hand (...ahem) in Argentina's 1986 World Cup triumph, and has guided Napoli to their first ever Serie A title. Who can dethrone Diego as the world's most expensive player? Only one man is cool enough for this job.. You may want to put on this song as you read the next entry. Step forward....

1987
 Ruud Gullit, PSV Eindhoven to AC Milan
£6,000,000

Ohhhh yesss, it's Ruud. The coolest football player of all time. John Barnes spitting bars on Anfield Rap aside, of course. If you want proof of his cool, who else can combine an Ian Rush-moustache with dreadlocks and not make it horrendous? Ruud was signed by Milan to replace Ray Wilkins, the squarest football player in history. In 1987, Ruud was 25 and had played over 200 games in the Netherlands for HFC Haarlem, Feyenoord (where he played alongside Johan Cruyff in his twilight years), and PSV (where he helped them win the Eridivisie). Ruud had scored over 100 goals, impressive for a player that often played in midfield as well as up front. Ruud joined his Dutch compatriots, Frank Rijkaard and Marco van Basten, at Milan as well as Paolo Maldini and Franco Baresi. In a side glittering with superstars it is testament to Gullit's quality that he would be picked to receive the Ballon D'Or in 1987. The late 80s belonged to Ruud. His '87 Ballon D'Or tucked under his arm, he helped Milan win the 87/88 Serie A, as well as 2 European Cups in 88/89 (where he scored 2 in the Final) and 89/90. Oh and wedged in between, he captained the Netherlands to the 1988 European Championships title, hosted in their arch-rivals West Germany's back yard. Gullit scored in the final, using only his dreadlocks, in a 2-0 win over the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union collapsed just 3 years later. Now I'm not saying that those two facts are related, but you can decide for yourself whether Ruud ended the Cold War.

1990
 Roberto Baggio, Fiorentina to Juventus
£8,000,000
Talking of cool, here is Roberto Baggio somehow defying the odds to show that a man with a ponytail isn't always a complete tit. Nicknamed 'Il Divin Codino' (The Divine Ponytail), Roberto Baggio was the greatest player on the planet in the early 90s. As a young boy I was lucky enough to go to Anfield every now and then, and having never seen live football before I was convinced that Mark Walters was the most graceful and skilful footballer to have ever lived. Then my older brother showed me a little weekend morning show on Channel 4 named 'Gazetta Football Italia'. Not only was Mark Walters not the most graceful player of all time, he looked like that stampede scene from 'The Lion King' in comparison to Roberto Baggio. Channel 4 had caught the crest of a wave with Italian football. The original idea for the show came when Paul Gascoigne moved to Lazio in 1992, leading to Channel 4 commissioning a show that would trail England's footballing sweetheart. The famous line "Golazzo!" from the show's intro music is not actually Italian, but is intriguingly Portuguese. This is because Channel 4 bosses wanted the Italian phrase "Golaco!" to sound more like "Go-Lazio" in honour of Gazza's new home. It was the quality of the football that kept fans watching, though. Serie A was out on its own as the best league in Europe at that time, with 4 of the 8 European Cups from 89-96 being won by either AC Milan (3) or Juventus. So for Baggio to stand out against that backdrop is a testament to the immense quality he had. A joyous player to watch, who, like most of the greats, seemed to play the game in slow motion as defenders zipped around him like headless chickens. Baggio was coolness personified in front of goal and managed to produce some of the best 'cheeky' goals ever scored. He was also a master free-kick taker. Baggio played for Juventus from 1990 to 95, scoring 78 goals in 141 Serie A games. Juve won the Serie A and Coppa Italia double in his last season at the club. Baggio will perhaps be best remembered for his missed penalty in the 1994 World Cup Final that gave the trophy to Brazil, but I will always remember him on our little portable TV on a freezing cold Saturday morning in North Wales, showing me that there were greater things out there than Liverpool's shit early 90s side. Golaccio!

1992
 Jean-Pierre Papin, Marseille to AC Milan
£10,000,000

With Ruud Gullit and Marco van Basten up front, it is difficult to see why Milan opted to break the world record for a striker in 1992. Looking at Papin's record up to that point, however, its easy to see why they went for him. For Marseille, Papin had won 4 league titles in a row (89-92), and had got to the European Cup Final in 1991 (losing on penalties to Red Star Belgrade). In 1991, he became the only player to win the Ballon D'Or whilst playing for a French club, ever. His stay at Milan only lasted 2 seasons though. He did bag a decent 18 goals from 40 Serie A appearances, but injuries and the quality of the players ahead of him at the rossoneri  meant he never held down a regular starting place. In the 1993 Champions League Final he came on as a sub in a defeat to his old club Marseille. He moved to Bayern Munich in 1994, and didn't settle there either. He returned to France with Bordeaux, and managed to recapture his scoring form. Papin shows us that a heady French number, with oaky undertones, late 80s/early 90s vintage, does not travel well. Combine with a robust English from the north-east region, however, and Papin will be a delight for the palate. Who said we football fans can't be cultured?

• Thanks for reading, join me next time as we work our way through the 90s.