World Record Transfers 1996-1998

1996
 Alan Shearer, Blackburn Rovers to Newcastle United
£15,000,000

Straight into this post with big Al. You all know the stats, I don't need to quote numbers here. Shearer leads almost all the Premier League charts. Most goals all-time, most goals in a season, most one-handed goal celebrations, most boring McDonald's advert ever, most times written Arsenal off for the title on MOTD. Some points you maybe don't know about this transfer though; this was the first time that an English club had broken the world transfer record since way back in 1951 when Sheffield Wednesday spent £34.5k to sign Jackie Sewell from Notts County. Shearer is also the most recent Englishman to be the world's most expensive player, the last of 14 players to hold that honour, more than any other country in history. Shearer's transfer was not the only time that Newcastle had broken the world record for a player, in 1904 the Geordies signed Andy McCombie from local rivals Sunderland for a then-record £700 (note the lack of an 'm' or even a 'k' after that last number). McCombie, a right-back, helped Newcastle to 3 league championship wins, in 1904/05, 06/07, and 08/09. Alan Shearer, unfortunately, couldn't bring the same glory to St. James' Park almost a century on. Shearer did become Newcastle's record goalscorer in all competitions, with 206, 6 more than Jackie Milburn, who still holds the Geordie record for most league goals. Shearer is probably the greatest goalscorer the Premier League has ever seen, here were the scenes at St. James' Park the day he 'came home'... 

                                            1997
 Ronaldo, Barcelona to Inter Milan
£19,500,000

After one goal-filled season at the Camp Nou, then Barcelona president Josep Lluis Nunez declared "[Ronaldo]'s ours for life," after initial contract talks had Ronaldo signed to the club until 2006. Just 24 hours later, after contract talks had collapsed, Nunez had changed his tune; "It's all over, Ronaldo is going." Inter duly met the release clause in Ronaldo's initial contract, £19.5m, and took the world's best player to Serie A. In doing so, Ronaldo became the third player in history to break the world record twice, the other two being Diego Maradona in the 80s, and David Jack in the 1920s. Ronaldo's spell at Inter is largely remembered as a low-point in his career, with a severe knee injury limiting his playing time during the 5 years he spent at the club. It is testament to what a phenomenal player Ronaldo was that even during this so called 'low-point' he scored 59 goals in 99 games in all competitions. Ronaldo stayed at the Nerazzuri until 2002, when the world was reminded what a gifted player he was as he finished competition top scorer in Brazil's 2002 World Cup win. Real Madrid snapped him up for €46m, which was not enough to break the world record a third time, as Zinedine Zidane's move in 2001 to Real Madrid held onto the record. Ronaldo continued to score for fun, bagging 104 goals in 177 games as part of Madrid's Galacticos side.

1998
 Denilson, Sao Paolo to Real Betis
£21,500,000

One of the biggest flops on this list. Betis broke the world record to sign then-21 year old Denilson, believing that they had secured the services of a player destined to become the best winger on Earth. You may have noticed a trend that many players on this list, after becoming the world's most expensive player, went on to win the league in their first few seasons. Denilson, however, was relegated to the Segunda Division in his second season with Betis. What inspired Betis to make this signing? Denilson had made his debut for Sao Paolo aged 17, and in his debut season helped them to win the 1994 Copa CONMEBOL (South America's version of the UEFA Cup during the 1990s). This alerted Europe's elite clubs, who were surely tracking the rising star. Over the next few years Denilson remained at Sao Paolo, and scored 4 league goals in 50 appearances, not enough to draw a bid from Europe's big boys. This gave Betis an opening, and Betis had already shown their penchant for signing wingers for big money. The summer before Denilson's arrival, Betis broke their club record to sign right-winger Finidi George from Ajax for around £7m. The summer of 1998 saw Denilson as part of the Brazil squad that finished runners-up to France in the World Cup. Denilson came on as a sub in every single game for Brazil except a Group Stage dead rubber against Norway in which he started. Betis had seen enough to decide that Denilson was their man, and duly broke the world record to bring him to the club, a club record transfer that still stands to this day. After relegation, Denilson did help the side back up to La Liga, but was never good enough to hold down a regular place in the top flight. He left to join Bordeaux in 2005.