World Record Transfers - Post WW2 to 1968

1949
 Johnny Morris, Manchester United to Derby County
£24,000
Today's price (adjusted for inflation) - £780k

Fresh from the victory of WW2, Britain also took back its world record for a football transfer from Argentina's River Plate. This transfer marks the only time that Man Utd sold a player for a record fee, and their purchase of Paul Pogba in 2016 is the only time they broke the record for a signing. Derby County had won the first FA Cup after the war in 1946, and used that cachet to land United's inside-forward. Morris managed 44 goals in 130 appearances for County before moving on to Leicester.

1949
 Eddie Quigley, Sheffield Wednesday to Preston North End
£26,500
Today - £860k

Post-war euphoria was high, as was the transfer fees in Britain, with 1949 seeing the record broken twice. Eddie Quigley joined a Preston side that featured the great Bill Shankly. Preston were the winners of the first two league championships ever in 1889 and 1890, but couldn't quite match that feat with their new world record signing as they finished runners-up in 52/53.

1950
 Trevor Ford, Aston Villa to Sunderland
£30,000
Today - £940k

Sunderland broke the world transfer record for the third and last time to sign Welsh striker TrevorFord. He was the first of two Welshmen to hold the record, with Gareth Bale's 2013 move to Madrid making up the other one. Sunderland were one of the big-hitters in pre-war English football, having won the league title 6 times, but their big spending couldn't help them to a post-war title. Ford netted 67 times in 108 appearanes before moving back home to Cardiff in 1953.



1951
 Jackie Sewell, Notts County to Sheffield Wednesday
£34,500
Today - £995k

Having sold Eddie Quigley in 1949 for a record fee, Sheff Wed decided to re-invest the cash on a record transfer of their own. In came forward Jackie Sewell from Notts County. Jackie's 87 goals in 164 appearances wasn't enough to rouse Wednesday, who haven't won a major honour since 1935.

1952
 Hasse Jeppson, Atalanta to Napoli
£52,000
Today - £1.37m

Up until now its been all Britain, with only one Argentine exception. But Hans Jeppson's £52k move to Napoli began a period of almost total transfer domination for Italian football that lasted into the millenium. Forget Zlatan, Hasse Jeppson is the only Swedish player to hold the record transfer. Jeppson had moved from Djurgarden in Sweden to England initially, where he joined Charlton Athletic. After a short stay of 9 goals in 11 games, he moved to Italy, first with Atalanta and then the record transfer to Napoli. The Napolese side will feature again in this list twice more, so look forward to that with baited breath. Jeppson is pictured (right) just before his death in 2013.

1954
 Juan Schiaffino, Penarol to AC Milan
£72,000
Today - £1.8m

Schiaffino became the second South-American to hold the record and the first and only Uruguayan. This transfer saw the first time that a European side broke the world record to sign a player from a South-American club, something we will see a few more times in this list. Perhaps the growing popularity of the World Cup was showing just how good the South-Americans were, or perhaps improved air travel was allowing European clubs the chance to scout on foreign lands. Schiaffino helped AC Milan to dominate Italian football in the late 50s, during his stay they won Serie A three times.

1957
 Enrique Omar Sivori, River Plate to Juventus
£93,000
Today - £2.05m

I must admit that Sivori is the first name in the list that I recognise, and even so its a faint recognition.  Another to move from South America to Italy, this time to Turin-giants Juventus. Sivori became the second Argentine to break the world record after Bernabe Ferreyra in 1932. Only two Argentines have held the record since, the might Diego Maradona and the not-so-mighty-but-still-very-good Hernan Crespo. Sivori is a bonafide legend at Juventus, having scored 135 goals in 215 appearances and winning 3 Serie A titles and 3 Coppa Italias.

1961
 Luis Suarez, Barcelona to Internazionale
£152,000
Today - £3.1m

Here's another familiar name, but it's not Barcelona's current Uruguayan maestro. Nicknamed 'El Arcitecto', the original Luis Suarez is considered one of Spain's greatest ever players, and won the Ballon d'Or in 1960. More of an attacking midfielder than an out-and-out striker, he was famed for his perceptive passing and explosive shot. Suarez's move to Inter helped them to become a dominant force in Italy and Europe in the 1960s. During Suarez's years of 1961 to 1970, Inter won the Serie A 3 times,and the European Cup twice.


1963
 Angelo Sormani, Mantova to Roma
£250'000
Today - £4.8m

With Italian football dominating the world transfer record at this time, it is surprising that Sormani became the first Italian player to become the record transfer. Sormani was, however, born in Brazil and began his career at Santos but went on to represent Italy. In attempt to compete with the stunning teams in Milan at the time, Roma splashed out a quarter of a million pounds to land Sormani, as well as agreeing to send 3 players to Mantova as part of the deal. The transfer was a failure though, with Sormani scoring just 6 times in his one season at the club, he moved to Sampdoria the following year. Sormani would later join AC Milan, where he won many many trophies. Angelo Sormani is the first player on the list who is still alive today, he is 78 years old.

1967
 Harald Nielsen, Bologna to Internazionale
£300'000
Today - £5m

Nielsen became the first and only Danish player to hold the record after impressing at Bologna as a forward with 81 goals in 157 appearances. Inter were arguably the best team in the world in the 1960s and Nielsen unfortunately didn't make the grade, scoring only twice in 8 games before moving on to Napoli. A back injury kept him on the sidelines and ultimately forced him to retire in 1970, aged 29. Harald is still alive and well and was instrumental in the professionalisation of the Danish game after his early retirement.



1968
 Pietro Anastasi, Varese to Juventus
£500'000
Today - £7.95m

The first half-a-million-pound player, Anastasi became the second Italian record-breaking signing. His huge fee is made even larger when considering the fact he was only 20 when Juventus signed him. Anastasi had a decent career at Juventus, where he scored 78 times in 205 appearances. During that time Juve won the Serie A 3 times.




That wraps up from WW2 to 1968. This period saw a shift from the footballing financial dominance of Britain over to Italy, a dominance that will continue in my next post. Join me next time as I go through the record transfers from 1973-1986. You'll need to bring your space hoppers and Wham records with you.