1992 Gianluca Vialli, Sampdoria to Juventus £12,500,000 Probably more familiar to British readers during his playing and managing days at Chelsea, but Gianluca Vialli was already 32 by the time he moved to Stamford Bridge. 85 goals in 223 league games helped Sampdoria win the 1990/91 Serie A title, still their only league title to this day. Vialli was league top scorer that season with 19 Serie A goals, in a Sampdoria side that included Roberto Mancini and Attilio Lombardo (you know your 90s football if you remember which English side he later played for). That Sampdoria side continued to surprise, by making the European Cup final the following year, losing out to Johan Cruyff's Barcelona. Vialli had scored 6 goals in that 1992 European Cup campaign, second to Jean-Pierre Papin, who netted 7 for Marseille. The summer of 1992 saw Papin head to Milan for a world-record £10m, only to be broken by Juventus' £12m capture of Vialli. By 1992, Juventus had not won Serie A since 1986. Vialli joined a side containing Roberto Baggio, Paulo Di Canio, and Pierluigi Casiraghi. Juventus, captained by Vialli, went on to win the 94/95 scudetto, and the European Cup the following year. Following the European Cup triumph, Vialli made his move to England in 1996. 1992 Gianluigi Lentini, Torino to Milan £13,000,000 Now here is probably the most recent world's most expensive player that most football fans have never heard of. Bank the name Gianluigi Lentini for any future appearances on 'Pointless'. Lentini's transfer is also interesting in that he is, to date, the last Italian player to be the world's most expensive player, and the seventh all-time (Sormani 63, Anastasi 68, Savoldi 75, Rossi 76, Baggio 90, Vialli 92, and Lentini 92), since WW2 no other country has produced as many. This is all well and good, but why have we never heard of Gianluigi Lentini? After impressing at his first club Torino, Lentini was 23 when he moved to Milan, full of pace and promise. His first season at AC went well, his seven Serie A goals helped them to the 92/93 title as well as the final of the Champions League (where they were beaten by Marseille). But in the summer of 1993, Lentini was involved in a serious car accident whilst driving home from a pre-season tournament in Genoa. Lentini suffered a fractured skull and was in a light coma for two days. He returned to action at the end of the 93/94 season, but his ability was never the same. Milan teammate Marcel Desailly said of Lentini "you could see the skills, how he was before the accident and after the accident, the balance was completely different." Lentini never fully captured his form at the top level again, and moved to Atalanta in 1996 and a string of lower league Italian teams until his retirement as late as 2011. A sad story, who knows what Lentini would have achieved? Perhaps the outcome of the 1994 World Cup would have been different if Italy had had their world-record breaking striker at the peak of his powers alongside one Roberto Baggio. 1996 Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima, PSV Eindhoven to Barcelona £13,200,000 From a relatively unknown name to one of the most recognisable players in the history of the game. It surprisingly took until 1996 for a Brazilian player to be the world's most expensive player, and none more fitting than the phenomenon that was Ronaldo. Ronaldo began his career with Cruzeiro, and aged 17 was part of the Brazil squad that won the aforementioned 1994 World Cup, though he did not play a single minute in the tournament. Following the World Cup, Ronaldo chose to sign for PSV of the Dutch league. Teenage Ronaldo absolutely tore up the Eridivisie, finishing the 94/95 season as league top-scorer with 30 goals. His second season was curtailed by a knee injury, that would hamper his career further down the line, but Ronaldo still managed 12 goals in 13 appearances that season. In two seasons at PSV, he scored 54 goals in 58 games in all competitions. Ronaldo was the hottest property on the planet, and Barcelona were first in line to capture his signature in 1996 for a world record fee. Ronaldo spent just one season at the Camp Nou, and just as he did in the Eridivisie, he tore La Liga up too. 47 goals in 49 games in all competitions helped Barcelona, then managed by our very own Bobby Robson, win the Cup Winners Cup, Copa del Rey, and Supercopa de Espana. Not only was he scoring goals for fun, it was the manner in which he was scoring that was incredible, with most of his goals coming at the end of mazy runs that took on entire defences before rounding the keeper to slot into an empty net. One such goal against Compostela led Spanish newspaper AS to headline the next day's story 'Pele Returns'. The end of his season at Barcelona saw Ronaldo break the world transfer record again, but we will cover that in my next post, join me why don't you? In the meantime, enjoy Ronaldo at the peak of his physical powers at Barcelona...
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.
Gianluca Vialli, Sampdoria to Juventus
Probably more familiar to British readers during his playing and managing days at Chelsea, but Gianluca Vialli was already 32 by the time he moved to Stamford Bridge. 85 goals in 223 league games helped Sampdoria win the 1990/91 Serie A title, still their only league title to this day. Vialli was league top scorer that season with 19 Serie A goals, in a Sampdoria side that included Roberto Mancini and Attilio Lombardo (you know your 90s football if you remember which English side he later played for). That Sampdoria side continued to surprise, by making the European Cup final the following year, losing out to Johan Cruyff's Barcelona. Vialli had scored 6 goals in that 1992 European Cup campaign, second to Jean-Pierre Papin, who netted 7 for Marseille. The summer of 1992 saw Papin head to Milan for a world-record £10m, only to be broken by Juventus' £12m capture of Vialli. By 1992, Juventus had not won Serie A since 1986. Vialli joined a side containing Roberto Baggio, Paulo Di Canio, and Pierluigi Casiraghi. Juventus, captained by Vialli, went on to win the 94/95 scudetto, and the European Cup the following year. Following the European Cup triumph, Vialli made his move to England in 1996.
1992
Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima, PSV Eindhoven to Barcelona
From a relatively unknown name to one of the most recognisable players in the history of the game. It surprisingly took until 1996 for a Brazilian player to be the world's most expensive player, and none more fitting than the phenomenon that was Ronaldo. Ronaldo began his career with Cruzeiro, and aged 17 was part of the Brazil squad that won the aforementioned 1994 World Cup, though he did not play a single minute in the tournament. Following the World Cup, Ronaldo chose to sign for PSV of the Dutch league. Teenage Ronaldo absolutely tore up the Eridivisie, finishing the 94/95 season as league top-scorer with 30 goals. His second season was curtailed by a knee injury, that would hamper his career further down the line, but Ronaldo still managed 12 goals in 13 appearances that season. In two seasons at PSV, he scored 54 goals in 58 games in all competitions. Ronaldo was the hottest property on the planet, and Barcelona were first in line to capture his signature in 1996 for a world record fee. Ronaldo spent just one season at the Camp Nou, and just as he did in the Eridivisie, he tore La Liga up too. 47 goals in 49 games in all competitions helped Barcelona, then managed by our very own Bobby Robson, win the Cup Winners Cup, Copa del Rey, and Supercopa de Espana. Not only was he scoring goals for fun, it was the manner in which he was scoring that was incredible, with most of his goals coming at the end of mazy runs that took on entire defences before rounding the keeper to slot into an empty net. One such goal against Compostela led Spanish newspaper AS to headline the next day's story 'Pele Returns'. The end of his season at Barcelona saw Ronaldo break the world transfer record again, but we will cover that in my next post, join me why don't you? In the meantime, enjoy Ronaldo at the peak of his physical powers at Barcelona...
Ruud Gullit, PSV Eindhoven to AC Milan
Jean-Pierre Papin, Marseille to AC Milan