Gareth Bale signs for Real 2013- progression of world transfer record

Gareth Bale, as you’d all be knowing, has just signed for Real Madrid in a jaw dropping £85.3m (100m euros deal). The fee makes Bale the world’s most expensive footballer, eclipsing the £80m spent by Real for Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009.

Bale will wear the No.11 jersey at Real Madrid and will earn a whopping £300,000 a week in Spain, which for all practical purposes, means he picks up £34 for every minute he spends in the Spanish capital.

Here’s how the world football transfer record fee has progressed over the 90’s. As you can see, the list was initially dominated by Serie A clubs, who were heavy spenders even in the 50’s and 60’s with Real Madrid and Barcelona only emerging as major powers in the late 90’s/ 00’s.

The last five record signings have all been made by Real Madrid.

1990 Roberto Baggio ( Fiorentina to Juve)
1992 Jean Pierre-Papin ( Marseille to Milan)
1992 Gianluca Vialli ( Sampdoria to Juve)
1992 Gianluigi Lentini ( Torino to Milan)
1996 Alan Shearer ( Blackburn to Newcastle)
1997 Ronaldo ( Barca to Inter)
1998 Denilson ( Sao Paulo to Betis)
1999 Christian Vieri ( Lazio to Inter)
2000 Hernan Crespo ( Parma to Lazio)
2000 Figo ( Barca to Real Madrid)
2001 Zinedine Zidane ( Juve to Real Madrid)
2009 Kaka ( Milan to Real Madrid)
2009 Cristiano Ronaldo ( Man Utd to Real Madrid)
2013 Gareth Bale ( Tottenham to Real Madrid)