On February 9, 1979, the football fraternity was left in a state of shock when Nottingham Forest signed Trevor Francis for a million pounds. Before that move, no footballer ever reached the 7-figure mark as Francis became the first of many world record-breaking deals.
The 8-figure mark was first touched by Gianluigi Lentini when he was bought by Milan for £12 million from Torino in 1992. 25 years later, it seems as though it is not long before the 9-figure mark is touched by someone among the best talents in the world currently.
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Flashiness is the key aspect when deciding the transfer price of a player. Hence, attackers are the most definite ones to break that barrier. And here are the five players that could be the first £100 million footballer.
Honourable mentions
Before we start off the slideshow, there are some names that failed to make the cut, but could just be the first £100 million footballer if an anomaly takes place. One such player is Neymar. While there is no doubt that the Brazilian would break the barrier if he is ever sold, there is little chance that the Camp Nou outfit would let him go.
If this list was compiled some months ago, then the former Santos star would definitely have been among the five names, but given his outstanding form and improved maturity, he has well and truly cemented his place as Lionel Messi’s heir at Barcelona and it is hard to see the Catalans let go of him.
Paulo Dybala is another name that fails to make the cut due to the fact that Argentine, right now, would perhaps not command a fee of £100 million. Finally, Marco Verratti is another superstar that fails to make the cut because of the same reason.
#1 Ousmane Dembele
The fact that he is only 19 years old and already finds his name on this list is astounding in itself. The French teenager’s unreal talent is what warrants him a place on this list as continues to develop at Borussia Dortmund.
He might just be 19, but when he came up against Real Madrid in the Champions League earlier this season, he caused a lot of trouble for the Galaticos—and that is against a team with superstar players all over the pitch.
Dembele’s mesmeric dribbling with pace is an ability that makes him stand out from the rest. There are still a lot of aspects of his game that he should improve, his passing for instance, but with nine assists and six goals so far this season—and that, too, at the mere age of 19—watch out for this space as he could be a £100 million man in the making.
#2 Harry Kane
Now we move into the more established players’ territory. Tottenham Hotspur have been a club that have continuously produced a number of talented players over the years. While Gareth Bale and Luka Modric might not have been their academy graduates, Spurs played the biggest role in their development.
And now they have done it again with the likes of Harry Kane and Dele Alli.
Being a goal-scorer—and a brilliant one at that—teams are more likely to spend a £100 million to acquire the services of Harry Kane.
The Spurs academy graduate has been scoring consistently ever since being promoted to the first team. The England international has continued to improve and ended last season with 25 goals—winning the Premier League Golden Boot in the process.
What stands out about him is his ability to create as well as score. While the likes of Luis Suarez and Pierre-Emerick Aubamayeng get their laurels sung regularly, Kane continues to perform just as good as them without as much focus.
But Spurs chairman Daniel Levy probably doesn’t care about that. All he cares about is keeping hold of his prized asset and will do anything in his power to keep him, like stamping an astronomical tag on him, a la Gareth Bale.
#3 Eden Hazard
Eden Hazard is perhaps the best player in the world that doesn’t include La Liga. The Belgian has been on fire this season and is one of the biggest reasons for Chelsea’s resurgence this year.
Last year, the former Lille youngster didn’t even seem like a shadow of himself. Mentally drained and fatigued, the winger seemed like he had lost all interest to play for Mourinho’s Chelsea, but was revived back in time by Antonio Conte.
Right now, he creates tormenting waves against the opponent defenders in every game, which makes it an obligation to link him to Real Madrid as Cristiano Ronaldo’s heir apparent. Whether or not he ultimately makes the move is a question that can only be answered by time, but what we can do say is that he will cost a lot.
A £100 million lot.
#4 Antoine Griezmann
Who else if not the best non-Real Madrid or Barcelona player in Spain? Antoine Griezmann has been in scintillating form over the last few years and this consistency in itself puts him on par with the greatest players of the world.
The fact that the Frenchman plays for Atletico Madrid almost guarantees us that he will be on the move some day. Indeed, he has refused to rule out a move across the divide to Real Madrid, stating that anything can happen in the game.
Last year, he ended up as the third best player in the world after a fantastic display of skills for club and country. That in itself makes him one of the usual suspects to break the £100 million barrier. That, and the fact that Atletico Madrid are a very difficult team to negotiate with when it comes to acquiring their star players.
#5 Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
It just had to be him. Right now, he is the most likely to break the walls of Jericho…sorry, the walls of the £100 million mark given that he is in the form of his life and is most likely to move away from Dortmund in the near future.
His constant flirtation with Real Madrid is an indication of his love for the Blancos. Indeed, his mother herself admitted that their entire family are Real Madrid supporters and would want her son to represent the club someday.
Aubameyang himself has been very open about his desire to play for the Madrid outfit, stating that he made a promise to his late grandfather about donning the White somewhere down the line.
And when Real Madrid are interested in signing a player, the price of that said player goes up by some margin because other clubs know the tendency of the Galacticos to spend exuberantly.
