The first £1,000,000 player - Giuseppe Savoldi
Napoli signed Giuseppe Savoldi from Bologna for £1,200,000 in 1975, giving him the distinction of being the world’s first million pound footballer. His first season at Napoli was the stuff of fairytales. He scored seven goals in his first seven games for the club, going on to win the Italian Cup with them that very same season.
However, he soon realised that he joined a club that were beginning to decline. “I arrived in Naples too late,” he said. “Vinicio (Napoli manager from 1973-76) confirmed it for me a few years later: that Napoli had already given their best, it was at the end of the cycle. We won one Italian Cup, but I had come to Naples late.”
Savoldi left the club in 1979 at the age of 32 and returned to his previous club Bologna. In 1980 the Bologna captain was accused of being involved in an underground betting ring, following which he was banned from the game for two years.
On his return, he played for Atalanta aged 34. He managed to play 16 games and scored 1 goal in that season before retiring. Today, Savoldi is still the 13th highest goalscorer in Serie A with 168 goals to his name in 405 games.