Football clubs have forked out jawdroppping amounts of money over the years as they seek to reinforce their squads with the cream of the English crop.
From Jack Grealish to Alan Shearer and Harry Maguire, the list is varied and opinions over their price tags will differ.
The one thing that unites them is that they have all pulled on the illustrious white jersey of the Three Lions, representing England on the international stage.
Here is a dissected list of England’s record-breakers and history-makers…
David Platt – Aston Villa to Bari, 1991; Bari to Juventus, 1992: £5.5million and £6.5million
David Platt appeared on the radar of Italian clubs after his eye-catching displays at Italia 90′
David Platt made a name for himself at Aston Villa, winning PFA Players’ Player of the Year in 1989-90 for taking Villa to the verge of a Premier League title which they ultimately ended up losing at the last to Liverpool.
The end of that season probably produced the biggest moment in Platt’s career at the World Cup in Italy, 1990. Brought on off the bench against Belgium, a 119th minute wonderstrike secured the winner, ensuring England remained in the competition and booking himself a spot in the starting 11 for their remaining games.
His goalcoring record at Villa as well his performances with England put him on Serie A’s map and he joined Bari – who he failed to keep from being relegated – before quickly moving to Juventus the following year.
A brief two-year stint and a Coppa Italia triumph at Sampdoria was ended by a return to England with Arsenal. The arrival of Arsene Wenger eventually shifted him out of the first-team and he left the club in 1998, not before winning the double in that very year.
A goalscorer, leader, and captain, Gary Lineker’s face says it all about the moment that Platt went down in history.
Stan Collymore – Nottingham Forest to Liverpool, 1995: £8.5million
Stan Collymore was an exciting player who joined Liverpool from Nottingham Forest in 1995
Stan Collymore’s career was marked by multiple moves – from Crystal Palace and Southend United to Nottingham Forest, Liverpool, Aston Villa – all of which failed to last longer than three years.
Despite this, Collymore was an exciting goalscorer who joined Liverpool from Nottingham Forest with plenty of promise. But his time at Liverpool was brief, and Collymore was gradually ousted by newcomer Michael Owen before moving to boyhood club Aston Villa after just two seasons at Anfield.
Collymore still had a number of standout moments, including when he came off the bench for Villa against Atletico Madrid in the Uefa Cup in 1998 and launched a stunning strike from 25 yards out sending Villa Park into uproar.
Issues off the pitch threatened to take Collymore’s career away from him but he earned himself a deserved reputation as a prolific goalscorer over a 12 year career nonetheless.
Alan Shearer – Blackburn to Newcastle, 1996: £15million
Few words need to be said to reinforce the legendary status of Newcastle legend Alan Shearer
Imagine being able to buy Newcastle hero Alan Shearer in his prime for £15million today. Few words need be said to reinforce the legendary status of the Premier League Hall of Famer.
Alan Shearer started his career at Southampton before moving to Blackburn Rovers, scoring 112 in 138 appearances winning the league with them in 1994-95 and racking up interest from the Premier League’s most prestigious clubs.
But it was boyhood Newcastle that would own the rights to their Geordie boy where he would go on to become one of the best strikers of all time despite never winning a trophy with the club. Shearer sill holds the record for the most Premier League goals of all time, 260.
Rio Ferdinand – West Ham to Leeds, 2000; Leeds to Manchester United, 2002: £18million and £30million
Rivals struggled to breach Fergies’ impenetrable defence for over a decade thanks to Rio Ferdinand
Rivals struggled to breach Fergies’ impenetrable defence for over a decade thanks to Rio Ferdinand who was joined in 2006 by Serb Nemanja Vidic to create one of the best centre-back partnerships in Premier League history.
The humble South London lads’ journey began at West Ham where he made Hammer of the Year at the age of 19 before a move to Leeds. He broke his own record just two years later when he joined Fergie’s Reds at the heights of their success.
Rio went on to become one of Fergie’s many sound investments, returning six Premier Leagues, two League Cups, and one Champions League over a 12 year period in Manchester.
Raheem Sterling – Liverpool to Manchester City, 2015: £49million
Raheem Sterling became a starting XI mainstay in Pep’s side, scoring 91 times in seven seasons
Queens Park Rangers youngster Raheem Sterling was spotted and snapped up by Rafa Benitez at the young age of 16, making his Premier League for the Scousers at 17 years and 107 days.
A controversial contract-renewal debate with Liverpool eventually came to a head, and Pep Guardiola signed the Jamaican-born talent for City in 2015. He became a starting XI mainstay in Pep’s side, scoring 91 times in the seven seasons he spent at the club and winning a formidable number of trophies with the Citizens including 4 Premier League trophies, 1 FA Cup, and 5 League Cups.
The 28-year-old has had a difficult debut season for Chelsea with turmoil behind the scenes at the club affecting the performances of the vast majority of the team this year. Sterling has recently shared that he is ‘determined’ to stay and get back to his best.
Harry Maguire – Leicester City to Manchester United, 2019: £80million
Harry Maguire has struggled to adapt to the faster, higher-pressing style at Manchester United
The Man United captain from Sheffield was a highly anticipated purchased during Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s tenure having played every minute for Leicester the previous season and collecting the clubs’ player of the year award.
Despite kicking off with an – albeit brief – positive start, Maguire has struggled to adapt to the faster, higher-pressing style that Manchester United hope to play, and he has fallen out of favour with Erik ten Hag to Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof.
There has been some speculation that Maguire will leave this transfer window, with recent European champions West Ham looking to bolster their defence by potentially adding the 6ft 4in centre-back to their squad. Maguire remains a dependable asset to Gareth Southgate’s England squad nonetheless.
Jack Grealish – Aston Villa to Manchester City, 2021: £100million
Grealish has surely sealed himself into City’s history, helping his team to win a historic treble
Jack Grealish was deservedly the centre of attention at Aston Villa when the Birmingham native would terrorise opposition teams with his ball carrying skills and unpredictable dashes from behind.
Grealish’s move from Aston Villa after an impressive Euros summer was one of the most highly anticipated transfers in England. His first season was perhaps not quite up to scratch, but his second was unparalleled as he got to grips with the style of play that Guardiola demanded of him.
Grealish has surely stamped his name into City’s history books by helping his team to win a historic treble this season in style. The future is dazzling for the charismatic 27-year-old.
