Real Madrid superstar, James Rodriguez overtook the likes of Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane and Kaka as the world's most expensive midfielder last year. Here the top 10 record fees paid for midfielders.
Click through the mini-gallery attached to the article to view the top 10 most expensive midfielders.
Los Blancos transferred €80 million to Monaco for the Colombian after his impressive performance at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. But
Rodriguez even appears twice in the top 10 most expensive midfielders after he only joined Monaco for €45 million one season earlier.
The six most expensive midfield deals have either joined or left Real Madrid with Zinedine Zidane, Kaka and Luis Figo among them.
The most expensive midfielder of the current window is Roberto Firmino, who joined Liverpool from Hoffenheim for €41 million – which makes him the 14th most expensive midfielder overall.
Here the top 10 most expensive midfielders in history, as listed by Transfermarket:
1) James Rodriguez (Monaco to Real Madrid) – €80m (14/15)
2) Angel Di Maria (Real Madrid to Man Utd) – €75m (14/15)
3) Zinedine Zidane (Juventus to Real Madrid) – €73.5m (01/02)
4) Kaka (AC Milan to Real Madrid) – €65m (09/10)
5) Luis Figo (FC Barcelona to Real Madrid) – €60m (00/01)
6) Mesut Ozil (Real Madrid to Arsenal) – €50m (13/14)
7) Gaizka Mendieta (Valencia to Lazio) – €48m (01/02)
8) James Rodriguez (Porto to Monaco) – €45m (13/14)
9) Juan Mata (Chelsea to Man Utd) – €44.73m (13/14)
10) Juan Sebastian Veron (Lazio to Man Utd) – €42.6m (01/02)
Read: Real's Most Expensive Transfers In History
Who do you think was the best bit of transfer business? Have your say in the comments section below.
