From Trevor Francis to Kylian Mbappe - the nature of football transfers has changed dramatically

It's silly season for football transfers, and the rumour mill will keep going - as usual - until something sticks. But particularly thanks to a spurt of investment in Saudi Arabian football, it seems the amounts being touted today are a far cry from what we’ve seen in the past.

For example, the latest rumours suggest that PSG have accepted a £259m bid from Al Hilal for Kylian Mbappe. Some footballer he is, but is he really worth 259 times more than the transfer record fee back in 1979?

Back then, the record was held by Trevor Francis when he became football’s first £1 million player in his deal to sign for Nottingham Forest.

Francis sadly died on July 24 after a heart attack at his home in Marbella. His death and the news around Mbappe’s potential deal offer an opportunity to look back at just how much football transfers have changed and their significance.

Trevor Francis (1979)

A 16-year-old Francis burst onto the scene in 1970 aged just 16 for Birmingham City. He set the Football League alight with 119 goals in 280 appearances for his first club.

And he certainly caught the eye of Brian Clough and then First Division giants Nottingham Forest.

The British record transfer fee was smashed when Forest paid around £1,15 million for the player who would go on to score the winning goal a few months later to win his new club the European Cup.

Diego Maradona (1984)

Most players today would see moving from Barcelona to Napoli as a side-step at most in their career. But things were different in 1984.

Diego Maradona was already the beautiful game’s star after his efforts for Barcelona and Argentina, but his playing days really hit their peak at Napoli.

He signed for a record fee of £6.9 million. According to an online inflation calculator, that’s around £28 million in today’s money - or, the same amount Aston Villa signed Ollie Watkins for from Brentford in 2020.

No disrespect to Watkins, but hardly the same calibre of player.

David Beckham (2007)

Players moving to the US is nothing new in football. After all, Pele at the twilight end of his career signed for New York Cosmos in 1975.

But there was something about David Beckham switching Real Madrid for MLS side LA Galaxy in 2007 that really set this deal apart.

Perhaps it was the fact that Beckham was only 31 when he made the switch from the pinnacle of European football playing with the Galacticos.

The deal was rumoured to be worth around $250 million including wages, endorsements and other extras.

Beckham’s pursuit of fame and glory took him to glamorous LA as football’s global expansion was sped up.

Robinho (2008)

Along with Chelsea’s takeover by Roman Abramovich earlier in the decade, Man City’s takeover by Sheikh Mansour in 2008 could be pinpointed as a time when the amounts put down for football transfers shot up.

And the first signing under the new era at Manchester City was Robinho from Real Madrid. Rumour has it that he didn’t know he was actually signing for Man City until the last minute on deadline day that season.

The fee paid was £32.5 million but the significance here was the intent it set for Man City’s future plans - and the need for rival clubs to keep up with their own spending.

Cristiano Ronaldo (2023)

In early 2023, following the World Cup, a damning exit interview with Piers Morgan, and the breakdown in his relationship with the club where he made his name - Manchester United - Cristiano Ronaldo’s eye was turned by Saudi Arabia.

In a move which has prompted some of football’s other big stars to take lucrative deals in Saudi, Ronaldo signed for Al Nassr after much speculation.

Although he signed on a free transfer after his Manchester United contract was terminated, Ronaldo’s move to the Middle East was still big money and also represented a shift in transfers.

Some reports claimed that Ronaldo would be paid $207 million per season, while others said Ronaldo will be guaranteed $75 million per year for his on-field services, with the potential to reach a sum in the region of $200 million through commercial agreements.

The eye-watering amounts offered here show just how much the sport has changed.

Lionel Messi (2023)

Lionel Messi’s last season at Paris St Germain (PSG) also led to a breakdown in his relationship with the club.

Although big money deals in Saudi Arabia were also on the table here, Messi eventually chose a different next chapter of his career.

He chose to sign for Inter Miami CF - where David Beckham is a part owner.

The Miami Herald reports that his contract for two and a half seasons is worth between $50m (£38m) and $60m annually – putting the total contract value between $125m and $150m.

Again, for perspective, Diego Maradona is said to have earned around $3 million for his then-record-breaking salary at Napoli

Kylian Mbappe

Okay, so Mbappe is staying put for the time being it seems. But his complex situation at PSG means the club are keen to not let him leave for free at the end of next season - something it seems Mbappe is keen to do as a deal with Real Madrid is also rumoured to be agreed.

And so enter Saudi Arabia again. PSG have reportedly accepted a bid from Al Hilal, but it remains to be seen whether Mbappe will want to make the move.

And no, the truly staggering amounts being thrown around in football come into clear view.

It is reported that Al Hilal are trying to tempt Mbappe with a world-record €200m-a-year salary. His income could be closer to €700m a year with commercial arrangements and image rights.

It’s easy to see just how much has changed in the sport since Sr Trevor Francis put pen to paper back in 1979.