Cristiano Ronaldo (2008 to 2009)
Speculation began to increase about Real Madrid’s interest in the forward after Manchester United won the Champions League final in 2008. Sir Alex Ferguson shot down the rumours but later admitted that there was a verbal agreement for the player to leave Old Trafford if Real came in with a good enough bid the following summer.
A year after the initial reports, Ronaldo completed a world record £80m move to Madrid, with the player going on to spend nine years at the Bernabeu.
