When will a Slovak transfer for at least 35 million?

Published in Slovak Sport Daily

Several studies have pointed out that the luxury goods market is laughing in the face of the economic crisis. Designer handbags are booming around the world, not just in China. Crisis or no crisis, the luxury football market (pardon the comparison, dear players) is thriving as well. In 2011, six players entered the list of the 50 most expensive transfers, three of them in the top 20 (Torres, Falcao, Agüero). Last year, there were seven, with two in the top 20 (Hulk, Lucas Moura). This year, up to this date, another five players have jumped into the top 50. We’ve recorded transfers ranked 7th (Falcao to Monaco for 60 million euros), 9th (Neymar to Barcelona for 57 million), and 12th (James Rodríguez, also to Monaco, for 45 million). The other two are Götze to Bayern for 37 and Fernandinho to Manchester City for 35. And the rumour mill has long been churning with more big names—Bale (would his move to Real be a historic second or even surpass Cristiano Ronaldo’s 94 million?), Rooney, Lewandowski, Fàbregas, Jovetić, Suárez, Cavani—each potentially worth tens of millions.

And back home? How can we smoothly transition from the world of mega-transfers to Slovak reality, especially after the disaster in Vaduz? Let me try this way: even in Slovakia, there are plenty of people who love football just as much as fans of the top clubs mentioned above. With only a fraction of their budgets, they try to entertain the public and raise the stars of tomorrow. Let's enjoy the next two or three months of quiet tension—how far will Slovan go in the Champions League qualifiers, and how will the other three clubs fare in the Europa League? Let’s cheer them all on. Even if, after that, just 400 people show up at Pasienky for a Corgoň League match (as happened on Good Friday), and sometimes it’ll hurt to watch, it’s still ours.

When will a Slovak player make a big-money move—say, for 35 million or more? While we support all current and near-future national team players, the next candidate for the top 50 transfers is probably still in diapers somewhere in a village—or not even born yet. Let’s keep dreaming together—maybe someone will make it. Through sell-on percentages or FIFA’s solidarity payments (to which former clubs are entitled), even a Slovak club or two could benefit from a future big move.

So far, from Central and Eastern Europe, only four players have made it into the top 50 most expensive transfers: a Ukrainian, a Czech, a Bulgarian, and a Croatian. Ranked 20th is Shevchenko (to Chelsea for around 48 million in 2006), 24th is Nedvěd (41 million to Juventus back in 2001), 33rd is Berbatov (38 million to Manchester United in 2008), and soon to fall off the list is 48th—Modrić (35 million to Real last year).

Now let’s stop dreaming and give ourselves a pragmatic suggestion. The Slovak football mini-market could be a bit more dynamic if domestic transfers didn’t require compensation fees for players even after their contracts expire. That way, players wouldn't have to formally transfer abroad only to be loaned back to a professional club from another region. But that’s a completely different topic.