Soccer: Real still No 1 in money game

By TERRY MADDAFORD

The silly money season is in full cry with soccer clubs shelling out crazy money to buy players.

Zinedine Zidane's $US64.4m ($152.4m) switch from Italy's Juventus to Spanish giant Real Madrid kept the Spanish club firmly at the top of the big-spenders.

The second highest transfer remains the $US56.1m Real paid Spanish rivals Barcelona for Luis Figo last year.

Determined not to be outdone completely by the Spaniards, Italian clubs are quick when it comes to putting their hands in their pockets.

Lazio paid Italian rivals Parma $US54.1m for Hernan Crespo in another deal last year - months after they had picked up a cool $US50m for Christian Vieri from Inter Milan.

In another all-Italian move this year, Gianluigi Buffon went from Parma to Juventus for $US45.9m.

In 1998, Arsenal hit the jackpot when Real Madrid paid $US35.7m for Nicolas Anelka.

Two years earlier, another Spanish club, Real Betis, picked up Denilson from Sao Paolo for $US35.

The first British deal which comes close to the European silly money was made yesterday with the completion of Manchester United's $US37.32m signing of midfielder Juan Veron, from Lazio.

That deal was $US12m more than Ruud Van Nistelrooy's transfer from Dutch club PSV Eindhoven to Manchester United earlier in the year.

The $US19.92m Newcastle United paid Blackburn Rovers for Alan Shearer five years ago still stacks up well as the fifth-biggest fee paid by a British club.

English premier clubs Chelsea and Leeds United have paid out $US14.61m this year for Frank Lampard jun (from West Ham) and Robbie Keane (from Inter Milan) respectively.

That matched the fees paid last year by Merseyside giants Liverpool - for Emile Heskey (from Leicester City) - and Tottenham Hotspur - for Sergei Rebrov (from Dynamo Kiev).

Top five transfer fees (all $US million):

* $64.4 Zinedine Zidane, 2001, Juventus to Real Madrid.

* $56.1, Luis Figo, 2000, Barcelona to Rea Madrid.

* $54.1, Hernan Crespo, 2000, Parma to Lazio.

* $50.0, Christian Vieri, 1999, Lazio to Inter Milan.

* $45.9, Gianluigi Buffon, 2001, Parma to Juventus.

Top five British transfer fees (all $US million):

* $37.32, Juan Veron, 2001, Lazio to Manchester United.

* $25.24, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, 2001, PSV Eindhoven to Manchester United.

* $23.91, Rio Ferdinand, 2001, West Ham to Leeds United.

* $19.92, Jimmy Hasselbaink, 2000, Atletico Madrid to Chelsea.

* $19.92, Alan Shearer, 1996, Blackburn Rovers to Newcastle United.