*DISCLAIMER* This will make you hungry.
Following Neymar’s transfer to PSG, every other multi-million pound transfer fee now seems like short change.
Disgraceful, isn’t it?
Let’s take you back to a simpler time, a time when meat was as much of a commodity in football than £200million.
1 Hugh McLenahan to Manchester United – Two freezers full of ice cream
United might be paying Alexis Sanchez a reported £600,000-a-week, but there was once a time when they acted a little more shrewdly with their cash.
United’s signing of Stockport County wing-half Hugh McLenahan in 1927, highlights more than anything else the contrast between modern day and pre-war football.
Stockport had been struck with financial troubles which forced them to organise a fundraiser.
After hearing of Stockport’s plight, United assistant Manager Louis Rocca, who was the owner of an ice cream business, donated two freezers full to the fundraising event.
The ice cream was a sweetener to get the deal done and McLenahan was a United player.
He went on to make 116 appearances at Old Trafford, scoring 12 goals and captaining the side on several occasions.
After nine years in Manchester, he left for pastures new with Notts County.
It makes you wonder how many Cornettos Marouane Fellaini is worth.
I can already hear United fans using this for their argument that they don’t spend more money than City.
2 Ernie Blenkinsop to Hull City – A barrel of beer
Blenkinsop had been working as a coal miner in Barnsley alongside playing for his local village club.
In 1921, Second Division side Hull City felt they had seen enough of the player to sign him up.
They just weren’t too keen on parting with actual money.
In the end, they sealed the deal with Cudworth United, settling on a modest £100 with a barrel of beer thrown in too (lads).
Blenkinsop only ended up making a handful of appearances for Hull.
He went onto forge a name for himself at Sheffield Wednesday, also making 26 appearances for England and captaining the Three Lions five times.
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In 1934, Wednesday sold him to Liverpool for £5000, the modern-day equivalent of 1,666 pints of Fosters.
3 Ion Radu to Chimia Ramnicu Valcea – Two tonnes of meat
Following their relegation from the Romanian top division in 1998, CS Jiul Petrosani found themselves in financial turmoil.
After struggling to sell players from the bulky squad, Petrosani’s Chairman identified a buyer for Ion Radu, in the form of Romanian Fourth Division side, Valcea.
After what were surely some interesting negotiations, Radu was eventually sold for two tonnes of beef and pork.
The Chairman stated that the meat could then be sold to finance the wages of the rest of the squad.
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4 Kenneth Kristensen to Vindbjart – His weight in shrimp
Norwegian third tier side Vindbjart got creative when it came to buying striker Kenneth Kristensen in 2002.
Kristensen had been playing for their divisional rivals Flekkeroy at the time, so it would take a heavy offer to lure him to Vindbjart.
The Norwegian minnows made up for their lack of funds by offering the player’s weight in shrimp.
75kg of shrimp was the final deal struck between the two sides – what a catch.
5 Marius Cioara to Regal Hornia – 15kg of sausages
It seems every Romanian player’s value is judged in terms of meat.
In 2006, UT Arad defender Marius Cioara was sold to Fourth Division side Regal Hornia, after a bid of 15kg of sausages was accepted.
Cioara was so outraged by the transfer that he retired from football the next day.
It’s unclear whether or not UT Arad got a refund on the sausages.
So, who’s hungry?
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