Fabio Coentrao & the Top 10 most expensive defenders of all time

The Portuguese's big-money deal makes it into the list of most costly defensive purchases in football history, but still falls a long way short of the No.1 payout

Jul 6, 2011 12:00:00 PM

More On :  Joleon Lescott, David Luiz, Rio Ferdinand, Daniel Alves, Alessandro Nesta, Lilian Thuram , Ricardo Carvalho, Pepe, Fabio Coentrao, Dmytro Chygrynskiy
FEATURE
By Kris Voakes

Big-spending Spanish giants Real Madrid confirmed this week that they have made Benfica's Portuguese full-back Fabio Coentrao their latest mega-money signing, as they begin their summer shopping assault that they hope will see them overhaul Barcelona at home and in Europe next season.
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There was a day when defenders were not high on president Florentino Perez's shopping list, but his 'Zidanes y Pavones' policy has been ripped up in recent years, with the left-back becoming Los Blancos' second €30 million purchase in their backline alongside compatriot Pepe.

But they are not the only club to have spent big at the back over the years, and indeed are joined by two other sides - Barcelona and Chelsea - in having a pair of entries in the list of the 10 most expensive defenders.

Below, Goal.com runs through the 10 costliest stoppers in the world.

Coentrao | Only one defender has cost more than him

9= DMYTRO CHYGRYNSKIY - Shakhtar Donetsk to Barcelona (2009) - €25m
The personification of a big-name flop. Many an eyebrow was raised when the Blaugrana turned to the Ukrainian as potential competition for Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol after Yaya Toure had to revert to centre-back to cover for injuries during their Champions League-winning run in 2008-09. The result? One year and 14 appearances later, he was sold back to Shakhtar for €15m.
9= DAVID LUIZ - Benfica to Chelsea (2011) - €25m
Affectionately known as 'Sideshow Bob' by many at Stamford Bridge thanks to the hairstyle he shares with a character from 'The Simpsons', Luiz made an immediate impact at Chelsea, most notably when driving home a sensational goal in a league win against Manchester United. However, doubts have been cast over his defensive abilities after a less convincing run of games towards the end of Chelsea's unsuccessful title push.
8. RICARDO CARVALHO - Porto to Chelsea (2004) - €27m

Chelsea's summer of lavish spending in 2004 was notable for some hit and miss purchases, but Carvalho quickly became the bedrock of the club's most successful team in history. Three Premier Leagues, three FA Cups, two League Cups, two Community Shields and a Champions League final appearance were earned in a six-year spell during which the Portuguese cemented himself as one of the world's best defenders before leaving for Real Madrid.
7. JOLEON LESCOTT - Everton to Manchester City (2009) - €27.5m
Everton boss David Moyes recorded one of his club's greatest ever transfer successes when forcing Manchester City into a £24m purchase of the former Wolves defender in 2009. Having publicly castigated the big-spending Citizens for two earlier offers, Moyes allowed the England man to leave after City upped the stakes, but Lescott failed to convince at first and had to wait until Kolo Toure's drug ban in December 2010 before establishing himself in the first team.
6. DANI ALVES - Sevilla to Barcelona (2008) - €29.5m
After ruling the right side of Sevilla's team during a spell in which they won countless admirers on their way to back-to-back Uefa Cup triumphs, Alves was the subject of a mega-money bid from Barcelona. He has since become probably the best right-back in the world, with his buccaneering style destroying left-sided players across Spain. He has also become a double European champion in only three years in Catalunya.
2= LILIAN THURAM - Parma to Juventus (2001) - €30m
After Juventus sold Zinedine Zidane to Real Madrid for a then world record of €70m in the summer of 2001, the club went on a spending spree the likes of which have never been seen in football. It wasn't so much the total spent as the quality of the signings which stood out, and the Frenchman was the embodiment of that great summer, representing a defensive rock as the club won four titles in five years before heading for Barcelona.
2= ALESSANDRO NESTA - Lazio to AC Milan (2002) - €30m

Nine years on from leaving Rome for Milan, Nesta remains a vital element for the Serie A champions. Two Champions League victories have been added to the club's impressive roll of honour in the presence of the former Italy international, along with a pair of league championships. A back injury which saw him miss all but the final 15 minutes of the 2008-09 season barely slowed his progress, and with Thiago Silva he has formed Serie A's best defence in the two years since.
2= PEPE - Porto to Real Madrid (2007) - €30m
The Portuguese has become one of the key elements of the current Real Madrid setup four years on from his switch from Porto, despite a couple of notable setbacks in that time. First he received a 10-game ban after twice kicking out at Javier Casquero having been sent-off for a foul on the Getafe man. Following his return, he suffered an ACL injury which threatened to rule him out of the 2010 World Cup, but he bounced back with an excellent 2010-11 showing despite a Champions League sending-off against Barcelona.
2= FABIO COENTRAO - Benfica to Real Madrid (2011) - €30m
Having established himself in the Benfica side following a string of loan deals away from Lisbon, the left-back gained worldwide notoriety for his excellent performances for Portugal at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. His continued form in 2010-11 led to Coentrao being linked with Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, with the Blancos proving too big an attraction for the Vila do Conde-born man to turn down.
1. RIO FERDINAND - Leeds United to Manchester United (2001) - €46.8m

Fluctuating currencies may have warped the scale of the fee over time, but the Manchester United defender's £29.1m transfer, which rose to £33.1m after four years, dwarfs all other defensive deals in anyone's money. The Londoner has turned in 10 years of great service since his move from Leeds, becoming club captain for long enough to lift the 2008 Champions League, one of 12 trophies he's won with the Red Devils.

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