Luke Davies
Ronaldo Nazario and Rivaldo were widely regarded as two of the best forwards of their generation, but their transfer fees in the summer of 1996 show how far the game has come over the past three decades.
Ronaldo (R9), 48, and Rivaldo, 52, won a combined three Ballon d'Or crowns in their careers as well as several club and international honours - including the 2002 World Cup with Brazil.
The pair scored more than 1000 goals throughout their careers. To put this into context, a clinical finisher would likely be worth over £100m in the modern game.
However, this was not the case in the summer of 1996 when both players completed transfers to La Liga.
Ronaldo signed for Barcelona from PSV Eindhoven in July 1996 having netted 19 goals in 21 appearances despite his 1995/96 campaign having been marred by a knee injury.
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As for Rivaldo, he signed for Deportivo La Coruna after making a name for himself in his native Brazil with Palmeiras.
The younger of the pair, Ronaldo, signed for Bobby Robson’s Barcelona for a reported €15m (£12.6m) while Rivaldo joined Deportivo for just €6m (£5m).
And it’s fair to say Barcelona’s investment paid off in the first season, as Ronaldo won the Pichichi Trophy – awarded to La Liga’s top scorer – with 34 goals in 37 games as well as helping the Catalan side to the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup and Supercopa de Espana.
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R9 signed for Inter Milan in 1997 before moving to Real Madrid in 2002. He went on to play for AC Milan before retiring after a stint at Corinthians.
Whereas Rivaldo essentially replaced Ronaldo at Barca in 1997 before winning the 1999 Ballon d’Or. He also played for AC Milan before going on to represent lesser-known clubs such as Uzbekistan-based side Bunyodkor and Angolan outfit Kabuscorp before returning to Brazil in 2013.
In modern day football, even average players can move for fees in excess of £35m, which is more than the Rivaldo's combined career transfer fee of €33m (£27m). Ronaldo's reported career combined transfer fee is around €78.5m (£65.6m).