Neymar overtakes Zidane - Players who have been world's most expensive player for longest

€222m world-record fee 

Pressure, expectation, superstar. Being the world's most expensive player has a lot of connotations. From Diego Maradona to Roberto Baggio, from Cristiano Ronaldo to Paul Pogba, some of the greatest names to take to the field have in the past held the record for being the most expensive signing in history. The cost of transfer fees has continued to snowball for the last five decades. In 1980 the world record transfer fee was Andy Gray's €3 million move from Aston Villa to Wolves. At the turn of the millennium n 2000, it was Christian Vieri's €46.5m transfer from Lazio to Inter Milan. Today, the world-record fee stands at almost five times that fee, and today a new milestone has been eclipsed.

In 2017, Paris-Saint-Germain sent shockwaves through the footballing world, as they paid the €222m release clause of Brazilian superstar Neymar when he was at Barcelona. That figure doubled the previous world-record fee which Pogba's €105m switch from Juventus back to Manchester United a year prior. Eight years on, and that fee still hasn't been matched. And this Thursday, Neymar has overtaken French legend Zinédine Zidane as the player to hold the world record transfer fee for the longest amount of time since 1980. The top 10 players who have held that accolade for the longest will also be revealed below.

Players who have held world record transfer for the longest time

Neymar has now been the most expensive player in the world for seven years, 11 months, and 28 days, surpassing Zidane's time at the top, which was seven years, 11 months and 27 days, following his €77.8m move from Juventus to Real Madrid in 2001. The Brazilian will soon pass the eight-year mark and it would seem that he could still hold that mantle for many years to come. Behind Zidane is former Italian forward Gianluca Vialli, who moved from to Juventus in 1992 for €20.6m and was the world's most expensive player for five years.

Portuguese superstar Ronaldo was the world's most expensive signing for four years, one month, and 26 days between 2009 and 2013 following his €94m move from Manchester United to Real Madrid. The late great Maradona also held this feat for four years between 1982 and 1986, after his €7.3m move from Argentinos Juniors to Barcelona. The likes of Gareth Bale (two years, 11 months, and eight days), Baggio (two years) and the Brazilian Ronaldo (one year, and five days) also feature in the top 10. Will Neymar's record fee ever bee beaten?