Ice cream, sausages and beer: Transfer fees that make Di Maria's £59.7m look dull

1. Two tonnes of meat

Ion Radu transferred from Jiul Petrosani to Valcea in 1998. The club’s president explained: "We will sell the meat, then pay all the other players’ salaries."

2. A set of kit, bag of balls and a goal net

Gary Pallister transferred from Billingham Town to Middlesbrough in 1984. Manchester United paid £2.3 million for Pallister five years later.

3. A player’s weight in fresh shrimp

Kenneth Kristensen transferred from Vindbjart to Floey in 2002. Kristensen was said to have weighed in at around the 75 kg (165 lb) mark.

4. 30 tracksuits

Zat Knight transferred from Rushall Olympic to Fulham in 1999. The tracksuits were more a gesture of goodwill than a transfer fee.

5. £100 and a barrel of beer

Ernie Blenkinsop transferred from Cudworth to Blenkinsop in 1921. Said barrel was said to contain 45 litres (80 pints) of unspecified brown booze.

6. A set of weights

Ian Wright transferred from Greenwich Borough to Crystal Palace in 1985. Six years and 117 goals later, Wright signed for Arsenal and represented England.

7. A set of football kit

John Barnes transferred from Sudbury Court to Watford in 1981. Five years later, Liverpool paid Watford £900,000 for Barnes.

8. 10 footballs

Liviu Baicea transferred from Jiul Petrosani to UT Arad in 1998. Having swapped one player for meat (see No. 1), Jiul Petrosani’s president opted for a slightly more appropriate trade here.

9. A freezer full of ice cream

Hugh McLenahan transferred from Stockport County to Manchester United in 1928. United assistant Louis Rocca ran an ice cream business at the time.

10. 15 kg (33 lb) of pork sausages

Marius Cioara transferred from UT Arad to Regal Hornia in 2006. Ciora retired a day after this deal, claiming ‘it was a huge insult’, leaving Regal Hornia to demand the sausages back.

Taken from Top 10 For Men by Nick Harper, published by Octopus and out now

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