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The time Duncan Ferguson cost more than Romario, Mihajlovic, Deschamps, Rui Costa and Ronaldo?
Several things:
Using transfermarkt as an ultimate source is wrong when a lot of fees they have listed in their database are just flat out wrong.
Standardising transfer fees which would have been reported in multiple currencies into one which didn't exist in 94/95 is dubious.
Ferguson had cost Rangers £4m in summer 1993 which was a British record at the time. He'd had his issues on and off the field with us but he had an excellent loan spell at Everton and at the time we were a much bigger club who absolutely would not have worn a loss on him, particularly as he was (from memory) 23 at the time he moved south. Leeds were in for him at something like £3.25m in 1993, so £4.5m for a player of Ferguson's age and potential was completely fair.
Strikers always go for more money than any other position on the field. I'd argue it wasn't until Makelele a decade later that holding midfielders started being properly valued for the role they play (and even then Real Madrid definitely undervalued him when they sold him to Chelsea), so Ferguson costing more than Deschamps in particular is nothing surprising. Deschamps was also leaving Marseille, who were embroiled in a match-fixing scandal from 1992/93, clubs in that position don't get full value for their players.
Mihajlovic's fee is ****ing massive for a defender in 1994/95, likewise I'm sure Ronaldo's fee given he is 17 or 18 is huge as well so they're bad comparisons.
Romario was an undisciplined party animal that Barcelona were fed up with, hence his lower than expected fee. Also bear in mind that UEFA competitions had a 3 foreigner rule until the Bosman ruling overturned that rule in 1995/96 and several leagues (definitely Italy, possibly Spain) had their own foreign player restrictions; a top team like Milan who off the top of my head already have Boban, Savecevic, Desailly, possibly Gullit (he spent a couple of years moving between Milan and Sampdoria around this time),and I think still have van Basten on the books although his ankle was done. Signing a Brazilian from Spain was nowhere near as straightforward logistically as it would be now.