Football fans have become used to seeing exorbitant transfer costs tossed about, and many of those payments have been squandered.
At Real Madrid and Barcelona, respectively, Eden Hazard and Philippe Coutinho are two instances of big-money signings that haven’t worked out, and neither player is showing any indications of turning things around.
Both are in identical positions, having left England as two of the best players in the Premier League only to fail in LaLiga Santander, costing their respective teams more than 100 million euros.
Hazard, Eden
The Belgian came to Real Madrid as the club’s main hope in the post-Cristiano Ronaldo era, having cost the club 100 million euros to buy him out of his Chelsea contract.
But he’s been plagued by injuries since arriving in 2019, and he hasn’t played much under Carlo Ancelotti this season. His last two LaLiga Santander outings totaled 12 minutes on the field, although he never touched the turf in El Clasico.
His market worth has plummeted, and Transfermarkt currently has him valued at only 25 million euros.
Philippe Coutinho.
Barcelona, who paid 120 million euros and a further 40 million in variables to recruit him as one of Neymar’s successors, are not immune to criticism.
His market worth was over 150 million euros when he landed at the Camp Nou, but it’s currently around 14 million, since he’s remained essentially nameless since that ill-fated transfer.
Xavi Hernandez’s presence at the Camp Nou doesn’t seem to have improved his prospects much, since he’s already had enough of opportunities to impress everyone at the club, from fans to board members.
Source Marca