8 Candidates to Be Football's First £100 Million Player

In a footballing world that is controlled by money, it seems only a matter of time before a player will switch clubs for £100 million or more.

We've certainly come a long way since Trevor Francis became the first £1 million player—although Brian Clough would vigorously deny this was the case.

With football fast becoming a multi-billionaire industry and clubs being taken over with foreign investment, the day a player receives a £100 million price tag may be sooner than you think.

Who will be the one who goes down in history? Who will be the first?

Read on, enjoy the slideshow and please contribute any names you might think pip the guys I've listed.

Lionel Messi

You can't see Lionel Messi moving away from Barcelona at any point during his career.

After everything they've done for him, he is simply paying them back with seemingly endless goals.

If another team were to get their clutches on the Argentinian wizard, it'd be for a cost of well over £100 million.

Cristiano Ronaldo

In contrast to Lionel Messi, you can definitely see Cristiano Ronaldo getting cold feet and leaving Real Madrid eventually.

He's so unbelievably talented though, he's only leaving the Bernabeu via two methods: Bosman free transfer in 2015 or under another massive price tag.

Sergio Aguero

Sergio Aguero is a priceless asset for Manchester City and will be their goal-poacher extraordinaire for several seasons.

He was originally purchased for a hefty sum of £38 million from Athletico Madrid and therefore won't be leaving for anything less than double that.

We'll see how serious Real Madrid's interest in him is this summer.

Mario Gotze

Mario Gotze's days at Borussia Dortmund are numbered.

He will move on either this summer or next for between £30-40 million. That much is a safe prediction.

Whether he ever attains a £100 million price tag is dependant on who he moves to next and if he performs at the same level in a Spanish or English league.

The guy is incredibly talented—that's not even up for discussion—but his next move will shape his future price tag and there's just no way of knowing where he'll end up.

Neymar

Neymar's next move will be to one of Europe's elite but it won't be for £100 million.

The move after that though? No one can be certain, but he wouldn't go cheaply.

The insanely talented forward is viewed by some as the natural heir to Lionel Messi's throne and is impossible not to consider when constructing a list like this.

Gareth Bale

Since Harry Redknapp came to town, Tottenham left-sider Gareth Bale has flourished.

Remember the "Gareth Bale curse"? That's history, as more often than not Spurs win the game when Bale plays.

His stock has risen steadily over the last 24 months and rinsing Internazionale's Maicon in front of a global audience added £20 million to his price tag.

Wayne Rooney

Having thrown a huge hissy fit and reportedly asking to leave Manchester United in 2010, it's difficult to believe Wayne Rooney will end his career as a Red Devil.

Sure, he engineered a pay rise and a new long-term deal out of it, but I'm still not convinced. But what kind of bid would be needed to prise the English star away from Old Trafford?

A huge one.

Thiago Alcantara

From what I've seen of Thiago Alcantara it seems the world is pretty much at his feet.

He's not just a La Masia product who shines in Pep Guardiola's system. He's more than that and can utilise his ball retention and footballing brain for any team.

He will play alongside the best in the business for a season or two and then either assume Xavi's role as chief playmaker at Barcelona or move for big bucks.

Anyone Else?

Ismail Zeli was touted to become the first £100 million player several years ago but a bad injury record has well and truly stunted his progress.

He's not made an impact on the Wolves first team yet and time is running out for him to impose himself, should he want to join Lionel Messi and Co.

Pato is another player I considered for the list, but his injury record and inconsistencies force me to believe he'll never quite live up to the hype.

No doubt he's a highly talented player, just not in the same bracket as the very, very best.