Leeds United sold Rio Ferdinand to Manchester United for a British record fee in 2002.
A report in The Mail claims Rio Ferdinand would be worth £122 million in today’s market, 16 years on from his transfer to Manchester United.
The Red Devils paid £30 million to Leeds United to sign Ferdinand, a fee which was a British record at the time.
Ferdinand had signed for Leeds for £18 million from West Ham two years earlier.
His time at Elland Road was a success as he helped them reach the Champions League semi-finals in his first season.
He later went on to win the trophy with Manchester United in 2008, and reached the final two more times.
Ferdinand’s departure marked the beginning of the end for Leeds in the Premier League, with £30 million not enough to cover the funds they needed to balance the books and remain competitive.
The research from TotallyMoney tracked transfer fees in line with inflation to calculate how much a player would be worth in the current market.
Ferdinand is estimated to be the third most valuable player at £122 million, behind Alan Shearer at £125 million and Andriy Shevchenko at £144 million.
Manchester United and Chelsea signings made up nine out of the top 10 players, with Didier Drogba, Fernando Torres, Paul Pogba, Roy Keane, Michael Essien, Juan Veron and Wayne Rooney all featuring.
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