At one point in time, Hernan Crespo was the most expensive footballer in the world. An impressive start to his career in Italy saw him win the Italian Super Cup with Parma before his performances persuaded Lazio to pay £35M for the striker. In 2003 after a brief spell at Inter Milan, Chelsea came calling. His first season left much to be desired and although he scored 12 goals that year, he failed to live up to the hype. When Jose Mourinho arrived following Claudio Ranieri's sacking, he was deemed unworthy of place in the Portuguese manager's squad and was loaned out to AC Milan. He would spend the much of the rest of his Chelsea career on loan in his native Italy, but never quite recapturing the form that led Lazio to pay so much money for him. Two goals in the 2005 Champions League Final helped to revive some interest in his value and after a season back with The Blues he eventually signed a two-year loan deal with Inter Milan. Finally in 2008, following his contract expiring, Chelsea released the Italian forward. Once the holder of the world record transfer fee he left London a shadow of his former self. No longer the deadly assassin in front of goal, Crespo was instead a fringe player struggling to make a mark.
I’m a 23-year-old journalist having previously produced content for A Stamford Bridge Too Far, The Sun Newspaper and VincoSport. I currently write for Formula One Fancast and What Culture producing weekly blogs and features. I am a co-founder, writer and editor of Tibs News and am a big follower of football, Formula One and combat sports such as MMA, boxing and wrestling.
