In 1993 Roy Keane signed for Manchester United for £3.75 million, a British transfer record at the time, but his attitude towards the price tag would seem alien to players today.
In the modern game of ridiculous transfer fees £3.75 million seems like loose change but in 1993 that was big bucks, especially for a football player but Roy Keane couldn’t care less.
During one of his first interviews Keane was asked if he “feels like the most expensive player?” to which he replied “No, especially now that I’ve come to United, a lot of these players are much bigger stars than me and I think more expensive than me, it’s just because I’ve moved club and they haven’t.”
Despite the then-record transfer fee, there was no guarantee that Keane would go straight into the first team unlike today’s market where record transfer fee players are almost guaranteed a first 11 position.
Keane would eventually establish himself and go on to become the clubs most successful captain winning 17 trophies at Old Trafford including 7 Premier Leagues and the Champions League.
(Skip to 1.36 for the interview if it doesn’t play automatically.)