January 31, 2011: Transfer Windows Gone Wild

Fernando Torres

January 31, 2011: European soccer has two "transfer windows," in which players can be purchased from other teams. The Summer window, at the start of the season, usually closes on the afternoon of September 1. The January window, in mid-season, usually closes on the afternoon of February 1.

On this "Deadline Day," Liverpool Football Club sell their best player, forward Fernando Torres, to West London team Chelsea Football Club for £50 million. Then they buy Newcastle United forward Andy Carroll for £35 million. Both sums are, at the time, considered huge.

At first, it looks like a bad deal for both teams: Carroll was given the Number 9 shirt worn by Liverpool legends Torres, Robbie Fowler, Ian Rush, Steve Heighway and Ian St. John. But he turned out to be a bust, with first a ponytail (along with his pony face), then a "man-bun." In only 3 seasons, he is hurt more than he plays, and scores just 11 goals. Liverpool did reach the Finals of both domestic cups in 2012, winning the League Cup but losing the FA Cup, but Carroll had little to do with that. He was sold to West Ham United in 2013, and and remained a bust.

Andy Carroll

Torres, a member of the Spain team that had won the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2008 (and would win Euro 2012 with him,) had been beloved at Liverpool, though they never won a trophy with him. (They finished a close 2nd in the Premier League in 2009.) Selling him seemed symbolic of a decline that took a few years to overcome. At Chelsea, his great talent seems to vanish. But by May 2013, Torres had recovered to help Chelsea win a UEFA Champions League, an FA Cup (that 2012 Final over Liverpool), and a UEFA Europa League.

Soon, even greater sums were being demanded for great players. In 2009, Real Madrid had already bought Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United for £80 million. In 2013, they bought Gareth Bale from Tottenham Hotspur for £86 million. In 2016, Manchester United paid £89 million to get Paul Pogba from Juventus, thus breaking the €100 million barrier. Then, in 2017, Paris Saint-Germain blew right past the £100 million barrier, doubling it, paying £200 million to FC Barcelona for Neymar. Through January 31, 2022, no team has come within £37 million of that.

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January 31, 2011 was a Monday. Baseball was out of season. The NFL was between the Conference Championship Games and the Super Bowl, which the Green Bay Packers would win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. And the NHL was in its All-Star Break: The day before, in the All-Star Game, a team captained by Nicklas Lidstrom of the Detroit Red Wings beat one captained by Eric Staal of the host Carolina Hurricanes, 11-10 at the RBC Center (now the Lenovo Center) in Raleigh, North Carolina.

There were 7 games played in the NBA:

* The New Jersey Nets beat the Denver Nuggets, 115-99 at the Prudential Center in Newark.

* The Miami Heat beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, 117-90 at the American Airlines Arena (now the Kaseya Center) in Miami. Dwyane Wade scored 34 points. LeBron James scored 24 against his once-and-future team.

* The Memphis Grizzlies beat the Orlando Magic, 100-97 at the FedEx Forum in Memphis.

* The Indiana Pacers beat the Toronto Raptors, 104-93 at the Conseco Fieldhouse (now the Gainbridge Fieldhouse) in Indianapolis.

* The Dallas Mavericks beat the Washington Wizards, 102-92 at the American Airlines Arena in Dallas.

* The Utah Jazz beat the Charlotte Bobcats, 83-78 at the EnergySolutions Arena (as the Delta Center was then known) in Salt Lake City, Utah.

* And the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Milwaukee Bucks, 105-98 at the Staples Center (now the Crypto.com Arena) in Los Angeles.