Financial Nightmare - Some of the Biggest Loss-Making Football Transfers in the History of the EPL

With the 2013/14 season fast approaching and media coverage rife with transfer news, transfers speculation and good old-fashioned rumours, I thought I would take a look back at some of the biggest loss-making football transfers ever made by English Premier League (EPL) clubs.

I am not suggesting for a moment that the players named in this list when purchased by their respective clubs had not previously made an impact elsewhere. This is more about the failure of the players to live up to their previous on-field reputation and in turn their inability to justify their substantial price tag, following their big money move.
The end result is that they are subsequently sold on for a nominal fee, in comparison to the initial purchase price.


ANDRIY SHEVCHENKO  

Signed by: Chelsea from AC Milan for: £30.8 million

Year: 2003

Sold to: Dynamo Kiev on a free transfer

Year: 2009

Loss: £30.8 million

Currently: Retired from football


JUAN SEBASTIAN VERON 

Bought by: Manchester United for: £28.1 million from Lazio

Year: 2001

Sold to Chelsea for £15 million

Year: 2003

Loss: £13.1 million

Currently at: Estudiantes de La Plata in Argentina


SHAUN WRIGHT-PHILLIPS

Signed by: Chelsea for: £21 million from Manchester City

Year: 2005

Sold to: Manchester City for £8.5 million

Year: 2008

Loss: £12.5 million

Currently at: Queens Park Rangers


DIMITAR BERBATOV

Signed by: Manchester United for: £31 million from Tottenham

Year: 2008

Sold to Fulham for £5 million

Year: 2011

Loss: £26 million

Currently at: Fulham


ROQUE SANTA CRUZ 

Signed by: Manchester City for £17.5 million from Blackburn Rovers

Year: 2007

Sold to: Málaga_CF on a free transfer

Year: 2013

Loss: £17 million

Currently at: Málaga_CF


ROBINHO (Robson de Souza)

Signed by: Manchester City for £32.5 million from Real Madrid

Year: 2008

Sold to: AC Milan for £15 million

Year: 2010

Loss: £17.5 million

Currently at: AC Milan


OWEN HARGREAVES 

Signed by: Manchester United for £17 million from Bayern Munich

Year: 2007

Sold to: Manchester City on a free transfer

Year: 2011

Loss: £17 million

Currently: Unattached


JO (João Alves de Assis Silva)

Signed by: Manchester City for £18 million from CSKA Moscow

Year: 2008

Sold to: Sport Club Internacional (Brazil) on a free transfer

Year: 2011

Loss: £18 million

Currently at: Atlético Mineiro

MICHAEL OWEN

Signed by: Newcastle United for £16.8 million from Real Madrid

Year: 2005

Sold to: Manchester United on a free transfer

Year: 2009

Loss: £16.8 million

Currently: Retired from football


HERNAN CRESPO 

Signed by: Chelsea for £16.8 million from Inter Milan

Year: 2003

Sold to: Inter Milan on a free transfer

Year: 2008

Loss: £16.8 million

Currently: Retired from football


EMMANUEL ADEBAYOR

Signed by: Manchester City for £25 million from Arsenal

Year: 2009

Sold to: Tottenham for £5 million

Year: 2012

Loss: £20 million

Currently: Retired from football



ANDY CARROLL 

Signed by: Liverpool for £35 million from Newcastle United

Year: 2011

Sold to: West Ham for £15 million

Year: 2013

Loss: £20 million

Currently at: West Ham




There are plenty of other examples (not included in the above list) of huge loss-making transfers.

Do you remember these expensive transfer flops?

# Boško Balaban signed by Aston Villa from Dinamo Zagreb and sold to Club Brugge.
# Marco Boogers signed by West Ham from Sparta Rotterdam and sold to RKC Waalwijk (Holland).
# Steve Marlet signed by Fulham from Lyon and sold to VfL Wolfsburg.
# Chris Sutton signed by Chelsea from Blackburn Rovers and sold to Celtic.
# Massimo Taibi signed by Manchester United from Venezia and sold to Reggina.
# Winston Bogarde signed by Chelsea from Barcelona and retired after seeing out his four-year contract with Chelsea.
# Andrea Silenzi signed by Nottingham Forest from Torino and sold to Reggiana.
# Hugo Viana signed by Newcastle from Sporting Lisbon and sold to Valencia
# Jean-Alain Boumsong signed by Newcastle from Glasgow Rangers and sold to Juventus.
# Afonso Alves signed by Middlesbrough from Heerenveen (Holland) and sold to Al-Sadd (Qatar).
# Francis Jeffers signed by Arsenal from Everton and sold to Charlton Athletic.
# Adrian Mutu signed by Chelsea from Parma and sold to Juventus.
# David Bentley signed by Tottenham from Blackburn Rovers and although still a Tottenham player, he spends most of his time on loan at lower league clubs.
# Jose Antonio Reyes signed by Arsenal from Sevilla and sold to Atlético Madrid.
# Alberto Aquilani signed by Liverpool from Roma and sold to Fiorentina.

All the Latest Transfer Gossip across Europe!

Here is a round up of all of today’s latest transfer gossip across Europe:

Is your club involved?

Barcelona, Manchester United, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Sevilla, Liverpool, Arsenal, PSG, Atletico Madrid, Atletico Mineiro, Inter Milan, Tottenham, Trabzonspor, Parma, Fiorentina, Real Betis, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Napoli, Roma, Lyon, Sochaux, Southampton, Marseille, Olympiakos, Newcastle, Elche, West Ham, Hull City, Sunderland, Besiktas, Fenerbahce, Everton, Bolton, Crystal Palace, MK Dons, Watford, Granada, Estudiantes, Norwich, Anderlecht, Ipswich, Blackpool and Swindon Town............ are all caught up in the latest transfer news/rumours across Europe, as we speak.

Barcelona are prepared to sell midfielder Cesc Fabregas, 26, to Manchester United but the Red Devils must break their club record transfer fee and pay £31m to make it happen - Daily Mirror

Manchester City are considering whether to raise their offer to nearer £20m for Real Madrid and Portugal international defender Pepe, 30 - Daily Mail

Manchester United have rejected a bid from Chelsea for unsettled striker Wayne Rooney. Since Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho spoke last week about how much he admired Rooney as a player, the London club have now placed a firm bid for the 27-year-old. It is believed the Blues have offered £10m plus either Spanish playmaker Juan Mata or Brazilian defender David Luiz - various sources

Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain (right) is a key target for Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis, as he prepares to reinvest the funds generated by Edinson Cavani's sale - skysports.com and sportinglife.com

Manchester City have clinched the £24.3m signing of Sevilla striker Alvaro Negredo (right) - The Times

Luis Suarez's representatives believe Liverpool will only sell the 26-year-old when a £40m clause in the striker's contract is activated. The Uruguayan would prefer a move to Real Madrid, but Arsenal are the only team to have bid for him - The Sun and sportsmole.co.uk

Manchester City and Chelsea are chasing Sweden forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 31, who has fallen out with new Paris St-Germain boss Laurent Blanc over the signing of 26-year-old Edinson Cavani - Daily Star and sportsmole.co.uk

Arsenal have reportedly rejected claims that midfielder Santi Cazorla has agreed personal terms with Atletico Madrid. Reports in Spain suggested that the 28-year-old was close to agreeing a switch to Atletico following the arrival of David Villa from Barcelona - sportsmole.co.uk and Daily Mirror

Manchester United are reportedly ready to step up their interest in Inter Milan defender Andrea Ranocchia (right). The Nerazzurri are said to be looking for around £21m for the 25-year-old Italian international. The centre-back is also said to be attracting interest from Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal - Daily Express and sportsmole.co.uk

Liverpool have approached Atletico Mineiro about winger Bernard, 20. The Brazil international has a release clause of approximately £20m, but a number of Champions League sides are also believed to be interested in him - Daily Telegraph

Florent Malouda has joined Turkish outfit Trabzonspor. The 33 year-old midfielder was a free agent after six years with Chelsea - transfermarketweb.com

Parma have landed the former Roma and Real Madrid striker from Inter Milan on a two-year deal - sportinglife.com

Manchester City will complete the signing of Stevan Jovetic from Fiorentina in the next few hours and will pay a fee of £24.5million plus add-ons - Corriere dello Sport

Tottenham are chasing highly rated Real Betis winger Alvaro Vadillo (right), 18, who has been dubbed the 'new Cristiano Ronaldo' - The Metro

Chelsea have targeted Bayern Munich's Luiz Gustavo, 25, as a midfield replacement for John Mikel Obi, 26, who is expected to depart Stamford Bridge this summer - talkSPORT and transfermarketweb.com

Robert Lewandowski has confirmed he has accepted Borussia Dortmund's decision not to allow him to join Bayern Munich this summer. The Poland international is expected to join Bayern in 12 months' time when his contract expires - skysports.com

Real Madrid have agreed to sell defender Raul Albiol, 27, to Napoli on a four-season deal for around £10m - El Pais (in Spanish)

Roma have beaten Manchester United to the signature of PSV Eindhoven's Kevin Strootman with the 23-year-old midfielder set to complete a £15m deal to join the Italian club - Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian)

Manchester United and Barcelona will go head to head with Chelsea and Manchester City for the signature of Roma's 19-year-old Brazilian defender Marquinhos (right) - Daily Star

Lyon could include France midfielder Yoann Gourcuff, 27, in their bid to beat Roma to the signing of 26-year-old Arsenal winger Gervinho.

Sochaux and Algeria winger Ryad Boudebouz, 23, says he would be interested in a move to Southampton - Southern Daily Echo

Newcastle are keen on 29-year-old Olympiakos and Algeria striker Rafik Djebbour who is rated at £2.25m.

Atletico Madrid midfielder Ruben Perez has joined newly-promoted La Liga outfit Elche on loan. The 24-year-old spent last season on loan with Real Betis, where he made 25 appearances during an impressive campaign for the Spanish outfit.

West Ham's hopes of landing Morgan Amalfitano, 28, have been dashed after Marseille accepted an offer from Olympiakos for the French midfielder - talkSPORT

Turkish side Fenerbahce are to rekindle their interest in Everton defender John Heitinga, with Besiktas also interested - Daily Mail and transfermarketweb.com

Andre Moritz (right) wants to join up with his former Crystal Palace manager, Dougie Freedman, at Bolton. The 26-year-old midfielder is available on a free transfer - Bolton News

Crystal Palace winger Jason Banton has moved to MK Dons on loan until 5th January 2014. The 20-year-old joined Palace last summer and made his debut in an FA Cup tie against Stoke, before making a big impression when sent on loan to Plymouth - skysports.com and transfermarketweb.com

West Ham are still hoping to sign Duvan Zapata but has ruled out moves for Graham Dorrans and Stewart Downing. The Hammers want to bring in Zapata, a 22-year-old Colombian striker with Argentine outfit Estudiantes, but the move has been held up by work permit issues - skysports.com

Sunderland striker Danny Graham is to join Premier League newcomers Hull City on a season-long loan - skysports.com and sportinglife.com

Hull City are interested in signing Lyon winger Jimmy Briand - L'Equipe

Norwich City are the latest club to be linked with Anderlecht defender Cheikhou Kouyate (right) who is valued at around £7m - The Times

Watford have dipped back into the loan market to sign 32 year-old Brazilian midfielder Iriney Santos from sister club Granada - skysports.com and transfermarketweb.com

Ipswich Town boss Mick McCarthy has confirmed that the club are interested in signing experienced centre-back Titus Bramble. The 31-year-old is available on a free transfer - skysports.com ans ssportsmole.co.uk

Blackpool are trying to clinch a £150,000 move for Swindon Town full-back Paul Caddis - Daily Mail

Crystal Palace Football Club Pre-Season 2013 - Fixtures, Results, Teams, Kick-off times & Directions

12th July – Development Squad: East Grinstead 0-6 Crystal Palace XI at The GAC Stadium, East Court, College Lane, East Grinstead, RH19 3LS. Attendance 450.
Palace scorers: Kwesi Appiah (2), Jake Gray, Ismael H'Maidat, Jack Nicholson, Marcel Henry-Francis.

Palace squad: Ross Fitzsimons (G), David Gregory (G), Ryan Inniss, Michael Chambers, Quade Taylor, Luke Croll, Ali Gordon, Jacob Berkeley-Agyepong, Gus Sow, Conor Dymond, Jake Gray, Jordan Udumaga, Matthew Harriott, Ismael H'Maidat, Kwesi Appiah, Derek Tieku, Marcel Henry-Francis, Jack Nicholson, Brice Iriebi, Khiran Kinda-John, Jerome Williams.

13th July – Under 18's: Worthing FC v Crystal Palace U18s (away) ko 3pm. Match Cancelled

20th July – First-Team: Dagenham and Redbridge 1-2 Crystal Palace at Lbbd stadium, Victoria Road, Dagenham, Essex, RM10 7XL. Attendance: 1439 (700 away fans).
Palace scorers: Atdhe Nuhiu, Owen Garvan (pen).

Palace first-half XI: Julian Speroni (G), Joel Ward, Alex Wynter, Danny Gabbidon, Jerome Williams, Quincy Owusu-Abeyie (trialist), Stephen Dobbie, Stuart O'Keefe, Atdhe Nuhiu (trialist), Jonny Williams, Kevin Phillips.

Palace second-half XI: Ross Fitzsimmons (G), Ryan Inniss, Quade Taylor, Owen Garvan (Kyle de Silva 88), Gus Sow, Dwight Gayle, AaronWilbraham, Dean Moxey, Hiram Boateng, Peter Ramage, Elliot Grandin (trialist).

23rd July - Development Squad: Hemel Hempstead 3-2 Crystal Palace at Vauxhall Road, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire HP2 4HW.

23rd July – First-Team:  Gillingham 0-3 Crystal Palace at Priestfield Stadium, Gillingham, Kent ME7 4DD. Attendance‎: Almost 1000 Palace fans.
Palace scorers: Dean Moxey, Stephen Dobbie, Quincy Owusu-Abeyie.

Palace first-half XI: Speroni, Taylor, Campana, De Silva, Jedinak, Gayle, Nuihiu, Jonny Williams, Moxey, Delaney, Ramage.

Palace second-half XI: Fitzsimons, Ward, Wynter, Gabbidon, Jerome Williams, O'Keefe, Nicholson, Bolasie, Dobbie, Owusu Abeyie, Wilbraham.

27th July – First-Team: Crawley Town 3-0 Crystal Palace at Broadfield Stadium, Winfield Way, Broadfield, Crawley, West Sussex RH11 9RX. Attendance: 3,109 (1,735 Palace)

Palace squad: Speroni (Fitzsimons 62), Ward (Taylor 62), Gabbidon (Ramage 46), Delaney (Wynter 62), Moxey (Jerome Williams 62), Jedinak (O'Keefe 62), Campana (Jon Williams 46), Dobbie (Bolasie 46), Wilbraham (Phillips 46), Gayle (Owusu-Abeyie 46), Thomas (A Trialist 46). Unused subs: De Silva, Boateng.

27th July – Development Squad: Harrow Borough 3-3 Crystal Palace XI at Earlsmead Stadium, Earlsmead, Harrow, Middlesex HA2 8SS.
Palace scorers: Kwesi Appiah (3).

31st July - Under 18's: Cray Wanderers 0-3 Crystal Palace at Courage Stadium, Hayes Lane, Bromley, Kent BR2 9EF. Attendance 576.
Palace scorers: List, Grey, Allassani.

Palace squad: Gregory, Wright (Egbo), George (Berkley), Khinda-John, O'Dwyer, Smith (Kennedy), List (Ambrose), Starkey (trialist)(Hoare), Palmer (Mohammed), Grey, Allassani (Cummins).

3rd August – First-Team: Waterford United 0-4 Crystal Palace at Waterford Regional Sports Centre, Waterford City, Ireland.
Palace scorers: Dobbie, Gayle, Sekajja, Osman Sow.

Palace squad: Speroni (Fitzsimmons), Ward (Gordon), Gabbidon (Croll), Delaney (George), Moxey (Dymond), KG Dikgacoi (Garvan), O'Keefe (Ghas Sow), Jerome Thomas (Osman Sow), Jonny Williams (Phillips), Gayle (Kaikai), Dobbie (Sekajja).

6th August – First-Team: Dulwich Hamlet 1-4 Crystal Palace at Champion Hill Stadium, Edgar Kail Way, Dog Kennel Hill, London SE22 8BD. Attendance 1692
Grandin (2), Jerome Williams, Bolasie.

Palace squad: Price (Gregory), Wynter (Egbo), Ramage (Dymond), McCarthy (Taylor), Jerome Williams (Allassani), Dikgacoi (Gus Sow), Garvan (Boateng), Grandin (Gray), De Silva (Berkeley-Agyepong), Appiah (Gayle), Osman Sow (Bolasie).

6th August - Development Squad: Hampton and Richmond 1-2 Crystal Palace U21's at Beveree Stadium, Beaver Close, off Station Road, Hampton, Middx, TW12 2BX. Attendance 239.
Palace scorers: Tieku, Harriot.

Palace starting XI: Fitzsimons, Gordon, Adjeye, Croll, George, Sekajja, Gabsi, Harriot, Udumaga, H'maidat, Tieku.

10th August - First team: Crystal Palace 0-1 Lazio at Selhurst Park, London SE25 6PU.

Palace squad: Speroni, Ward (Dikgacoi 46), Gabbidon (Ramage 46), Delaney (Boateng 77), Moxey (Jerome Williams 74), Jedinak (Wynter 69), Garvan (O'Keefe 46), Jonny Williams (Bolasie 46), Dobbie (Grandin 46), Thomas (de Silva 22, Gayle 46), Wilbraham (Phillips 46). Subs not used: Fitzsimons.


* Any additional fixtures announced will be updated on here.
+ Match results, teams and goalscorers will be posted here following the completion of each fixture.


# Dates and kick-off times are subject to change. Please check the Crystal Palace FC official club website for details and tickets.

All the Latest Transfer Gossip across Europe!

Here is a round up of all of today’s latest transfer gossip across Europe:

Is your club involved?

Arsenal, Real Madrid, Southampton, Internacional, Spurs, Manchester City, Atletico Madrid, Fiorentina, Verona, AC Milan, Napoli, Seville FC, Corinthians, Zenit St Petersburg, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Lazio, Roma, Paris St Germain, Besiktas, Crystal Palace, FK Haugesund, SC Freiburg, Liverpool, Lokomotiv Moscow, Norwich, Blackburn, QPR, FC Kuban Krasnodar, Arsenal, Eintracht Frankfurt, West Ham, Cardiff City, West Brom, Malaga, Hull City, Burnley, Wigan, Bursaspor, Borussia Dortmund, Newcastle, FC Utrecht Nottingham Forest Blackpool and MK Dons............are all caught up in the latest transfer news/rumours across Europe, as we speak.

Arsenal are finalising negotiations with Real Madrid for the £22m signing of Gonzalo Higuain, who will become the club's record signing and highest paid player - Daily Telegraph, Daily Express and The Mirror

Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino has confirmed his interest in Leandro Damião of Internacional. The 23-year-old Brazil striker has also been linked with Tottenham - Daily Mail

Real Madrid central defender Pepe (right), 30, is understood to be top of new Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini's list of transfer targets - The Independent

Fiorentina have signed former Italy midfielder Massimo Ambrosini to a one-year deal following his release by AC Milan - sportinglife.com

Former Italy striker Luca Toni has penned a one-year deal with Serie A new-boys Verona. The 36-year-old spent last season at Fiorentina, where he netted eight goals in 27 games - skysports.com and sportinglife.com

Tottenham could reportedly announce the arrival of Brazil star Paulinho today in a reported £17m deal from Corinthians, if he successfully completes a medical - skysports.com and sportsmole.co.uk

Manchester City are ready to listen to offers for Brazilian right-back Maicon. The 31-year-old is behind Pablo Zabaleta and Micah Richards in the Etihad pecking order - Daily Mail

Atletico Madrid have been are strongly linked with a move for Manchester City and Bosnian international striker Edin Dzeko (27). The player is a target for Napoli as well - transfermarketweb.com

Manchester City are reportedly close to a £23m deal with Seville FC for Spanish international striker Alvaro Negredo (right) - transfermarketweb.com and sportsmole.co.uk

Chelsea and and Tottenham are continuing to monitor Brazil international Hulk, 29, after the Zenit St Petersburg forward confirmed he is aware of the interest from both clubs - Daily Express

European champions Bayern Munich have brushed off speculation linking them with a move for Chelsea's David Luiz - skysports.com

Lazio president Claudio Lotito has rejected reports linking Ligue 1 champions Paris St Germain with a move for Brazilian midfielder Hernanes - skysports.com and sportsmole.co.uk

Turkish side Besiktas say they are hopeful of signing Emmanuel Adebayor, 29, after lodging an official bid for the Spurs striker - Metro

Roma and Bosnia and Herzegovina international midfielder Miralem Pjanic (right) has attracted interest from Tottenham - sportsmole.co.uk

Former England striker Carlton Cole, 29, who has been released by West Ham, is understood to have held talks with newly promoted Premier League side Crystal Palace - Croydon Advertiser

Palace are also in talks to sign defender Umaru Bangura, 25, from Norwegian club FK Haugesund - The Sun

SC Freiburg have signed French Under-21 international midfielder Francis Coquelin (22) from Arsenal on loan - transfermarketweb.com

Blackburn Rovers striker Jordan Rhodes insists that he will remain at the Championship club, despite interest from the Premier League - skysports.com and sportsmole.co.uk

Blackburn have completed the signing of striker DJ Campbell. Campbell has signed a two-year-deal at Ewood Park after he was released by QPR - Daily Star and sportsmole.co.uk

Liverpool midfielder Jay Spearing is set to be the next player to leave Anfield, with Blackburn interested in the 24 year-old - Liverpool Echo

Norwich have offered £6m for Lokomotiv Moscow and Senegal striker Dame N'Doye - The Mirror.

Djibril Cisse has signed a one-year deal with Russians FC Kuban Krasnodar. - skysports.com

Arsenal's Nicklas Bendtner's £3m move to Eintracht Frankfurt is off after he refused to take a pay cut on his £50,000 per week wages - The Sun

West Ham and Cardiff City are both in the hunt to sign 31-year-old forward Javier Saviola (right), who is available on a free transfer after his contract at Malaga expired.

Nicolas Anelka plans to end his career at West Brom after signing a one-year deal at the Hawthorns with the option of a second year - sportinglife.com

Hull City have made a final "take it or leave it" £4m offer to Burnley for their 24-year-old striker Charlie Austin - Hull Daily Mail

Wigan are poised to sign former West Brom striker Marc-Antoine Fortune. Fortune, 32, is available on a free transfer after seeing out his contract at the Hawthorns earlier this summer - skysports.com and The Chronicle

Wigan have signed keeper Scott Carson from Bursaspor - The Sun

Newcastle United transfer target Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has signed for Borussia Dortmund - The Chronicle

Nottingham Forest have lodged a bid for FC Utrecht's 29 year-old Zambian international striker Jacob Mulenga - skysports.com and sportsmole.co.uk

Gary MacKenzie has completed his permanent transfer to Blackpool from MK Dons for an undisclosed fee. The 27-year-old defender, has signed a two-year deal with an option for a further year - skysports.com and sportsmole.co.uk

Babe of the Month - Russian Beauty Maria Kirilenko

Maria Yuryevna Kirilenko was born 25th January 1987 in Moscow, Russia and is a professional tennis player. She turned pro in October 2001 aged 14 and she won the U.S. Open Girls' Singles in 2002. Her first WTA Tour title came in 2005, when she defeated Anna-Lena Grönefeld in the China Open.
Maria is coached by her father, Yuri Kirilenko

She has reached three Grand Slam singles quarter-finals, at the 2010 Australian Open the 2012 Wimbledon Championships and the 2013 French Open.

In doubles, she has reached two Grand Slam doubles finals, at the 2011 Australian Open and the 2012 French Open, and was a Bronze Medalist at the 2012 London Olympics with Nadia Petrova, after beating the number 1 ranked pairing of Lisa Raymond and Liezel Huber in the bronze medal match.

In February 2013 Maria won the PTT Pattaya Open in Thailand, beating Germany's Sabine Lisicki in three sets.

At the 2013 Wimbledon tournament, Kirilenko was beaten in the first round by British teenager Laura Robson. As at the 24th June 2013 Kirilenko was ranked world number 10.

In 2006, Kirilenko was selected to be the face of Adidas by Stella McCartney tennis range, designed by noted British fashion designer Stella McCartney and has played exclusively in the gear since the 2006 Australian Open.

In November 2011, Russian ice-hockey player Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals identified Kirilenko as his girlfriend on his Twitter account. On 31st December 2012, Ovechkin confirmed the rumours that he and Maria are engaged.

To date Maria's has won in career prize money alone, somewhere in the region of $6.4million.

You can follow Maria on Twitter and Facebook