'£75m' - Modern-day price placed on Middlesbrough 'magician' Juninho - He still is Premier League history-holder | OneFootball

FLW's Boro fan pundit discusses how much Juninho would be worth in the modern market.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

There weren't many more mesmerising attacking midfielders in the early Premier League years than Juninho at Middlesbrough.

The Brazilian was a key member of the Boro side who made the finals of both the FA Cup and the League Cup in the 1996/97 campaign, scoring 15 and assisting 13 in all competitions.

Unfortunately, fixture build-up, and a three-point deduction for failing to show for a game at Blackburn Rovers, saw the club relegated from the Premier League at the end of that campaign.

Juninho, who would go on to make 50 caps for Brazil, was snapped up by Spanish giants Atlético Madrid in the summer of 1997 for a reported £12 million.

It's been nearly 30 years since that deal, and nowadays, prices have been inflated to the point where tricky forwards are moving for ridiculous money.

Therefore, with that in mind, Football League World asked our Middlesbrough fan pundit, Liam Day, how much he'd value Juninho in the current market.

Liam found it difficult to put a price on the Brazilian icon though; 'The Little Fella's' prime was unfortunately before his time, but having heard stories and watched highlights, it's easy to see how creative and influential he was on the pitch.

"It's so hard to put value on someone like Juninho," he said.

"He was just a little magician, wasn't he? That's probably the best way to describe him.

"Player values at this time of year, and when age comes into it too, are just mental, so I'd have to go for a minimum of something like £75 million.

"His creativity, what he could do on that ball, he could create something out of nothing, which is incredible and not something you often see."

Juninho's time at Atlético Madrid coincided with a slump in league performances in the late 1990s, but he still showed his class, scoring 21 times in 79 appearances for the La Liga outfit.

"I'm incredibly envious of anyone who saw him live, as that was well before my time," Liam continued.

"He was an incredible player, and £75 million in the current market seems fair.

"He went for £12-13m back then too, and with the way fees rise, and the money players are going for now, it has to be in and around there."

Middlesbrough's love for Juninho was reciprocated

It's clear that Juninho was a fan favourite during his initial two-year spell at the Riverside, and the feeling was clearly mutual.

The 2002 World Cup winner returned to Teesside twice more, once on loan in 1999, and then for another two-year permanent spell between 2002-2004.

When Atletico were happy to let Juninho leave on a short-term loan deal, Boro were the first in line to take his services, and then, when they were ready to let him leave permanently, they were again right at the front of the queue, spending £6 million to bring him back for good.

That spell saw Middlesbrough win the League Cup, beating Bolton Wanderers in the final of the 2003/04 edition.

Juninho started that game at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, as well as a further 26 in the Premier League, scoring nine goals in all competitions.

That would prove to be his final bow as a Boro player, as he joined Celtic later that summer.

Juninho's career is one that many professional footballers will look on in envy, having won a plethora of trophies, including the 2002 World Cup with Brazil, ending the final on the pitch after coming on with five minutes left vs Germany.

Middlesbrough were the side for whom he turned out the most during his incredible career, and if he had to be sold today, I'm sure Boro, or any side that had the joys of seeing him play for them, would be holding out for a hefty fee.

Indeed, he remains the only player in Premier League history to be named the league's Player of the Year in a relegated team, having scored 12 goals and provided nine assists in 35 games in that aforementioned 1999/97 campaign that saw the Teessiders drop into the second tier.

That shows just how good Boro's Samba superstar was, and why he will always have a superbly strong case for being the best ever Brazilian player to play in the Premier League.