Samuel Eto'o is now the world's richest player, and amid the shock of seeing the Cameroon international accept the huge payday in Dagestan, we forgot to ask "Why him?"

Eto'o's quality is without question, but of all the players in the world Suleyman Kerimov could have targeted with his riches, why Eto'o?

Perhaps it was a confluence of player, club, and timing. Eto'o is said to have felt he'd accomplished what he needed to in his European career. Inter Milan was a club that could draw a viable replacement, while still hoping to balance books that had become uneven during their Champions League pursuit.

Now, Eto'o makes €20 million per season, begging the question: Who's next?

It was a shock move that happened in the last days of the winter transfer window, one that caused a dominoe effect that brought Andy Carroll to Anfield from Newcastle. Once beloved by the Anfield faithful, 'El Nino' was quickly replaced by Luis Suarez, with Liverpool fans quickly moving on from a player who'd turned his back on the Kop.

Torres's form at Chelsea made it easier to live with the deal (as did the England record transfer fee). Over the course of 2011, Torres would score only three league goals for Chelsea, one less than he scored in January for Liverpool. He became a problem Liverpool was happy to be rid of.

As we await 2012, Chelsea's rumored to be considering a Torres sale. Making just over €9 million per season, Torres will be hard to offload. With four years remaining on his deal, Torres looks to be at Chelsea for the long run.

As 2011-12 season came upon us and the rumors that had lingered all summer started to come into focus, Chelsea seemed to be closing in on Javier Pastore. With Barcelona, Pastore's other main suitor, having spent their money on Alexis Sanchez and Cesc Fabregas, Chelsea was left in position to snag the playmaker they desperately needed, particularly given Luka Modric was not being allowed to leave Tottenham.

When word of Paris Saint-Germain's offer surfaced, it seemed unlikely that Pastore would seriously consider moving to Ligue 1 and a club that was more project than contender.

One €45 million fee (and a €5 million per year contract) later, PSG had their landmark signing. At the end of 2011, PSG sits in first place in France, while Chelsea remains in search of a playmaker.

As Ronaldinho began losing his place under new coach Max Allegri, the possibility of his return to Brazil became a probability. Major League Soccer was in play, but with more money to be had back home, the former World Player of the Year was always likely to land in Brazil.

In hindsight, it seems a mistake that many looked at the move as a sign of failure. Ronaldino was not the first 30-year-old to have to make an unexpected career move.  His move back to Brazil entailed the stigma of regression, when in reality, the world's economy has changed enough for that stigma to be outdated.

Still one of the best paid players in the world, Ronaldinho's worked his way back into consideration for Brazil. As telling of his transfer, he was followed back home by a number of players, including Brazil's starting striker at the 2010 World Cup, Luis Fabiano.

Thirty-three-years old with less than two years of top-level head coaching experience. It's not the first line of a resume you'd expect to be taken seriously by Chelsea, yet Andre Villas-Boas was still tabbed by the Blues to replace Carlo Ancelotti.

Coming off a Cup, League, and Europa treble with Porto, 'AVB' brought comparisons to another Chelsea coach, Jose Mourinho. Much younger with much less experience, Villas-Boas has not made the same immediate flash as The Special One, though it can hardly be considered his fault.

Handed an aging, head strong team coming off a trophy-less season, AVB's appointment signaled a new phase in Chelsea's recent history, one which was willing to entertain the idea of a brief regrouping.

Through his first half season, Chelsea sits in fourth place, two spots lower than they finished last year. AVB's had to settle the Fernando Torres question, come to grips with a more limited Frank Lampard, and witness the regressions of John Terry, Ashley Cole and Petr Cech.

That he moved to Barcelona surprised nobody except Arsenal, who fought the move tooth and nail despite being warned of the transfer at least a year in advance. When Fabregas finally moved home, the jaw-slackened Arsenal management was left to live with their naivete.

At the time of the move, it was assumed Fabrgas would have to fight for time with Barcelona, the fourth choice in a three-man midfield. Instead, the Spanish international provided to be the key component of coach Pep Guardiola's new approach, one which relied on the interchangeability of his advanced attackers.

In time, Fabregas may become known for making the striker obsolete at the Nou Camp. With 11 goals in 21 appearances, he's well on his way.

Where would Nasri play with Manchester City, it was asked after it became clear that the French international wanted to move on. As a slap in the face to Arsenal, he did so with eyes on winning trophies. But to Manchester City? Surely, Nasri wouldn't move to a place he'd have to fight for playing time.

But he did, likening the move to when he left Marseille for Arsenal. In doing do, Nasri left Arsenal in a state of crisis - Cesc Fabregas' replacement moving before he'd actually replaced the former captain. Nasri also showed himself willing to take on a challenge.

To date, he still hasn't firmly established himself for City, though he is contributing. It's all Nasri could have expected when he engineered the move.

When Klinsmann was on the verge of being named national team head coach five years ago, the move would have entailed a complete rethink of how US Soccer's set up. That the federation elected to bring in Klinsmann after a group-winning effort in South Africa amounted to an concession that what had worked was not sustainable.

After he was appointed, Klinsmann saw his detractors speak up. Joachim Low was the real brains behind Germany's success, they said. At Bayern, he was tactically naive.

If the criticism phased Klinsmann, it never showed, staying cool in the face of both the detractors and early struggles.

How much longer will he stay cool?

The first reaction was predictable, haters complaining about the rich getting richer. Manchester City didn't need Aguero, they argued. Kün almost immediately proved they did.

Aguero burst onto the Premier League scene, scoring seven goals in his first six appearances. Perhaps not coincidentally, fellow attackers Edin Dzeko and Mario Balotelli, got off to similarly dominant starts for a City team that enter 2012 on pace to score 112 league goals.

Perhaps this was the rich getting richer, though it's hard to argue City aren't a much better team with their new jewel. Given what's happened with Carlos Tevez, their latest Argentine dynamo had proved needed.

Liverpool's interest seemed to come out of nowhere. While Suarez had been linked with seemingly every big club in the world (particularly in Spain and England), the Reds' ownership crisis under Tom Hicks and George Gillett had kept them from being a major player in the transfer market.

Did that ever change with Suarez. The first major signing of the John W. Henry era, Suarez's ability to near-single-handedly lead Liverpool's attack has been overlooked amid suspensions, lingering criticism from his World Cup exploits, and the biting incident that defined his last days with Ajax.

But consider Suarez's play has allowed Liverpool to move on from Fernando Torres. It's allowed the Reds to endure the mixed bag they've got from Andy Carroll, and it's allowed the team to maintain a minimally functional attack despite the fact that their summer signings haven't gelled.

Relentlessly probing for opponent's weaknesses, it's easy to see why Liverpool's been able to get by. Nobody in England is sure how to handle Suarez, yet. By the time they figure it out, Liverpool will likely have their house in order, a scary thought considering how prolific Suarez has been elsewhere.