Top 10 Most Expensive Football Transfers All Time

That a player spends his entire career at his training club is an absolute rarity these days. Most players transfer to big clubs as minors to take the next step in their careers. However, this scouting approach doesn’t always succeed.

Often, clubs have to pay a significant amount for a player who is already an international star. For such world-class players, the top clubs in Europe put absurd sums of money on the table. In this list, you’ll learn just how expensive the 10 biggest transfers in football history really were.

10: Romelo Lukaku to Chelsea FC – $113 Million

In August 2021, Chelsea FC signed the Belgian striker Romelo Lukaku. The Blues paid Inter Milan $113 million for Lukaku. With 24 goals last season, Lukaku was the second-highest scorer in Italy’s Serie A. For his new club in London, Lukaku scored 15 goals across all competitions in 44 games last season.

09: Eden Hazard to Real Madrid – $115 Million

In 2019, then 28-year-old attacking player Eden Hazard moved from Chelsea FC to Real Madrid. The Royal Club paid a hefty $115 million for the skillful Belgian dribbler. The year before his transfer, Hazard was considered one of the best players in the English Premier League. Between 2012 and 2019, Hazard played a total of 352 games for the English top club, scoring 110 goals.

08: Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus Turin – $117 Million

How much is a footballer worth who has won the Champions League five times, the European Championship once, and is a five-time Ballon d’Or winner? This was exactly the question Juventus faced in 2018.

At 33, the Portuguese player was already one of the older pros in the game. Still, Juventus was willing to transfer $117 million to Real Madrid, a transfer that paid off. Ronaldo not only boosted attendance figures for the Italian team but also scored an incredible 101 goals for Juventus over his three seasons.

07: Jack Grealish to Manchester City – $117.5 Million

Ranked seventh among the most expensive transfers in football history is yet another transfer from the summer of 2021. For a hefty sum of $117.5 million, Manchester City secured the services of Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish.

The English national player was expected to add creativity to Manchester City’s offense. Grealish is especially known for his versatility, as he can play in many different positions.

06: Antoine Griezmann to FC Barcelona – $120 Million

In 2019, FC Barcelona signed Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madrid. The Frenchman joined at the age of 28 for $120 million from a direct league rival. However, Barcelona and Antoine Griezmann never really clicked.

After just two underwhelming seasons at Barcelona, Griezmann returned to Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2021. The transfer can be considered one of the biggest flops in football history, as the $120 million striker scored only 21 goals in 71 league games during his two years at the club.

05: João Félix to Atletico Madrid – $127.2 Million

The next transfer on the list of the most expensive signings came to Spain as a major talent. In 2019, João Félix moved from Benfica Lisbon to Atletico Madrid. The club from the Spanish capital put an incredible amount for the very young player. It has to be said that so far he has been unable to reach his earlier level of performance in Madrid.

04: Philippe Coutinho to FC Barcelona – $135 Million

In January 2018, Philippe Coutinho joined Barcelona from Liverpool for $135 million. Coutinho was known as an offensive player who could do it all on the ball. In his final full Premier League season, he managed to score 13 goals.

However, his time at Barcelona was not particularly successful. During the 2019-2020 season, Coutinho moved to Bayern Munich on loan, where he promptly won the treble.

03: Ousmane Dembélé to FC Barcelona – $140 Million

In third place on the list of the most expensive transfers in football history is yet another signing by FC Barcelona. In 2017, Ousmane Dembélé forced a transfer from Borussia Dortmund to Barcelona. The Catalans paid Borussia Dortmund $140 million for the young Frenchman.

Dembélé, who collected 32 goal involvements in one year for the black and yellows, initially struggled to settle in at Barcelona. In his debut season, Dembélé recorded four goals and nine assists in 24 games. To this day, fans in Barcelona are waiting for a real breakthrough from the super dribbler.

02: Kylian Mbappé to Paris Saint-Germain – $145 Million

When Kylian Mbappé transferred from AS Monaco to Paris Saint-Germain on the 31st of August 2017 for $145 million, the then 19-year-old Frenchman came with high expectations. What sets him apart from many players on this list, however, is that Kylian Mbappé has more than lived up to those expectations.

In Paris, Mbappé has matured into an absolute world-class striker. In his first four seasons for PSG, he achieved an astounding 193 goal contributions. At just 22 years old, Kylian Mbappé has already become a World Cup winner and French footballer of the year.

He is the only player on this list who has truly exceeded the expectations of his transfer fee. The curious part about this transfer is that Mbappé wasn’t even PSG’s most expensive signing of 2017.

01: Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain – $222 Million

Just like the second spot, the most expensive transfer in football history also belongs to Paris Saint-Germain. On the 2nd of August 2017, PSG signed Brazilian superstar Neymar from FC Barcelona for an unimaginable $222 million.

Neymar, who previously tallied 181 goal contributions in 186 games for Barcelona, came to Paris as the new superstar. While Neymar recorded 70 goals and 41 assists in his first three seasons, he has not yet been able to lead PSG’s star-studded lineup to a Champions League title. Naturally, the question remains whether any footballer can truly be worth $222 million.

FAQ’s

That was the rundown of the top 10 most expensive football transfers of all time. Now, tell us, what is your favorite team? Let us know in the comments if you enjoyed this!