Have you ever wondered who are the players who have been the 25 most expensive football transfers of all time? Us too! Let’s find out together!
This past football transfer window, which ended with August, has been one of the craziest, most dramatic, and headline-worthy ones. This summer, we witnessed some of the biggest football transfers ever. From loyal Lionel Messi leaving his beloved Barcelona after 21 years for Paris Saint-Germain, to Cristiano Ronaldo returning to his beloved Manchester United from Juventus, this summer has seen it all.
Speaking of Paris Saint-Germain, the Parisian club has inspired the biggest, most scandalous breaking news this summer transfer window. They have acquired, beside Messi, Sergio Ramos, Achraf Hakimi, Gianluigi Donnarumma, and Georginio Wijnaldum, and presented a world-class team recently.
Ironically, some of the most ludicrous football transfers have transpired after the coronavirus pandemic hit the world and its economies.
For one example, Jack Grealish moved from Aston Villa to Manchester City for £100 million. And this sum was a record-breaking transfer fee in the entire history of Premier League, as our football news covered.
Now, though, without further ado, let’s explore which clubs coughed up the most funds for which players!
The 25 Most Expensive Football Transfers of All Time:
Pos. | Player | Clubs | Year | Fee |
1 | Neymar | Barcelona – PSG | 2017 | €222m |
2 | Kylian Mbappe | Monaco – PSG | 2017 | €145m (+€35m) |
3 | Joao Felix | Benfica – Atletico Madrid | 2019 | €126m |
4 | Philippe Coutinho | Liverpool – Barcelona | 2018 | €120m (+€40m) |
Antoine Griezmann | Atletico Madrid – Barcelona | 2019 | €120m | |
6 | Jack Grealish | Aston Villa – Manchester City | 2021 | €117m |
7 | Romelu Lukaku | Inter – Chelsea | 2021 | €115m |
8 | Ousmane Dembele | Borussia Dortmund – Barcelona | 2017 | €105m (+€45m) |
Paul Pogba | Juventus – Manchester United | 2016 | €105m | |
10 | Gareth Bale | Tottenham – Real Madrid | 2013 | €100.8m |
11 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid – Juventus | 2018 | €100m |
Eden Hazard | Chelsea – Real Madrid | 2019 | €100m (+€40m) | |
13 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Manchester United – Real Madrid | 2009 | €94m |
14 | Gonzalo Higuain | Napoli – Juventus | 2016 | €90m |
15 | Harry Maguire | Leicester City – Manchester United | 2019 | €87.1m |
16 | Neymar | Santos – Barcelona | 2013 | €86.2m |
17 | Jadon Sancho | Borussia Dortmund – Manchester United | 2021 | €85m |
18 | Romelu Lukaku | Everton – Manchester United | 2017 | €84.8m |
19 | Virgil van Dijk | Southampton – Liverpool | 2018 | €84.5m |
20 | Luis Suarez | Liverpool – Barcelona | 2014 | €82.3m |
21 | James Rodriguez | Monaco – Real Madrid | 2014 | €80m |
Kepa Arrizabalaga | Athletic Club – Chelsea | 2018 | €80m | |
Lucas Hernandez | Atletico Madrid – Bayern Munich | 2019 | €80m | |
Romelu Lukaku | Manchester United – Inter | 2019 | €80m | |
25 | Nicolas Pepe | Lille – Arsenal | 2019 | €79m |
This list, however, is one of the most recent ones we could source, from Goal.com, updated on August 13th, 2021. Wikipedia might be a more reliable reference point. However, they have updated their list, which you can preview here, on August 12th, 2021.