Bellingham
Jude Bellingham is a transfer we just mentioned. With his transfer fee fluctuating between 70,000,000 and 136,000,000 depending on your source, he is set to be in the top 25 transfer fees ever paid. We will dive deeper into the list right now! Keep in mind that the fees are an estimate based on multiple sources.
The last broken records
Cristiano Ronaldo has been on top for four years since his transfer to Real Madrid from Manchester United. That move did cost Real Madrid around €94,000,000. This same move is now not even in the top 10 transfer records anymore. This record was broken by Gareth Bale when he left Tottenham Hotspurs for Real Madrid in 2013.
The Madridstas spent around €101,000,000 for Bale. Bale’s record isn’t in the top ten of the current records either. His record was broken by the transfer of Paul Pogba, who left Juventus and joined Manchester United for around €105,000,000.
Kaka (2009), Zinedine Zidane (2001), Luis Figo (2000), and Hernan Crespo (2000) have been the holders of the transfer record before. Between 1996 and 1999, Alan Shearer took the record from Ronaldo. However, Ronaldo took it back when he joined Inter in 1997. He is the only player since Diego Maradona to set the record of most expensive transfer twice.
#1 Neymar: The number 1 by miles
Name: Neymar
Full Name: Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior
Country: Brazil
Season: 2017/2018
From: Barcelona
To: PSG
Fee: €220,000,000
Date of birth: 5/02/1992
Age at the time: 25
Current club: PSG
The most expensive player in history is Neymar. He left FC Barcelona for PSG after four years. He played in the famous MSN attack (Messi, Suarez and Neymar) that won many prizes. This transfer made a French club the transfer record holder for the first time in history.
The number two transfer currently is €62,000,000 away from Neymar’s record. Neymar came to PSG to win the Champions League, but he hasn’t been able to do so yet. It is a big question if it will ever happen, as Neymar seems to be leaving PSG fairly soon.
Neymar played 173 matches, scored 118 times and delivered 77 assists. That means every goal contribution of Neymar did cost PSG €1,128,205.
#2 Mbappe: Potentially one of the greatest
Full Name: Kylian Mbappé Lottin
Country: France
Season: 2018/2019
From: Monaco
To: PSG
Fee: €180,000,000
Date of birth: 20/12/1998
Age at the time: 19
Current club: PSG
This is the second and last time PSG is on this list. Kylian Mbappé is a player that might be dominating football for many years. His speed, dribbling and goalscoring capabilities are impressive. His transfer fee doesn’t come close to Neymar, but his dominance on the field is already visible. What to think of his hattrick in the final of the World Cup in 2022? Next season might be his last season for PSG. His contract will expire, and he seems to be joining Real Madrid.
He played 260 matches for PSG and scored 212 times with 98 assists. Every goal contribution did cost the club €580,645 until now. However, he will most likely play another season for PSG.
#3 Coutinho: Just wow
Name: Coutinho
Full Name: Philippe Coutinho Correia
Country: Brazil
Season: 2017/2018
From: Liverpool
To: FC Barcelona
Fee: €135,000,000
Date of birth: 12/06/1992
Age at the time: 25
Current club: Aston Villa
The second Brazilian making the list. Not the best transfer for FC Barcelona and probably not worth the investment. He played 106 matches in the Barca kit, scored 25 goals and delivered 14 assists. That is €3,461,538 per contributed goal. He is now playing for Aston Villa.
#4 Ousmane Dembélé: French speedster
Name: Dembélé
Full Name: Masour Ousmane Dembélé
Country: France
Season: 2017/2018
From: Dortmund
To: FC Barcelona
Fee: €135,000,000
Date of birth: 15/05/1997
Age at the time: 20
Current club: FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona is a buyer again and the second French player on this list. Dembélé had a lot of potential back then, but he is still only 26 years old. He became a World Champion in 2018 with France and won La Liga three times with Barcelona. He played 185 matches for the current Spanish champions, scored 40 goals, and gave 43 assists. Per goal he contributed to the costs are €1,626,506.
#5 João Félix: Portuguese talent
Name: Félix
Full Name: João Félix Sequeira
Country: Portugal
Season: 2019/2020
From: Benfica
To: Atlético Madrid
Fee: €127,200,000
Date of birth: 10/11/1999
Age at the time: 19
Current club: Atlético Madrid
He has been on loan to Chelsea for one season but is back at Atlético now. Felix played 131 matches and scored 34 goals, besides delivering 18 assists. That is around €2,271,428 per goal contribution. Remember that Chelsea paid for the loan, which is not included in the calculation.
#6 Enzo Fernández: Oof what a season
Name: Fernández
Full Name: Enzo Jeremías Fernández
Country: Argentina
Season: 2022/2023
From: Benfica
To: Chelsea
Fee: €121,000,000
Date of birth: 17/01/2001
Age at the time: 22
Current club: Chelsea
Chelsea spent a lot of money this season. However, they were not able to convince in the Premier League. The club ended in twelfth place. Enzo played 22 matches and gave two assists. It is not fair to compare the transfer fee and goal contributions yet.
#7 Antoine Griezmann: Back to the future
Name: Griezmann
Full Name: Antoine Griezmann
Country: French
Season: 2019/2020
From: Atlético Madrid
To: FC Barcelona
Fee: €120,000,000
Date of birth: 21/03/1991
Age at the time: 28
Current club: Atlético Madrid
Griezmann played three seasons at Barcelona before returning to his former club, Atlético Madrid. He played 102 matches, scored 35 times and assisted his teammates 17 times. Every goal contribution cost €2,307,692. It is fair to say that this was not the transfer Barcelona and Griezmann hoped for.
#8 Jack Grealish: Brummie boy
Name: Jack Grealish
Full Name: Jack Peter Grealish
Country: England
Season: 2021/2022
From: Aston Villa
To: Manchester City
Fee: €117,500,000
Date of birth: 10/09/1995
Age at the time: 25
Current club: Manchester City
After his first season, he was criticised a lot after his first season, but now the fans have fully embraced Jack. That is not only because of goals and assists. He also does a lot of dirty work and can keep the ball while under pressure, and he created the most chances as an English player in one Champions League season. Grealish played 89 matches, scored 11 goals and delivered 15 assists. At the moment, Grealish goal contributions did cost the club €4,519,230. However, he is still playing for the Citizens and is a valuable player in the current squad. The average price per contribution will, of course, be lowered per goal he contributes to. Besides that, he offers value in other ways, as explained above.
#9 Cristiano Ronaldo: Third top league
Name: Ronaldo
Full Name: Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro
Country: Portugal
Season: 2018/2019
From: Real Madrid
To: Juventus
Fee: €117,000,000
Date of birth: 05/02/1985
Age at the time: 33
Current club: Al-Nassr
Cristiano Ronaldo is seen as one of the greatest players of all time. He was most successful at Real Madrid but also had a fruitful track record at Juventus. He played 134 matches, scored 101 goals and gave 22 assists. Therefore, the average goal he was involved in cost Juventus €951,219.
#10 Eden Hazard: Unlucky
Name: Hazard
Full Name: Eden Hazard
Country: Belgium
Season: 2019/2020
From: Chelsea
To: Real Madrid
Fee: €115,000,000
Date of birth: 07/01/1991
Age at the time: 28
Current club: Free agent
Eden Hazard is currently seen as a bad investment. He only played 76 matches, scored seven goals and assisted twelve times. Every goal contribution cost Real Madrid €6,052,631. He has been injured a lot during his stay at Real Madrid. His contract was terminated a few weeks ago, and he is a free agent now.
#11 Romelu Lukaku: Back to the old love
Name: Romelu Lukaku
Full Name: Romelu Menama Lukaku Bolingoli
Country: Belgium
Season: 2021/2022
From: Inter
To: Chelsea
Fee: €113,000,000
Date of birth: 13/05/1993
Age at the time: 28
Current club: Chelsea
The striker played 59 matches for Chelsea and only scored fifteen times whilst giving three assists. He probably expected more of this transfer, just like Chelsea. He was on loan to Inter in the 2022/2023 season. However, for Chelsea, he played a total of 59 matches. This includes his time in the 11/12 and 13/14 seasons. Since the transfer we are talking about, he has played 44 matches, scored fifteen goals and gave two assists. This comes down to a total of €6,647,058 per goal contribution for this transfer. However, he was out on loan to Inter.
#12 Paul Pogba: Back on old turf
Name: Pogba
Full Name: Paul Labile Pogba
Country: French
Season: 2016/2017
From: Juventus
To: Manchester United
Fee: €105,000,000
Date of birth: 15/03/1993
Age at the time: 23
Current club: Juventus
Paul Pogba is back at the Old Lady. But his transfer from Juventus to Manchester United is still the twelfth transfer in the records. He played 233 matches and scored 39 goals whilst giving 51 assists. Per goal contribution, €1,166,666 was spent by Juventus.
#13 Jude Bellingham: New adventure
Name: Bellingham
Full Name: Jude Victor William Bellingham
Country: England
Season: 2022/2023
From: Dortmund
To: Real Madrid
Fee: €103,000,000
Date of birth: 10/11/1999
Age at the time: 20
Current club: Real Madrid
At Dortmund, he is one of the most important players. The young midfielder played 132 matches for Dortmund, scored 24 times and assisted 25 times. He will join a midfield at Real Madrid with Modric, Kroos, Camavinga, Valverde and Tchouameni. It will be interesting to see which players will become the number one for their position. With Kroos (extended his contract recently) and Modric ageing (extended his contract as well), the new generation is knocking at the door.
#14 Gareth Bale: The first man of 100 mil
Name: Bale
Full Name: Gareth Frank Bale
Country: Wales
Season: 2013/2014
From: Tottenham Hotspurs
To: Real Madrid
Fee: €101,000,000
Date of birth: 10/11/1999
Age at the time: 24
Current club: Free agent
Gareth Bale was the first player to be sold for over €100,000,000. He is now also the last player sold for over €100,000,000 in this list. The Welshmen played 258 matches for Real Madrid, scored 106 goals (including the sensational bicycle kick in the Champions League final in 2018) and gave 67 assists. This comes down to €583,815 per goal he contributed to.
#15 Antony: Fidget-spinner
Name: Antony
Full Name: Antony Matheus Dos Santos
Country: Brazil
Season: 2022/2023
From: Ajax
To: Manchester United
Fee: €95,000,000
Date of birth: 24/02/2000
Age at the time: 22
Current club: Manchester United
Antony had a spectacular season in the Eredivisie with Ajax and was known for his skills. The Brazilian scored twelve goals and gave ten assists in 33 games during his last season for the club in the Netherlands.
#16 Cristiano Ronaldo: Mr. Champions League
Name: Ronaldo
Full Name: Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro
Country: Portugal
Season: 2009/2010
From: Manchester United
To: Real Madrid
Fee: €94,000,000
Date of birth: 05/02/1985
Age at the time: 24
Current club: Al-Nassr
Some might call him the best player of all time, which is one reason he is on this list for the second time. Cristiano Ronaldo played as a midfielder and winger for Manchester United and dominated the Premier League with his skilful playing style. Ronaldo earned himself a transfer to Real Madrid in 2009 for a fee of €94,000,000 after he scored 26 goals and gave 12 assists in 53 games during his last season in Manchester.
#17 Gonzalo Higuaín: El Pipita
Name: Gonzalo Higuaín
Full Name: Gonzalo Gerardo Higuaín
Country: Argentina
Season: 2016/2017
From: Napoli
To: Juventus
Fee: €90,000,000
Date of birth: 10/12/1987
Age at the time: 28
Current club: Retired
Gonzalo Higuaín was a striker that dominated Serie A. In his last season with Napoli, the Argentinian forward scored 32 goals in 55 matches, which earned him a transfer to Juventus. Juventus paid Napoli a transfer fee of €90,000,000 to obtain the services of Gonzalo Higuaín.
#18 Neymar: Wonderkid
Name: Neymar
Full Name: Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior
Country: Brazil
Season: 2013/2014
From: Santos
To: Barcelona
Fee: €88,000,000
Date of birth: 5/02/1992
Age at the time: 21
Current club: PSG
For the second time on this list Neymar JR. At just 21 years old, Neymar was known as one of the biggest talents in the world. The Brazilian winger was known for his skilful playstyle at Brazilian club Santos. Neymar decided he was ready to transfer to Europe, where FC Barcelona signed him for a fee of €88,000,000. The Brazilian scored 24 goals and gave ten assists in his last season for Santos.
#19 Harry Maguire: The most expensive defender
Name: Harry Maguire
Full Name: Jacob Harry Maguire
Country: England
Season: 2019/2020
From: Leicester City
To: Manchester United
Fee: €87,000,000
Date of birth: 05/03/1993
Age at the time: 26
Current club: Manchester United
Harry Maguire is an England centre-back that used to play for Leicester City. Manchester United was desperate to sign a new world-class centre-back, and on top of their list was Harry Maguire. In the 2019/2020 season, they were able to sign Harry Maguire for a transfer fee of €87,000,000.
#20 Frenkie: Dutch class back in Catalonia
Name: Frenkie de Jong
Full Name: Frenkie de jong
Country: The Netherlands
Season: 2019/2020
From: Ajax
To: Barcelona
Fee: €86,000,000
Date of birth: 12/05/1997
Age at the time: 21
Current club: FC Barcelona
Frenkie de Jong will always be remembered for his game with Ajax against Real Madrid. Frenkie dominated the midfield against Modric, Kroos and Casemiro in the Champions League when Ajax beat Real Madrid 4-1. This is why every big European club had Frenkie de Jong on their watch list. In the end, FC Barcelona got his signature for a transfer fee of €86,000,000. Frenkie scored three goals and four assists in 52 games in his last season with Ajax.
#21 De Ligt: Young super defender
Name: Matthijs de Ligt
Full Name: Matthijs de Ligt
Country: The Netherlands
Season: 2019/2020
From: Ajax
To: Juventus
Fee: €85,500,000
Date of birth: 12/08/1999
Age at the time: 20
Current club: Bayern Munich
At just 19, Matthijs de Ligt was the captain of the famous Ajax team that made it to the Champions League semi-finals. He was ready for a step higher up, and many clubs were interested in the young Dutch centre-back. In the end, Juventus got his signature in a transfer deal worth €85,500,000.
#22 Sancho: The rocket
Name: Jadon Sancho
Full Name: Jadon Malik Sancho
Country: England
Season: 2021/2022
From: Dortmund
To: Manchester United
Fee: €85,000,000
Date of birth: 25/04/2000
Age at the time: 21
Current club: Manchester United
At the age of only 21, Jadon Sancho made a transfer from BVB to Manchester United for a transfer fee of €85,000,000. The English winger had a spectacular season at BVB, scoring 16 goals and giving 20 assists in 38 games. The winger was mainly known for his deadly partnership with striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
#23 Lukaku: Big Rom
Name: Romelu Lukaku
Full Name: Romelu Menama Lukaku Bolingoli
Country: Belgium
Season: 2017/2018
From: Everton
To: Manchester United
Fee: €84,700,000
Date of birth: 13/05/1993
Age at the time: 24
Current club: Chelsea
Romelu Lukaku is on this list for the second time. Before the other significant transfer we named, Romelu Lukaku played for Everton in the Premier League and scored 26 goals in 39 games during the 2016/2017 season. This is when Manchester United got the Belgian striker on the radar and decided to make the signing for a transfer fee of €84,700,000.
#24 Van Dijk: Big Virg
Name: Virgil van Dijk
Full Name: Virgil van Dijk
Country: The Netherlands
Season: 2017/2018
From: Southampton
To: Liverpool
Fee: €84,650,000
Date of birth: 5/02/1992
Age at the time: 26
Current club: Liverpool
Virgil van Dijk transferred to Liverpool from Southampton in the 2017/2018 season. The Dutch defender played in the Premier League with Southampton for four seasons before moving to Liverpool.
#25 Luis Suárez: El Pistolero
Name: Luis Suárez
Full Name: Luis Alberto Suárez Díaz
Country: Uruguay
Season: 2014/2015
From: Liverpool
To: Barcelona
Fee: €81,720,000
Date of birth: 08/07/1991
Age at the time: 27
Current club: Grêmio
Luis Suarez, also known as el Pistolero, made his transfer to Barcelona in the 2014/2015 season. Luis Suarez had one of the best seasons a striker will ever have for Liverpool, scoring 31 goals and giving 19 assists in 37 games. This is why Barcelona wanted him as the target man upfront and decided to pay a transfer fee of over €81,720,000.
Most expensive player by position
Let’s take a deeper look at the list. There is not a single goalkeeper in the top 25. It is time to dive into the top five for every position.
Who are the most expensive goalkeepers of all time?
The most expensive goalkeeper ever bought is Kepa Arrizabalaga. In 2018/2019, Chelsea spent €80,000,000 on the Spanish goalie. At that time, Kepa was 23.
That same season Liverpool bought Alisson for €62,500,000. We all know the history of Liverpool. He had a couple of very successful seasons there and is still the club’s number-one goalkeeper.
Gianluigi Buffon joined Juventus for a sloppy €52,880,000 in the 2001/2002 season. The Italian was 23 at the time. Juventus never regretted this transfer.
Manchester City signed the likes of a 23-year-old Ederson for €40,000,000. He was bought from Benfica in the 2017/2018 season. He still is a goalkeeper that is showing great skill for City.
Interestingly, Thibaut Courtois and Manuel Neuer came short of the top five goalkeepers. It is Jasper Cillessen that has the honour to complete this list. FC Valencia bought him for €35,000,000 in the 2019/2020 season.
Who are the most expensive Defenders of all time?
Remarkable is that the five most expensive defenders of all time are all central defenders. We decided to switch things up here.
Who are the most expensive Centre-backs of all time?
Harry Maguire is a player that has received a lot of critical comments since his record transfer to Manchester United. With his €87,000,000 transfer from Leicester City in the 2019/2020 season, he is the most expensive defender ever. He was 26 at the time of this transfer. He is not even in the starting eleven if the team is complete. Maguire took the record away from Virgil van Dijk.
Matthijs de Ligt was 19 when he left Ajax for Juventus. He was a great talent and a great defender. He signed at Juventus for around €85,500,000.
Virgil van Dijk is one of the best defenders in the world. At least he has been for a while. This season he could have been in better form. However, he signed at Liverpool for €84,650,000. He joined in the 2017/2018 season when he left Southampton. The Dutchman was 26 at the time.
Wesley Fofana was 21 when he joined Chelsea in the 2022/2023 season for €80,400,000. He left Leicester City for Chelsea but had to deal with injuries in his first season.
Lucas Hernández joined Bayern München for €80,000,000 in 2019/2020. He was 23 when he left Atlético.
Rúben Dias didn’t make the list with his €71,600,000 transfer to Manchester City, while Matthijs de Ligt almost made his appearance a second time in the list with his €67,000,000 transfer to Bayern München.
Who are the most expensive full-backs of all time?
Achraf Hakimi was 22 when he left Inter Milan in the 2021/2022 season. He switched Inter for PSG, who paid €68,000,000 for the services of the Moroccan back. He is currently seen as one of the best full-backs in the world.
Chelsea bought Marc Cucurella for €65,300,000. He left Brighton in the 2022/2023 season and was 24 then.
Joāo Cancelo left Juventus for Manchester City at the age of 25. His price tag was €65,000,000.
Ben White left Brighton for Arsenal in the 2021/2022 season. He was sold for €58,500,000 when he was 23 years old.
Benjamin Mendy left Monaco for Manchester City in the 2017/2018 season. He was 23 and got signed for a price of €57,500,000.
Who are the most expensive Midfielders of all time?
Enzo Fernández left Benfica for Chelsea after winning the World Cup in the 2022/2023 season. He was sold for a dazzling €121,000,000 at the age of 22.
Paul Pogba left Juventus in the 2016/2017 season. He sailed out to Manchester United for €105,000,000 at 23 years old.
Real Madrid signed Jude Bellingham for €103,000,000. Remember, he is only 20 years old.
Barcelona signed Frenkie de Jong for €86,000,000. Back in 2019/2020, he was 22 years old.
Aurélien Tchouaméni was 22 when Monaco sold him to Real Madrid for €80,000,000. He will join forces with many other youngsters that Madrid signed in the midfield.
Bonus
Zinédine Zidane is number six on this list. One of the greatest players is still in the top six of transfers. Juventus sold him for €77,500,000. He joined Real Madrid at 29 years old.
Who are the most expensive Attackers of all time?
As we also have many positions in the attack, we split this list into the wingers and the strikers.
Who are the most expensive Strikers of all time?
Kylian Mbappé left Monaco at the age of 19. He joined PSG for a dazzling €180,000,000.
Joāo Felix joined Atlético Madrid at the age of 19. He left Benfica in the 2019/2020 season for €127,200,000.
Antoine Griezmann left Atlético for Barcelona at 28 in the 2019/2020 season. He was sold for €120,000,000.
Cristiano Ronaldo joined Juventus for a stunning €117,000,000 while he was 33 years old. He left Real Madrid in the 2018/2019 season.
Romelu Lukaku was 28 when he switched clubs. He left Inter and joined Chelsea for €113,000,000 in the 2021/2022 season.
Who are the most expensive Wingers of all time?
Philippe Coutinho was 25 when he left Liverpool for Barcelona. In the 2017/2018 season, Barcelona spent €135,000,000 to sign the Brazilian.
Ousmane Dembélé joined Barcelona in the same season as Coutinho for €135,000,000. He left Dortmund at the age of 20.
Jack Grealish was 25 when he left Aston Villa for Manchester City. In 2021/2022, City paid €117,500,000.
Eden Hazard left Chelsea for Real Madrid. Chelsea received €115,000,000 for the Belgian winger in the 2019/2020 season, while Hazard was 28.
Bonus:
Gareth Bale was the first player ever to be sold for over €100,000,000. He left Tottenham for Real Madrid in the 2013/2014 season at 24. He was sold for €101,000,000.
What is the most expensive teenager in football?
Kylian Mbappé is the most expensive teenager (19 years old at the time) by miles. He was sold for €180,000,000. Joāo Felix (19) comes in second with a figure of €127,200,000. The number three is a defender, Matthijs de Ligt, who was sold at the age of 19 as well.
Anthony Martial (19) had the record on his name before the Mbappé transfer. This transfer happened in 2015/2016. The French winger left Monaco for Manchester United for €60,000,000. He is still in the top ten of teenager transfers.
