The 100 most expensive football transfers of all time | Goal.com UK

Paris Saint-Germain shook up the football world in the summer of 2017 when they signed Neymar from Barcelona and then promptly prised Kylian Mbappe away from Monaco. They remain the two most expensive players of all time but there is no denying that PSG’s sensational double swoop greatly inflated the transfer market.

Indeed, a number of massive moves quickly followed, with Barcelona looking to try to fill the void left behind by Neymar by signing the likes of Ousmane Dembele, Philippe Coutinho and Antoine Griezmann for nine-figure fees. Also in Spain, Atletico Madrid splashed €126m on Benfica’s prodigious attacking talent Joao Felix, while Real Madrid finally brought Eden Hazard to Santiago Bernabeu for €100m.

The Covid-19 pandemic briefly had a massive impact on the transfer market, but within a couple of seasons a number of clubs had recovered, particularly in England. Numerous players have been signed by Premier League clubs for huge money since 2021, including Declan Rice, Enzo Fernandez, Jack Grealish, Jadon Sancho, Mykhailo Mudryk, Antony, Darwin Nunez and Moises Caicedo.

Meanwhile, European giants such as Real Madrid have flexed their muscles with the high-profile signings of players like Jude Bellingham and Aurelien Tchouameni, while the usually prudent Bayern Munich have also got in on the act by acquiring Harry Kane.

Furthermore, a new power has now emerged in the Middle East, with Saudi Pro League clubs having shaken up the transfer market in 2023 by signing the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Neymar.

Julian Alvarez entered the top 100 list following his move to Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2024.

So, could the current transfer record soon be broken? It certainly seems possible. For now, though, Neymar remains top of the list of the 100 most expensive players of all time…

Most expensive British player

Getty

Declan Rice became the most expensive British player in football history when he moved from West Ham to Arsenal in July 2023 in a whopping deal worth €116m.

Previously, the record belonged to Jack Grealish, whom Manchester City signed from Aston Villa for €117m in the summer of 2021.

Before Grealish’s big move, Gareth Bale was football’s most expensive Brit, with Real Madrid breaking the world transfer record to sign the Welshman from Tottenham in 2013 for €100.8m.

Most expensive teenager

Getty Images

Kylian Mbappe is the most expensive teenager ever, as he joined PSG on a loan-to-buy deal in 2017 that will be worth €180m after bonuses.

Joao Felix is the second-most expensive teenager, having been signed by Atletico from Benfica for €126m in 2019.

Most expensive defender

Harry Maguire became the most expensive defender of all time when Manchester United forked out €87.1m the England centre-half’s services in 2019.

Maguire overtook Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk in the process, but only marginally, as the Netherlands international set the Reds back €84.5m when he arrived from Southampton the year before.

Most expensive goalkeeper

Getty Images

Kepa Arrizabalaga is the most expensive goalkeeper in history

For a long time, former Juventus captain Gianluigi Buffon held this honour, having joined the Turin outfit from Parma for €52m, which is a colossal fee when inflation is taken into account.

Then, within a matter of weeks in 2018, Buffon’s record was shattered twice. First, Liverpool brought in Roma’s Alisson Becker for €73m, to temporarily take the title of the world’s most expensive keeper.

But Chelsea snapped up Kepa less than a month later, propelling the Spain international into top spot by meeting the €80m release clause in his Athletic Club contract.

Biggest transfer outside of Europe

Getty

For seven years, the most a non-European club had paid for a player was the €60.3m that Shanghai SIPG handed over to Chelsea for Brazil midfielder Oscar. However, Neymar now also holds this record, having been signed by Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal in the summer of the 2023 for €90m.