We are very lucky to live an era where we are seeing some of the best players of all time – Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo to name but two are still banging in goals for their respective clubs and countries. Going back a few more years, you have the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldinho, and Luis Figo who graced the world stage with sheer brilliance.
The transfer fees today are now reaching astronomical figures but all these 10 gentlemen have become club legends. We have featured our top 10 football managers, top 10 defenders and top 10 strikers. Here, we take a look at the 10 most expensive world football transfers players of all time:
1. Neymar – Barcelona to PSG – £198million
The Brazilian maestro has already made his mark in Spain before breaking the world football transfer record when moving to France. This record fee has stood for three years and Neymar has gone some way to paying this eyewatering amount back. He is regarded as one of the best players of all time for PSG and he has scored 69 in 80 games for France’s premier club.
2. Kylian Mbappe – Monaco to PSG – £116million
The 21-year-old has the world at his feet, although a few eyebrows were raised when PSG signed him from their Ligue 1 rivals. However, the French superstar has been a revelation at the Parc des Princes. He is arguably one of the top five players in the world at the moment and he will continue to get better and better.
3. Joao Felix – Benfica to Atletico Madrid – £114million
Much like Mbappe, there were a few gasps when Atletico signed the Portuguese wonderkid from Benfica. He has been eased in gently at Atletico and looks sure to make his mark on the continent for years to come. It looks like Cristiano Ronaldo may pass the baton on down to this young protege when he eventually retires.
4. Antoine Griezmann – Atletico Madrid to Barcelona – £107million
The Frenchman is in the peak of his career and Barcelona paid over £100million, who had become a La Liga great for his brilliance at Atletico over a number of years. Fifteen goals in his debut season at the Camp Nou represents a decent return and he will be hoping to kick on now alongside Lionel Messi and co.
5. Philippe Coutinho – Liverpool to Barcelona – £105million
Coutinho made his mark in the Premier League with Liverpool before moving to the Catalan giants in 2017. The 28-year-old Brazilian playmaker did well in his first two seasons in Spain, but surprisingly, Barca made Coutinho available for a move and he has been with Bayern Munich this season, who now have an option to sign him this summer. Watch this space!
6. Ousmane Dembele – Borussia Dortmund to Barcelona – £97million
Another French whiz-kid and another big-money move. Dembele was one of the hottest properties in Germany during his season with Dortmund, which forced Barca to pay a whopping £97million for his services. The 23-year-old has endured a miserable season though, missing six months due to a hamstring tear which required surgery.
7. Paul Pogba – Juventus to Manchester Utd – £89million
Pogba returned to the club where it all began for him after catching the eye in Serie A four years ago. Since his big-money move, Pogba’s form for the Red Devils has been very inconsistent but on his day, he remains one of the best central midfielders in the world and one of the biggest world football transfers too. With United having a resurgence, he could be a key figure at Old Trafford next term.
8. Eden Hazard – Chelsea to Real Madrid – £89million
Hazard was a wonderful servant to Chelsea, lighting up the Premier League with a series of dazzling displays. When the opportunity came up to represent Real and replace the irreplaceable CR7, Hazard jumped at the chance and became one of the biggest world football transfers. The Belgian genius has had a stop-start first season at the Bernabeu due to injury but has now recovered.
9. Cristiano Ronaldo – Real Madrid to Juventus – £88million
At the age of 33, Ronaldo made the move to Italy from Real, where he etched himself into club folklore. Who else at that age would become the ninth most expensive signing in history? The fact is that Ronaldo shows no sign of regressing and is still as fit as the likes of Mbappe and Neymar. Without a doubt, one of the greatest players of all time.
10. Gareth Bale – Tottenham Hotspur to Real Madrid – £86million
The Welsh wizard established himself as one of the best players in the Premier League for Spurs when he was snapped up by Real. He and Ronaldo used to cut teams to ribbons when in their prime but Bale has endured a tough time with injuries in the past couple of years, as well as a fallout with coach Zinedine Zidane. Can he bounce back at the Bernabeu?
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