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.
Furtheremore, 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.
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...
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 | Enzo Fernandez | Benfica - Chelsea | 2023 | €121m |
=5 | Philippe Coutinho | Liverpool - Barcelona | 2018 | €120m (+€40m) |
=5 | Antoine Griezmann | Atletico Madrid - Barcelona | 2019 | €120m |
=7 | Moises Caicedo | Brighton - Chelsea | 2023 | €117m (+€17.5m) |
=7 | Declan Rice | West Ham - Arsenal | 2023 | €117m (+€6m) |
=7 | Jack Grealish | Aston Villa - Manchester City | 2021 | €117m |
10 | Romelu Lukaku | Inter - Chelsea | 2021 | €115m |
=11 | Ousmane Dembele | Borussia Dortmund - Barcelona | 2017 | €105m (+€40m) |
=11 | Paul Pogba | Juventus - Manchester United | 2016 | €105m (+€5m) |
13 | Jude Bellingham | Dortmund - Real Madrid | 2023 | €103m (+€31m) |
14 | Gareth Bale | Tottenham - Real Madrid | 2013 | €100.8m |
=15 | Eden Hazard | Chelsea - Real Madrid | 2019 | €100m (+€46m) |
=15 | Harry Kane | Tottenham - Bayern Munich | 2023 | €100m (+€16m) |
=15 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid - Juventus | 2018 | €100m |
18 | Antony | Ajax - Manchester United | 2022 | €95m (+€5m) |
=19 | Harry Maguire | Leicester City - Manchester United | 2019 | €94m |
=19 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Manchester United - Real Madrid | 2009 | €94m |
=21 | Gonzalo Higuain | Napoli - Juventus | 2016 | €90m |
=21 | Neymar | PSG - Al-Hilal | 2023 | €90m |
=21 | Josko Gvardiol | RB Leipzig - Manchester City | 2023 | €90m |
24 | Romelu Lukaku | Everton - Manchester United | 2017 | €88m (+€17.5m) |
25 | Neymar | Santos - Barcelona | 2013 | €86.2m |
26 | Jadon Sancho | Borussia Dortmund - Manchester United | 2021 | €85m |
27 | Virgil van Dijk | Southampton - Liverpool | 2018 | €84.5m |
28 | Luis Suarez | Liverpool - Barcelona | 2014 | €82m |
29 | Wesley Fofana | Leicester City - Chelsea | 2022 | €80.5m (+€6m) |
=30 | Aurelien Tchouameni | Monaco - Real Madrid | 2022 | €80m (+€20m) |
=30 | James Rodriguez | Monaco - Real Madrid | 2014 | €80m |
=32 | Kepa Arrizabalaga | Athletic Club - Chelsea | 2018 | €80m |
=33 | Lucas Hernandez | Atletico Madrid - Bayern Munich | 2019 | €80m |
=33 | Romelu Lukaku | Manchester United - Inter | 2019 | €80m |
35 | Nicolas Pepe | Lille - Arsenal | 2019 | €79m |
36 | Alvaro Morata | Real Madrid - Chelsea | 2017 | €78.9m |
37 | Zinedine Zidane | Juventus - Real Madrid | 2001 | €77.5m |
=38 | Darwin Nunez | Benfica - Liverpool | 2022 | €75m (+€25m) |
=38 | Randal Kolo Muani | Eintracht Frankfurt - PSG | 2023 | €75m (+€15m) |
=38 | Matthijs de Ligt | Ajax - Juventus | 2019 | €75m (+€10.5m) |
=38 | Rasmus Hojlund | Atalanta - Manchester United | 2023 | €75m (+€9m) |
=38 | Kevin De Bruyne | Wolfsburg - Manchester City | 2015 | €75m |
=38 | Frenkie de Jong | Ajax - Barcelona | 2019 | €75m |
=38 | Dusan Vlahovic | Fiorentina - Juventus | 2022 | €75m |
45 | Angel Di Maria | Real Madrid - Manchester United | 2014 | €74.6m |
46 | Alisson Becker | Roma - Liverpool | 2018 | €73m |
47 | Arthur Melo | Barcelona - Juventus | 2020 | €72m (+€10m) |
48 | Kai Havertz | Chelsea-Arsenal | 2023 | €72m (+€3.5m) |
49 | Casemiro | Real Madrid - Manchester United | 2022 | €71m (+€11.8m) |
=50 | Mykhailo Mudryk | Shakhtar Donetsk - Chelsea | 2023 | €70m (+€30m) |
=50 | Kai Havertz | Bayer Leverkusen - Chelsea | 2020 | €70m (+€9m) |
=50 | Luka Jovic | Eintracht Frankfurt - Real Madrid | 2019 | €70m |
=50 | Rodri | Atletico Madrid - Manchester City | 2019 | €70m |
=50 | Sandro Tonali | AC Milan - Newcastle United | 2023 | €70m |
=50 | Dominik Szoboszlai | RB Leipzig - Liverpool | 2023 | €70m |
56 | Zlatan Ibrahimovic | Inter - Barcelona | 2009 | €69.5m |
57 | Raheem Sterling | Liverpool - Manchester City | 2015 | €69.1m |
58 | Ruben Dias | Benfica - Manchester City | 2020 | €68m (+€3.6m) |
59 | Riyad Mahrez | Leicester City - Manchester City | 2019 | €67.8m |
60 | Matthijs de Ligt | Juventus - Bayern Munich | 2022 | €67m (+€10m) |
61 | Diego Costa | Chelsea - Atletico Madrid | 2018 | €66m |
62 | Marc Cucurella | Brighton - Chelsea | 2022 | €65.1m (+€8.2m) |
=63 | Alexander Isak | Real Sociedad - Newcastle United | 2022 | €65m (+€5m) |
=63 | Thomas Lemar | Monaco - Atletico Madrid | 2018 | €65m |
=63 | Jeremy Doku | Rennes - Manchester City | 2023 | €65m |
=63 | Kaka | AC Milan - Real Madrid | 2009 | €65m |
=63 | Aymeric Laporte | Athletic Club - Manchester City | 2018 | €65m |
=63 | Joao Cancelo | Juventus - Manchester City | 2019 | €65m (inc. Danilo) |
69 | Edinson Cavani | Napoli - PSG | 2013 | €64.5m |
70 | Christian Pulisic | Borussia Dortmund - Chelsea | 2019 | €64m |
71 | Mason Mount | Chelsea - Manchester United | 2023 | €63.9m (+€5.8m) |
72 | Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang | Borussia Dortmund - Arsenal | 2018 | €63.75m |
=73 | David Luiz | Chelsea - PSG | 2014 | €62m (+€6m) |
=73 | Romeo Lavia | Southampton - Chelsea | 2023 | €62m (+€6m) |
=73 | Matheus Nunes | Wolves - Manchester City | 2023 | €62m |
76 | Angel Di Maria | Manchester United - PSG | 2015 | €61.6m |
=77 | Achraf Hakimi | Inter - PSG | 2021 | €60m (+€11m) |
=77 | Miralem Pjanic | Juventus - Barcelona | 2020 | €60m (+€5m) |
=77 | Oscar | Chelsea - Shanghai SIPG | 2017 | €60m |
=77 | Christopher Nkunku | RB Leipzig - Chelsea | 2023 | €60m |
=77 | Manuel Ugarte | Sporting CP - PSG | 2023 | €60m |
=77 | Erling Haaland | Borussia Dortmund - Manchester City | 2022 | €60m |
=77 | Naby Keita | RB Leipzig - Liverpool | 2018 | €60m |
=77 | Luis Figo | Barcelona - Real Madrid | 2000 | €60m |
=77 | Tanguy Ndombele | Lyon - Tottenham | 2019 | €60m |
=77 | Malcom | Zenit - Al-Hilal | 2023 | €60m |
=77 | Otavio | Porto - Al-Nassr | 2023 | €60m |
88 | Raphinha | Leeds United - Barcelona | 2022 | €59m (+€6m) |
89 | Fernando Torres | Liverpool - Chelsea | 2011 | €59m |
=90 | Fred | Shakhtar Donetsk - Manchester United | 2018 | €58.9m |
=90 | Jorginho | Napoli - Chelsea | 2018 | €58.9m |
=92 | Hulk | Zenit - Shanghai SIPG | 2016 | €58.6m |
=92 | Ben White | Brighton - Arsenal | 2021 | €58.6m |
94 | Benjamin Mendy | Monaco - Manchester City | 2017 | €58.2m |
=95 | Richarlison | Everton - Tottenham | 2022 | €58m (+€12m) |
=95 | John Stones | Everton - Manchester City | 2016 | €58m |
97 | Kyle Walker | Tottenham - Manchester City | 2017 | €56.7m |
98 | Raheem Sterling | Manchester City - Chelsea | 2022 | €56.2m |
99 | Ben Chilwell | Leicester City - Chelsea | 2020 | €55.8m |
100 | Lisandro Martinez | Ajax - Manchester United | 2022 | €55.3m (+€12.5m) |
Most expensive British player
GettyDeclan 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 ImagesKylian 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 ImagesKepa 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
GettyFor 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.