Top 10 Most Expensive Football Transfers in World History

1. Neymar - €222 million

Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior, born on February 5, 1992, currently plays as a forward for Paris Saint-Germain and the Brazil national football team.

Paris Saint-Germain made football history in 2017 by acquiring Neymar from Barcelona. The transfer from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain, with a record-breaking fee of 200 million euros, made him the most expensive player in the world. Right after Neymar's legal representative arrived at Barcelona's headquarters, placed a check worth 222 million euros on the table, and got it approved, Neymar's transfer officially entered the final chapter. The Brazilian forward broke all ties with Barca, becoming a free agent able to sign a contract with PSG or any other club of his choice. Of course, Neymar couldn't generate the 222 million euros himself. It was the amount PSG spent to have Neymar leave Barca officially under the pretense of him paying the contract termination fee, instead of PSG paying to terminate the contract for Neymar. Hence, PSG spent 222 million euros to secure Neymar's services, but officially, Neymar became a free agent and joined PSG as a free transfer. With this unprecedented transfer deal, he became the most expensive player on the planet to date.

After 116 appearances for PSG, Neymar has scored 87 goals and provided 52 assists. If not for the continuous injuries over the past 3 seasons, his performance would likely be even more impressive.

2. Philippe Coutinho - €160 million

Masour Ousmane Dembélé born on May 15, 1997, currently playing as a winger for Barcelona and the French national team.

Dembélé started his career at Rennes before joining Dortmund in 2016. He won the DFB-Pokal with die Borussen in the 2016–17 season, scoring a goal in the final. A year later, he moved to Barcelona for an initial fee of 145 million euros, becoming the second most expensive player to date along with compatriot Paul Pogba. On August 25, 2017, La Liga's Barcelona announced that they had reached an agreement to sign Dembélé with a reported total fee of 105 million euros plus an additional 40 million euros. On August 28, he completed the medical examination and signed a 5-year contract, with a buyout clause of 400 million euros. Barcelona had just sold Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain for 222 million euros, so this deal meant that Dembélé became the second most expensive player in the club's history.

Joining Barca from Dortmund for 145 million euros, Dembele was expected to replace Neymar. However, consecutive injuries in matches prevented him from meeting expectations. After a serious ankle injury, he suffered a knee injury and had to rest for at least 2 months. After 118 appearances, he scored 30 goals for the Camp Nou team. In this new season, Dembele is showing performances that prove he is still brilliant in the lineup, hoping this will be a significant step forward in his career.

Eden Michael Hazard, born on January 7, 1991, currently plays as a winger or attacking midfielder for Real Madrid and captains the national team of Belgium. Known for his creativity, dribbling, passing, and vision, Hazard is considered one of the outstanding players of his generation.

He joined Real Madrid in the summer of 2019 with a transfer value of up to 160 million euros, becoming one of the highest transfer fees to date. However, continuous injuries have limited Hazard's playing time and affected his performance. At Chelsea, Hazard asserted himself as one of the best players in the world, achieving significant success. On June 7, 2019, Real Madrid announced on their website that Hazard would sign with them for the 2019–20 season. He signed a contract until June 30, 2024, with a reported fee of 100 million euros, potentially rising to 146.1 million euros with additional fees, and a contract worth 400,000 pounds per week. Hazard became Madrid's most expensive player after Gareth Bale, who was signed for 101 million euros in 2013. If any variables change, he will become the most expensive player in Madrid's history.

Wearing the Real Madrid jersey was Hazard's dream, and in the summer of 2019, he realized that dream. However, in the past 4 years, he has suffered 12 injuries and has only played 43 times for Los Blancos. Hazard still has 3 years left on his contract and is determined to regain his form. His performance at Euro 2020 was positive, and this season will be an opportunity for the 30-year-old player to prove himself in upcoming matches.

Antoine Griezmann, born on March 21, 1991, currently plays for Atlético Madrid on loan from Barcelona and the French national team, primarily as a forward.

In 2019, he moved to Barcelona with a transfer fee of 120 million euros, becoming the fifth most expensive player of all time. Here, he won the Copa del Rey. In August 2021, he returned to Atlético Madrid on loan. Before the 2019-2020 season, Griezmann officially joined Barcelona with a 5-year contract, accompanied by a record-breaking release clause of 800 million pounds. On July 12, 2019, Barcelona announced a 5-year contract with Griezmann after activating his 120 million euros buyout clause. However, later that day, Atlético Madrid objected to the contract agreement with Barcelona, stating that the fee had to be reduced by 80 million euros from his release clause, claiming that Griezmann had agreed to move to Nou Camp before July 1, 2019, when his buyout clause was lowered from 200 million euros to 120 million euros.

At that time, he faced high expectations, but Griezmann struggled to regain his form from his time at Atletico Madrid and faced criticism. His performance has improved since the beginning of the previous season. Barcelona attempted to sell Griezmann in the 2021 summer transfer window, but the player refused to leave.

Joao Félix Sequeira, born on November 10, 1999, currently plays as a forward for Atlético Madrid in La Liga and the national football team of Portugal. He can also play as a winger or attacking midfielder. In 2019, Joao Félix was awarded the Golden Boy title (awarded to the most outstanding player under 21 years old).

The performance of Félix attracted the interest of several European clubs, with Atlético Madrid signing him in 2019 with a club-record transfer of 126 million euros (113 million pounds), the fourth most expensive football transfer, the second highest ever paid for a teenager, and the highest fee for a Portuguese player leaving the domestic league. In his second season at the club, Joao Félix helped the team win the La Liga 2020-21 title, ending the club's 7-year championship drought.

Félix signed a seven-year contract with the Spanish club Atlético Madrid for a transfer fee of 126 million euros (113 million pounds), the fourth-highest amount ever paid in football. This was also Benfica's largest transfer and Atlético's most expensive signing to date, as well as the second-highest fee ever paid for a teenager (after Kylian Mbappe). The Spanish club initially paid 30 million euros and the remaining 96 million euros through installment payments, surpassing Félix's release clause of 120 million euros. Benfica received an additional 12 million euros for mediation services. Upon arrival at the club, he was given the number 7 shirt previously worn by Antoine Griezmann, who had left Barcelona.

Paul Labile Pogba, born on March 15, 1993, currently plays for Juventus and the national team of France. He primarily operates as a central midfielder but can be deployed as a left midfielder, attacking midfielder, defensive midfielder, and deep-lying midfielder.

On August 8, 2016, Pogba returned to his former club, Manchester United, on a 5-year contract with a then-record transfer fee of 105 million euros (89.3 million pounds) plus a 5 million euro bonus, surpassing Gareth Bale's previous record. Paul Pogba's agent, Mino Raiola, received 27 million euros from Juventus when he rejoined Manchester United. Juventus disclosed this fee as a supplementary payment, with a price of 26.154 million euros.

Pogba was one of the first major signings for MU under Jose Mourinho. He had a fairly successful first season, winning the EFL Cup and claiming the Europa League title. However, to date, the French player has not added any more trophies with MU. During his time at MU, Pogba garnered attention for off-field stories and controversies related to the statements of his agent Mino Raiola, more than his on-field performances.

Cristiano Ronaldo , born on February 5, 1985, currently plays as a forward for Manchester United and is the captain of the national football team of Portugal. He is considered the world's best player and one of the greatest.

In 2018, he joined Juventus in a deal worth 105 million euros (88 million pounds), the highest ever paid by an Italian club and also the highest price ever paid for a player over 30. He won two Serie A titles, two Supercoppa Italiana, and a Coppa Italia in three seasons at Juventus before returning to Manchester United in 2021. Despite months of negotiations for a new contract with Real Madrid, on July 10, 2018, Ronaldo signed a 4-year contract with Juventus after completing a transfer deal worth 100 million euros, including an additional 12 million euros in other fees. This is the most expensive transfer ever for a player over 30, and the highest payout by an Italian club. When signing the contract, Ronaldo claimed he left Madrid to seek a new challenge, but later stated that the transfer was due to the lack of support he received from club president Florentino Pérez.

When Juventus spent 105 million euros on Ronaldo, many doubted his adaptability as he was 33 at that time. However, the superstar's performance exceeded all expectations. After 3 seasons with Juventus, Ronaldo scored over 100 goals for Bianconeri. He left the team in the most shocking transfer of the summer of 2021 to return to Manchester United for 25 million euros.

Gareth Frank Bale, born on July 16, 1989, currently plays as a winger for Los Angeles FC in Major League Soccer (MLS) and is the captain of the national football team of Wales. Known as the fastest player in the world, Bale has astonished the world with his explosive speed.

On September 1, 2013, Bale was transferred to Real Madrid for a fee of 100.8 million euros, surpassing the previous record of 94 million euros that the club paid for Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009. Bale played an indispensable role in his first season at Real Madrid. On September 1, 2013, Real Madrid announced that they had reached an agreement to transfer Bale, signing a 6-year contract with an undisclosed transfer fee. Spanish media and Real Madrid TV valued Bale at £77 million (91 million euros), while the British media reported a world-record transfer fee of £85.3 million (100 million euros), surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo's previous record of £80 million.

Gareth Bale was one of the first players with a transfer fee reaching 100 million euros. To this day, Bale remains the most expensive player in the history of the United Kingdom. The Welsh player had very successful initial years with Los Blancos. He scored 105 goals in 251 appearances for Real Madrid. Bale also won 4 Champions League titles, 2 La Liga championships, and 1 Copa del Rey. Last season, Bale returned to Tottenham on loan. Now, Bale has returned to the Bernabeu and is expected to regain top form under the management of Coach Carlo Ancelotti.