The 5 Most Expensive Football Transfers in the History

Football is by far the most popular sport in the world and over 3.5 billion people watch it on a regular basis. This means that a lot of money goes into this sport from all kinds of fields. The biggest football clubs in the world are generating hundreds of millions every year.

However, football fans also know that these clubs spend a lot of money on players. This summer, we wait to see whether Mbappe will break the record for the biggest transfer in the history of football. But, who are the biggest ever transfers? You can read all about them below.

1. Neymar (Barcelona – PSG) – €222 Million

By far the most expensive player in the history of football is Neymar. The fantastic Brazilian made a transfer from Barcelona to PSG for a staggering €222 Million during the summer of 2017.

This transfer broke the barriers in the market, as many clubs started overvaluing their players. Neymar is undoubtedly one of the best players to play this beautiful game. However, some fans believe that he chose to earn money instead of winning trophies.

His appearance at PSG was pretty good, but he did suffer many injuries. PSG managed to return the money they invested in Neymar as well as to make a solid profit. But, they failed to win the most valuable competition, the Champions League.

2. Mbappe (AS Monaco – PSG) – €180 Million

Next up, we have another incredible player who decided to join PSG for a staggering amount of money. He first joined the club on loan in 2017, but PSG signed him for €180 the following year. He was only 20 years old at the time, but everyone saw his amazing potential on the field.

AS Monaco was extremely happy with this transfer as they could only dream about getting this much money for a player. Making quick money such as this is only possible on casino games such as craps online. But obviously, the payouts are not even close to the profits from this transfer.

This 2023 summer is full of drama as PSG has put Mbappe up for sale. Al Hilal is set to spend €300 million just to get him, but we are still waiting for this record-breaking transfer.

3. Philippe Coutinho & Ousmane Dembele (Liverpool/Borussia Dortmund – Barcelona) – €135 Million Each

After selling Neymar in 2017, Barcelona used the money to buy two great players Coutinho and Dembele. Each player cost them €135 million, but they never really showed their quality at their new club.

Both suffered many injuries, especially Dembele, who missed nearly half of Barcelona’s matches. But, in the last few seasons, he is starting to catch up on his well-known performances.

Unlike Dembele, Coutinho joined Barcelona during the winter transfer period. But, he was an absolute flop at Camp Nou. The club sent him on loan at Bayern Munich for only a season and a half in Catalonia. In 2022, they sold him to Aston Villa for only €20 million.

4. Joao Felix (Benfica – Atletico Madrid) – €126 Million

During the summer of 2019, Atletico Madrid splashed €126 million on Joao Felix from Benfica. This was a much-unexpected transfer, as this club has never spent so much money on a single player.

Many also believed that Felix was not the type of player for Atletico Madrid. Now, after 3 and a half seasons at the club, we can confirm that he is struggling to cope with the style of play. They even sent him on a loan to Chelsea in the winter of 2023.

It seems like Atletico Madrid is trying to find a way to get a bit of their investment back. However, that can go either way, as Joao Felix has a contract until 2027 and many clubs don’t like to overspend.

5. Enzo Fernandez (Benfica – Chelsea) – €121 Million

At the 5th spot, we have Enzo Fernandez, who made a transfer from Benfica to Chelsea for €121 million. This broke the for the most expensive player in the Premier League, going past Manchester City’s €117.5 million for Jack Grealish.

Fernandez joined Chelsea when the club was spending a lot of money on new players. They managed to spend a staggering €611.5 million on reinforcements.

The Argentinian was amazing during the World Cup in Qatar but had little time to show his full potential at Chelsea. However, football experts believe that with the right teammates and management, he could become a key player and leader.