While ‘old-school’ football fans will tell you that passion, hard work and grit were what once won you success, nowadays, it often boils down to which clubs have the fattest wallet and hence the most expensive footballers.
Today, football clubs pay unfathomable amounts to prize players from their rivals. With clubs backed by mega-rich owners and shareholders from all corners of the globe, today’s footballing landscape is hugely separated from its past.
Way back in 1979, the late, great Trevor Francis became the first ever £1m British footballer, but £1m wouldn’t go very far in today’s market.
So, who are most expensive footballers of all time? Here are the top 20 based on transfer fee*.
Neymar
£190m
Barcelona to PSG, 2017
Neymar is currently the world’s most expensive footballer. His staggering £190m (equivalent) transfer fee from Barcelona to PSG in 2017 is yet to be outdone.
The prolific goalscorer and highly-renowned playmaker, who also plays for the Brazil men’s national team, can play various positions. Described as a footballing ‘phenomenon’, Neymar can play as a central striker or second striker, winger or attacking midfielder.
The 31-year-old has been the subject of two highly-lucrative transfers, in particular, during his playing career, too, with Barcelona playing a handsome €86.2m to Brazilian club Santos for him back in 2013.
Currently, he’s one of only three players to have scored at least 100 goals for three different clubs.
Kylian Mbappé
£154m
Monaco to PSG, 2018
Not only is PSG’s Kylian Mbappé one of the most expensive footballers in the world, but he’s also reportedly the highest-paid.
The Frenchman signed a deal at his hometown club in 2022 taking his salary to around £1m per week—yes, per week.
On the pitch, Mbappé is widely considered one of the best in the world, renowned for his exquisite dribbling, frightening speed and deadly finishing. He’s PSG’s highest goalscorer of all time and also became the youngest Frenchman ever to score at a World Cup in 2018.
France went on to win the World Cup that year, with Mbappé becoming only the second teenager in history (he was 19 at the time) to score in a World Cup final.
He also scored a hat-trick in the 2022 World Cup final versus Argentina—which France eventually lost 4-2 on penalties.
Philippe Coutinho
£142m
Liverpool to Barcelona, 2018
When Brazilian playmaker Philippe Coutinho left Liverpool for Barcelona at the beginning of 2018 for a club-record fee, he became the world’s second most expensive footballer at the time.
But despite his undeniable talent, Coutinho never really lived up to the hype in Spain. However, he was loaned out to German giants Bayern Munich for the 2019/20 season, where he won a treble consisting of the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal and the UEFA Champions League.
After several years away, the midfield wizard made a shock Premier League return with Aston Villa—who were, at the time, managed by Coutinho’s former Liverpool teammate Steven Gerrard.
He signed a permanent deal with Aston Villa in the summer of 2022 after a successful six-month loan spell. However, his time in the Midlands was largely plagued by injury, and he joined Qatar Stars League Club Al-Duhail on a season-long loan in August 2023.
Moisés Caicedo
£115m
Brighton to Chelsea, 2023
Moisés Caicedo’s mouth-watering £115m move (including add-ons) to Chelsea in August 2023 is the current British transfer record. It beat the previous record—also set by Chelsea just eight months earlier—when Enzo Fernández arrived in London from Benfica.
The move was preceded by an almighty summer transfer tussle between Premier League rivals Chelsea and Liverpool.
It was reported that Brighton had rejected an initial £80m approach from Chelsea for Caicedo in June, with the south coast club insisting that their 2022/23 Player of the Season was very much part of its plans for the new season ahead—one which would see Brighton playing European football for the first time in the club’s history, after finishing 6th in the Premier League and securing a place in the 2023/24 Europa League.
However, fast-forward to early August, Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp confirmed in an interview that the Reds had agreed a £111m deal with Brighton for Caicedo.
But just a few days later, it was reported that Chelsea had hijacked Liverpool’s deal and instead agreed a £115m fee with Brighton, which saw Caicedo sign a bumper eight-year deal with the Blues.
The Ecuadorian international plays as a defensive midfielder and made his Chelsea debut as a second-half substitute in a 3-1 away defeat to London rivals West Ham.
João Félix
£113m
Benfica to Atletico Madrid, 2019
João Félix plays either as a winger or attacking midfielder and is known for his creativity, finishing and dribbling.
At the age of just eight, the now-Portuguese international trained in the youth ranks at Porto before switching to rivals Benfica. Félix worked his way through the reserves and into the first-team at Benfica, making his professional debut at just 17.
In doing so, Félix caught the eye of several top European clubs, signing for Atletico for a club-record fee in 2019. It was also the second most expensive transfer for a teenager in history.
Antoine Griezmann
£107m
Atletico Madrid to Barcelona, 2019
French forward Antoine Griezmann is next on the list. His transfer from Atletico Madrid to Barcelona in 2019 makes him the sixth most expensive footballer of all time.
A highly-versatile attacking player, Griezmann is rightly feared by opposing sides for both club and country.
He was the top goalscorer and player of the tournament as France finished runners-up to Portugal at UEFA Euro 2016. Two years later, he was the second-highest tournament goalscorer at the 2018 World Cup in Russia and was awarded ‘man of the match’ in the final versus Croatia.
Griezmann was also nominated for the Ballon d’Or in 2016 and Best FIFA Men’s Player in 2018.
Enzo Fernández
£106.8m
Benfica to Chelsea, 2023
Enzo Fernández’s £106.8m transfer from Benfica to Chelsea in January 2023 was the British football transfer record at the time (of course, before Chelsea outdid themselves again the following summer!)
After dazzling in Argentina’s 2022 World Cup-winning side and being named the tournament’s best young player, the midfielder signed a huge eight-and-a-half-year contract with the West London club.
Fernández is known for his technique, creativity, and tactical intelligence. At just 22 years old, he’s considered one of the best young midfielders in the world.
Interestingly, despite hailing from Argentina, Fernández is named after the legendary Uruguayan footballer and three-time Copa America winner Enzo Francescoli. This is reportedly because of his father’s admiration for the Uruguayan.
Declan Rice
£105m
West Ham to Arsenal, 2023
Arsenal broke their club-record transfer fee in the summer of 2023 with the arrival of England international Declan Rice from London rivals West Ham.
Rice spent ten years at West Ham, working his way up from the academy to captaining the first team, playing 245 games and scoring 15 goals.
His final game for West Ham was the Europa Conference League Final in Prague. Rice skippered the Hammers to a 2-1 win over Italian side Fiorentina, which saw the East London club lift their first European trophy for almost sixty years.
Rice left a lasting legacy at West Ham and is one of only three captains to have captained the club to a major trophy, along with Bobby Moore and Billy Bonds.
The defensive-midfielder joined Arsenal on a long-term contract for a reported fee of £105m, surpassing the previous record for a British player set by Manchester City’s £100m signing of Jack Grealish from Aston Villa two years earlier.
Jack Grealish
£100m
Aston Villa to Manchester City, 2021
Jack Grealish’s £100m transfer from Aston Villa to Manchester City in the summer of 2021 made him, at the time, the most expensive English footballer ever.
Grealish had been with his boyhood club Aston Villa since the age of six but couldn’t resist the lure of the champions after impressing for England at UEFA Euro 2020 (which took place in 2021 due to COVID).
The attacking midfielder and winger is known for his mazy dribbling runs and impressive assists—so much so that he’s been likened to the legendary Paul Gascoigne several times.
He won the Premier League in his first season at Manchester City and was part of the club’s historic treble winning side in 2023—helping bring European glory to the blue side of Manchester for the first time.
Romelu Lukaku
£97.5m
Inter Milan to Chelsea, 2021
It’s fair to say Romelu Lukaku, or ‘Big Rom’ as he’s often affectionately known, has had his fair share of lucrative transfers throughout his career. In fact, he’s the world’s most expensive footballer if you tally up his various transfer fees—but we know it doesn’t really work like that.
Despite playing for several clubs during his time in England, including Everton, Manchester United and West Brom, there’s no denying Chelsea is ‘his’ club. Chelsea was the club that first brought him to England, and he rejoined them from Inter Milan in 2021 for a club-record fee just shy of £100m.
Lukaku is Belgium’s all-time leading goalscorer, representing his country at five major tournaments. Known for his bullish strength and aerial ability, he’s always got a goal in him, whether it be with his feet or head.
Ousmane Dembele
£89m
Borussia Dortmund to Barcelona, 2017
At the time of his transfer from Borussia Dortmund to Barcelona in 2017, Ousmane Dembele became the joint-second most expensive footballer of all time alongside fellow Frenchman Paul Pogba.
Though his first season in Spain was plagued by injury, he was part of a Barcelona side that won a cup double; La Liga and the Copa del Rey.
At age 21, Dembele was part of the triumphant 2018 French World Cup team and featured at the delayed UEFA Euro 2020 three years later. He also played in the 2022 World Cup final for France.
Paul Pogba
£89m
Juventus to Manchester United, 2016
You can also add Paul Pogba to the seemingly endless list of expensive French footballers.
His £89m transfer from Juventus to Manchester United in 2016 made headlines for various reasons. Not least for the price tag but also because United had let him join Juventus for free in 2012.
Pogba first joined Manchester United’s youth team in 2009, aged 16, progressing to the first-team by 18. But after making just three senior appearances for United in the 2011/12 season, he left for Juventus on a free transfer, where his rise certainly caught the eye.
Pogba’s value had rocketed by 2016. United forked out almost £90m to buy back the player they’d let leave for nothing four years earlier. Like teammate Mbappé, Pogba was also on the scoresheet in the 2018 World Cup final.
Jude Bellingham
£88.5m
Borussia Dortmund to Real Madrid, 2023
When you consider the tactical intelligence and maturity that Jude Bellingham plays with, it’s hard to believe he’s still only 20. It’s no surprise that Real Madrid were so keen to secure his signature, fighting off interest from various other clubs around the world.
Bellingham joined his boyhood club Birmingham City at just 8 years old and broke into the first team at 16, breaking the previous club record for youngest appearance set by Trevor Francis in 1970 by 101 days.
Bellingham left Birmingham for German giants Borussia Dortmund in 2020, where he spent three years, becoming the youngest Englishman to start a Champions League match, aged just 17 years and 113 days.
The midfielder is one of England’s most promising young talents and is already an integral part of the national side—scoring England’s first goal of the 2022 Qatar World Cup in a 6-2 group stage win over Iran.
Real Madrid handed Bellingham the iconic number 5 shirt upon his arrival in Spain on a six-year deal—the shirt, of course, once worn by Zinedine Zidane. No pressure, Jude.
Harry Kane
£86.4m
Tottenham to Bayern Munich, 2023
England’s all-time leading goalscorer, Harry Kane, made the headlines in the summer of 2023 when he left Spurs and the Premier League to start anew at German giants Bayern Munich.
Kane became the most expensive signing in Bundesliga history upon his transfer to Bayern, with much of the noise surrounding the move centred on the striker’s desire to win trophies.
It had been rumoured that Manchester City were keen to sign Kane in the summer of 2022, but when the move failed to materialise, Kane came out and publicly committed his future to Tottenham—the club he first joined as an 11-year-old.
In many ways, Kane’s heavily-rumoured departure from Spurs had almost a ‘will he, won’t he’ type feel to it, with many suggesting this was the ‘ultimate dilemma’ for the player—stay in England to try and break more goalscoring records, or pursue silverware abroad (or indeed with one of Spurs’ league rivals). He chose the latter.
Kane left the Premier League with 213 goals in the competition, making him Tottenham’s all-time leading scorer.
Will he one day return to try and beat the all-time Premier League goalscoring record held by Alan Shearer (260)? Only time will tell.
Gareth Bale
£85.1m
Tottenham to Real Madrid, 2013
Not only is Gareth Bale widely regarded as one of the greatest wingers of a generation, but also one of the best Welsh footballers of all time.
Bale’s £85.1m transfer from Tottenham to Real Madrid in 2013 was, at the time, a world-record fee.
After joining Real Madrid, Bale was part of the relentless attacking trio dubbed ‘BBC’ (Bale, Benzema, Cristiano), helping the club win the Copa del Rey and UEFA Champions League in the 2013/14 season. Bale scored in both finals.
He returned to Tottenham for a season-long loan in 2020 before confirming his official exit from Real Madrid at the end of the 2021/22 season.
Nowadays, he’s more into golf than football!
Cristiano Ronaldo
£85m
Real Madrid to Juventus, 2018
Cristiano Ronaldo, or CR7, as he’s also known, is widely considered one of the greatest footballers of all time, alongside Lionel Messi.
He first made his name in England after joining Manchester United from Sporting CP as a teenager in 2003, enjoying a rapid rise to the top, which later earned him a £80m move to Real Madrid.
Ronaldo has won a staggering 32 senior trophies in his career—a tally which includes seven league titles and five UEFA Champions Leagues at club level, and one UEFA European Championship and UEFA Nations League with his native Portugal.
On a personal level, he holds several records, such as most appearances, goals and assists in the Champions League. He’s also scored more than 800 goals for both club and country.
Eden Hazard
£85m
Chelsea to Real Madrid, 2019
Eden Hazard first made his name in England after leaving French side Lille in 2012 to join Chelsea, where he won the UEFA Europa League in his first season and PFA Young Player of the Year in his second.
The Belgian international established himself as one of the world’s best during his time in West London, winning a handful of domestic trophies with Chelsea—such as the Premier League and FA Cup. In 2018, he was also named in FIFA’s FIFPro World XI.
Hazard joined Spanish giants Real Madrid in the summer of 2019 for a deal which, reportedly, increased to the value of around €150m upon the meeting of certain contract clauses.
Hazard was a long-standing captain of the Belgian national side until his retirement from international football in 2022. During his time as captain, he skippered Belgium to number one in the FIFA men’s rankings.
Antony
£82m
Ajax to Manchester United, 2022
Brazilian winger Antony signed for Manchester United in 2022. The five-year-deal represented the third-highest transfer fee United had ever paid out on a signing, after Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku.
The transfer from Ajax also set a new Eredivisie record for the highest fee ever paid for a player from the division.
Antony was quick to impress at United, becoming the club’s first player to score in their first three consecutive Premier League matches. His debut goal in a 3-1 win over Arsenal at Old Trafford was soon followed by strikes against Manchester City and Everton.
A product of the São Paulo youth system, Antony is known for his pace and bright attacking flare. He’s also an Olympic gold medallist, having represented the Brazilian under-23s side at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Japan.
Harry Maguire
£80m
Leicester City to Manchester United, 2019
Centre-back Harry Maguire’s £80m move from Leicester City to Manchester United in 2019 is still the world-record transfer fee for a defender.
England-regular Maguire first cut his teeth in the English Football League, beginning his career at his hometown club Sheffield United before joining Hull City and enjoying a loan spell at Wigan Athletic.
He joined Premier League Leicester City in 2017 and played there until the then Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer brought him to Old Trafford in 2019.
Within six months of arriving in Manchester, Maguire was made United’s club captain.
Joško Gvardiol
£77.6m
RB Leipzig to Manchester City, 2023
Croatian international Joško Gvardiol became the second most expensive defender in football history when he signed for Manchester City in August 2023.
Gvardiol plays as both a centre-back and a left-back and is known for his strength and physicality. He spent the bulk of his youth career and early senior career at his hometown club, Dinamo Zagreb, where he won two league titles and the Croatian Cup, all by the time he turned 18.
Gvardiol moved to Bundesliga side RB Leipzig in 2020, where he made 87 appearances—including in the Champions League—and scored five goals.
At international level, he made his debut for the senior Croatian side in 2021 and featured in both Euro 2020 and the 2022 World Cup.
He made his Premier League debut for Manchester City in a 3-0 win over newly-promoted Burnley. Gvardiol was also named as one of the nominees for the 2023 Ballon d’Or.
He’s widely regarded as one of the most promising young defenders in world football.
*Football clubs often don’t disclose full player transfer fees, which can lead to final figures being contested. All fees in this blog are based on reports by mainstream sports media outlets.
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