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The price of player values has gone up ten-fold over the years in every soccer league around the world. Teams throughout the last decade were willing to pay tens of millions to sign some of the biggest names we’ve seen in modern soccer to date.
In the European leagues, specifically the English, Spanish and French (through PSG), some players have been signed for upwards of €100 million, setting records every year for carrying the most expensive transfer fee. But which soccer players cost the most? Let’s break down each of the mega-money purchases.
Starting the high-valued list is Enzo Fernandez of Chelsea FC. After his brilliant World Cup-winning run alongside Leo Messi and Argentina in 2022, Fernandez’s value skyrocketed along with his potential. Coming from prestigious Portuguese team Benfica, Fernandez was signed for €121 million in 2023.
To put this into perspective, Gareth Bale to Real Madrid, Harry Kane to Bayern Munich, Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid, Jude Bellingham to Real Madrid, Paul Pogba to Manchester United, Jack Grealish to Manchester City and Antoine Griezmann to Barcelona were all lower-value transfers than this, showcasing just how much teams are willing to pay for that star prospect of their choice.
Setting one of the newest high transfer fee records for his time back in 2019 for his move to Atletico Madrid from Benfica is Portuguese international João Félix. With a fee of €126 million, Felix slightly bests Fernandez’s fee. Now with two of the top 5 most expensive transfers in soccer coming from Benfica, the Portuguese league will most definitely be looking for more of these big-money transfers in the future.
After having an incredible season with Liverpool and just barely failing to win the English Premier League, Philippe Coutinho was one of the two big-money Brazilian signings headed to Barcelona. Back in 2018, just before the Champions League knockout stages began, Liverpool sold Philippe Coutinho to Spanish rivals FC Barcelona for €145 million, making him another South American player worth hundreds of millions. In the end, this transfer wouldn’t work out the best for Barcelona, and it wound up being a very costly error for the Catalan club.
As of right now, Kylian Mbappe is considered to be one of the best players in the world. Having just recently been signed to superstar club Real Madrid for over €100 million, his transfer fee from Monaco to PSG back in 2018 was almost double that number. Mbappe was extremely sought after due to his pace, goal-scoring ability, and World Cup title all at such a young age. He transferred from one Ligue 1 team to another for the monster fee of €180 million, but given his ability, PSG fans would say that he was worth every penny.
Lastly, a record that has yet to be broken is Neymar’s €222 million transfer from Barcelona to PSG. In 2017, Neymar was coming off a hot streak of winning the Spanish Copa Del Rey, UEFA Champions League and the Spanish La Liga all in one year alongside Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. Paris Saint-Germain saw the raw potential in Neymars creative playmaking and goal-scoring ability and wished to see him pair up with the likes of Kylian Mbappe on the field of a dominant PSG team. Overall, Neymar to PSG for a €222 million fee is the most expensive soccer transfer of all time.
Liam has been a major sports fan and soccer player for over a decade, with a particular focus on major top-level soccer leagues, including the EPL, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and MLS. He has written numerous promotional articles for various top sportsbooks and continues to publish historical and factual sports articles covering the NFL, MLS, NHL, MLB, EPL and more.