In the 2000s, the world witnessed a new dimension to the business of buying and selling players. This new dimension has caused a huge hike in the prices of players. However, 10 players have been in the club of the most expensive transfers in the world in the last two to three years.
The interesting part is that the players had to break a couple of transfer records to be able to get their names among the 10 most expensive transfers in the history of football.
Among all the transfer records that have been broken so far, that of Neymar has remained the most difficult to be broken. Hence, he has remained the most expensive transfer in the history of football since 2018.
The coronavirus pandemic has made it almost impossible for any club in the world to pay as much as €222 million on a player which was the amount Paris saint Germain paid to buy Neymar from FC Barcelona. As far as the pandemic is still raging, Neymar might remain the most expensive player in the world for a while.
Below is the list of the most expensive transfers in the world
- Neymar – €222 million
Neymar is the most expensive player in the world since 2018. French Ligue 1 side, Paris Saint Germain gave him this status when the club decided to pay FC Barcelona €222 million to bring the Brazilian left-winger to the club during the 2017-2018 season. He was 25-year-old when he signed the record-breaking deal. He is currently worth €100 million in the transfer market.
- Kylian Mbappé – €145 million
Kylian Mbappé is the second most expensive player in the world behind his teammate at PSG, Neymar. The French Ligue 1 club signed the France international permanently after a season-long loan spell from AS Monaco during the 2018-2019 season for €145 million when he was just 19-year-old. He is currently valued at €120 million in the transfer market.
- Philippe Coutinho – €145 million.
Philippe Coutinho is the third most expensive footballer in the world. During the 2017-2018 season, FC Barcelona signed the Brazilian from Liverpool for €145 million. He was 25-year-old when he signed the deal. He is currently worth €90 million in the transfer market.
- Ousmane Dembélé – €130 million
Ousmane Dembélé is the 4th most expensive player in the world. FC Barcelona signed him from Borussia Dortmund for €130 million. The French right-winger was 20-year-old when he signed the deal during the 2017-2018 season. He is currently worth as low as €33 million.
- João Félix – €127.20 million
João Félix is the 5th most expensive player in the world. Atlético Madrid signed him from Benfica during the 2019-2020 season for €127.20 million. The Portugal international was 19-year-old when he signed the deal. He is currently worth €70 million in the transfer market.
- Antoine Griezmann – €120 million.
Antoine Griezmann is the 6th most expensive player in the world. FC Barcelona signed him from Atlético Madrid for €120 million during the 2019-2020 season. The France international was 28-year-old when he signed the deal. He is currently worth €130 million in the transfer market.
- Cristiano Ronaldo – €117 million.
Cristiano Ronaldo is the 7th most expensive player in the world. The 35-year-old Portuguese football icon was once the most expensive player in the world before he was overthrown by subsequent transfer deals. His transfer from Real Madrid to Juventus during the 2018-2019 season worth €117 million made him the 7th most expensive player in the world. He signed the deal when he was 33-year-old. He is currently worth €100 million in the transfer market.
- Eden Hazard – €115 million
Eden Hazard is the 8th most expensive player in the world. Real Madrid signed the Belgium international from Chelsea for €115 million during the 2019-2020 season. He was 28-year-old when he signed the deal. He is currently worth €150 million in the transfer market.
- Paul Pogba – €105 million.
Paul Pogba is the 9th most expensive player in the world. Manchester United signed him from Juventus for €105 million during the 2016-2017 season. The France international was 23-year-old when he signed the deal. He is currently worth €70 million in the transfer market.
- Gareth Bale – €101 million.
Gareth Bale is the 10th most expensive player in the world. Tottenham Hotspur sold him to Real Madrid for €101 million during the 2013-2014 season. The Welshman was 24-year-old when he signed the deal. He is currently worth €65 million in the transfer market.
