Top 10 Most Expensive Football Transfers: What Were They Thinking?
It seems like every week in football, we hear of another player making a move for an amount that makes the GDP of small countries look like pocket change. Welcome to the maddening world of modern football where player salaries and transfer fees have shot up like a teenager’s hopes after winning the lottery.
Thanks to an influx of investors with more money than sense and ludicrous TV contracts, it seems every football club is willing to part ways with absurd amounts of cash to sign the next big thing. But here’s the kicker – sometimes, these expensive tinged moves just don’t pay off. So, strap in as we take a cheeky little glance at the top ten most expensive transfers in football and try to figure out what on earth they were thinking.
1st Place: Neymar Junior – FC Barcelona ➡️ Paris Saint-Germain (€222 million)
Ah, Neymar, the man who activated a release clause like it was a video game cheat code. The Brazilian was once Barcelona’s golden boy, but when PSG slapped down €222 million like it was a deposit for a house, we all had to question: “Is this football, or Monopoly?” Despite the hefty fee, Neymar hasn’t exactly set the French league on fire since, showing us that sometimes, expensive doesn’t always mean effective. Perhaps they should have included a “return policy” with that deal!
2nd Place: Kylian Mbappé – AS Monaco ➡️ Paris Saint-Germain (€180 million)
And here we thought PSG was done splurging! Enter Kylian Mbappé, the dazzling prodigy who made his fans swoon. PSG once again flexed their financial muscles and snatched him up for €180 million. But let’s be honest, at this point, it’s almost as if they’re buying players like kids buy Pokémon cards: “Gotta catch ‘em all!” Here’s hoping Mbappé actually turns out to be the superstar that justifies his price tag. No pressure, kid!
3rd Place: Ousmane Dembélé – Borussia Dortmund ➡️ FC Barcelona (€140 million)
Next on our list is Ousmane Dembélé—a man who traded Borussia Dortmund for the sunny climes of Barcelona. They called him “Talent of the Century,” but all we got was a player who seemed to be on more vacation days than he was on the pitch. The only thing he was consistent in was…being inconsistent! When you’re paying €140 million, you’d think that was a part of the deal—training instead of “chillin’” on the sidelines.
4th Place: Philippe Coutinho – Liverpool FC ➡️ FC Barcelona (€135 million)
Ah, Coutinho! Another player who moved to Barcelona with the hope of filling the Neymar-sized void and ended up getting more loan deals than game time. Considering Barcelona forked out €135 million for him, you might think he made his arrival via luxury yacht. Spoiler: He didn’t! Instead, he loitered around like the kid who shows up late to a toga party, eventually finding himself shipped off to Bayern Munich. You could say he really ‘moved’ when it came to finding a new club!
5th Place: Joao Félix – Benfica Lissabon ➡️ Atlético Madrid (€127.2 million)
And here’s Joao Félix, the wonderkid labeled as “the next Cristiano Ronaldo.” But sometimes creating such lofty expectations can be the equivalent of handing an intern the keys to the office while the boss is on vacation. Atlético Madrid shelled out €127.2 million, probably saying their prayers as they did. Let’s just say it didn’t quite pan out as expected—before long, his value resembled a rollercoaster ride!
6th Place: Enzo Fernández – Benfica Lisbon ➡️ Chelsea FC (€121 million)
Then we have Enzo Fernández, who recently transitioned from Benfica to Chelsea, loaded up with a cool €121 million price tag. He had the glorious honor of being part of Argentina’s World Cup-winning squad but is now stuck in a Chelsea team that’s more up and down than a yo-yo. Ah, the thrill of investing in potential! You just never know if it’s a jackpot or a bust, do you?
7th Place: Eden Hazard – Chelsea FC ➡️ Real Madrid (€120.8 million)
Once a megastar with Chelsea, Eden Hazard’s transfer to Real Madrid felt like Christmas morning…for the delivery guy. Spending €120.8 million, many were convinced they’d just received a footballing Santa Claus. But instead, they got a player struggling to navigate the fitness level of the local park’s five-a-side. Maybe the missed shots were just a metaphorical way of saying he wasn’t landing that golden egg after all!
8th Place: Antoine Griezmann – Atlético Madrid ➡️ FC Barcelona (€120 million)
Griezmann is like that friend who’s always indecisive. He moved from Atlético to FC Barcelona but returned to Madrid just a couple of years later, making it look like he was simply taking a ‘long trip.’ Barcelona paid €120 million, and he returned faster than a dinner service for a bad date. One minute they were “on,” the next they were “off.” Classic football love story!
9th Place: Jack Grealish – Aston Villa ➡️ Manchester City (€117.5 million)
Jack Grealish entered Manchester City with a hefty €117.5 million price tag and more flair than a barbershop quartet. He’s managed to become a fixture in the squad, which is commendable; however, one can’t help but wonder what happens when you have a big price tag but also big expectations weighing you down. A bit like trying to impress your in-laws with just a microwave meal!
10th Place: Cristiano Ronaldo – Real Madrid ➡️ Juventus Turin (€117 million)
No list would be complete without the man, the myth, the legend: Cristiano Ronaldo! His transfer to Juventus raised eyebrows, and not just for the €117 million transfer fee. It was as if someone had finally gotten tired of his trophy collection at Madrid. Spoiler alert: Ronaldo played three seasons at Juve and left as quietly as he arrived. Football’s answer to Starbucks—always expanding but usually ends in a bit of caffeine crash!
So there you have it, a peek into football’s most extravagant signings. Who knows? Perhaps the next player will make their way onto this list and give us more laughs, eye rolls, or headshakes. Keep your wallets close because, in this game, you never know how much a player’s actually worth!
In world football, player salaries and transfer fees have exploded in recent years. New investors have appeared on the scene and newly concluded TV contracts are coming to fruition ever higher amounts into the club’s coffers.
Factors like these ensure that sums that were previously considered unimaginable are paid to convince the best of the best to change clubs. However, not all of these transfers ended in the hoped-for success story, as we will see in our list ten most expensive transfers in football will find out.
1st place: Neymar Junior – FC Barcelona ➡️ Paris Saint Germain (222 million euros)
The Brazilian Neymar attracted attention at a young age. So much so that the great FC Barcelona transferred an impressive 88 million euros to Brazil for the then 21-year-old. Must in Spain Exit clauses anchored in the contracts which are usually in an unaffordable range.
At least that’s what FC Barcelona thought when they set this clause at 222 million euros. In 2017, PSG actually put this sum on the table and made one Transfer record. However, Lionel Messi’s brilliant partner was never able to build on his successes in Barcelona.
2nd place: Kylian Mbappé – AS Monaco ➡️ Paris Saint Germain (180 million euros)
It became clear early in his career that Kylian Mbappé has what it takes to become the next superstar of French football. In the summer of 2017, numerous top clubs competed for the young professional.
PSG ultimately won the contract again, thanks to the extremely rich owners from Qatar Transfer fee of 180 million no problem at all for the capital club.
This was preceded by a one-year loan with a fee of 35 million euros.
3rd place: Ousmane Dembélé – Borussia Dortmund ➡️ FC Barcelona (140 million euros)
The Frenchman Ousmane Dembélé was considered one Talent of the centurywhich is why in 2017 numerous top clubs lined up for the services of Dembélé, who was then playing at Stade Rennes. In the end, Borussia Dortmund prevailed, thanks in part to its excellent reputation for promoting young talent like no other club.
When Neymar left FC Barcelona in the summer of 2017 thanks to his release clause, this move caused panic among the Catalans. Dembélé was supposed to be a replacement – it’s just unfortunate that he only moved to BVB a year ago. Dembele then successfully went on strike to Barcelonawhere he stood out more for his fitness problems than his performance on the pitch.
4th place: Philippe Coutinho – Liverpool FC ➡️ FC Barcelona (135 million euros)
Liverpool FC also fell into the maelstrom triggered by Neymar’s move to Paris. Because it’s not just Dembélé from BVB that should close the gap. Philippe Coutinho was also chosen to make Neymar fall into oblivion in Barcelona.
After a lot of bargaining The move ultimately went through for 135 million euros. However, Coutinho never really arrived in Barcelona. This was followed by two loan deals to FC Bayern and Aston Villa.
5. Platz: Joao Félix – Benfica Lissabon ➡️ Atlético Madrid (127.2 Million Euro)
Numerous experts predicted a golden future for the Portuguese Joao Félix. Some were already talking about it Cristiano Ronaldo’s successor. The young striker made a big impression in Lisbon, which is why competition for Félix quickly broke out.
In the end, Atlético Madrid won the race for an impressive 127.2 million euros. Although his market value in Madrid rose to 100 million euros shortly afterwards, a rapid decline began quite quickly after that.
6th place: Enzo Fernández – Benfica Lisbon ➡️ FC Chelsea (121 million euros)
With Enzo Fernández, another Benfica Lisbon player made it into the top 10 most expensive transfers in football. The Argentine’s star rose in 2022 when he made his final breakthrough at Benfica Lisbon. So it wasn’t a big surprise that he was in the National team squad for the Winter World Cup in Qatar was appointed.
Fernandez hatte played a significant role in Argentina winning the tournament. At the end of the winter transfer deadline, Chelsea FC finally struck and signed the newly crowned world champion for 121 million euros.
7th place: Eden Hazard – Chelsea FC ➡️ Real Madrid (120.8 million euros)
The story of Eden Hazard is like a football fairy tale. His professional career began at OSC Lille, where he was discovered by Chelsea FC scouts. Hazard wore the Blues jersey for seven years and became one real megastar and part of the golden generation of the Belgian national team.
In the summer of 2019, Real Madrid transferred 120.8 million euros to London, a sum that Hazard was never able to justify. Plagued by injuries and performances that were disproportionate to his princely salary, he never came close to his previous performances.
8th place: Antoine Griezmann – Atlético Madrid ➡️ FC Barcelona (120 million euros)
For Frenchman Antoine Griezmann, it all began exactly where he still plays today. He moved to Spain as a teenager and has spent his time so far entire career on the Iberian Peninsula. From Real Sociedad he went to Atético Madrid, where he became a top performer and national player.
FC Barcelona was repeatedly brought into play as a possible future club and in the summer of 2019 the move finally worked. Two years later, however, he returned to the Spanish capital because he also moved there a drop in performance that was hardly thought possible.
9th place: Jack Grealish – Aston Villa ➡️ Manchester City (117.5 million euros)
Manchester City also made a transfer worth over 100 million euros when they signed England international Jack Grealish in the summer of 2021. However, Grealish, who comes from his home club Aston Villa and comes from Birmingham, did not follow in the footsteps of his prominent predecessors.
He is still a regular member of Pep Guardiola’s team today and has progressed to one of the best left wingers in the Premier League.
10th place: Cristiano Ronaldo – Real Madrid ➡️ Juventus Turin (117 million euros)
Cristiano Ronaldo has broken numerous records throughout his career. So it probably doesn’t come as much of a surprise that the Portuguese also finds himself among the top 10 most expensive football transfers in the world.
This came when Real Madrid announced the sale of the superstar to Juventus in 2018 quite surprising for many.
Ronaldo was one of the best players in the Royals. However, Ronaldo only lasted three years in Piedmont before moving on to Manchester United.
Chris discovered online gambling through video games. He competed with players worldwide in classics like Counter Strike and Battlefield, which sparked his interest in online casinos. For him, slot machines are a fun way to pass the time, and he particularly appreciates the slots from Pragmatic Play. His favorite games are blackjack and poker, which he played intensively during his stays in the USA. When he’s not playing, Chris enjoys the ski slopes in winter and racing bikes in summer.
