The world of football is filled with talented players who come with hefty price tags. This list reflects the inflation in transfer fees, particularly post-2017, with Neymar’s move to PSG setting a new benchmark for transfer costs in football. These players have set records with their transfers, reflecting the ever-increasing financial stakes in football.

FIRST TEN MOST EXPENSIVE FOTBALLERS

• Neymar – Transfer from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain for €222 million in 2017. This transfer from Paris Saint Germain completely blows all of the other transfers out of the water. When Neymar signed on the dotted line for the club, many claimed that this quite literally changed the transfer landscape forever.
• Kylian Mbappe – Transfer from Monaco to PSG on a loan-to-buy deal, eventually costing €180 million after bonuses in 2017-2018. In 2017, Paris Saint Germain unloaded their pockets on Mbappe. He went on to cement his name in the history books of PSG, as arguably one of their best players ever. Even though his departure to Real Madrid wasn’t welcomed by the Parisians,  his impact at the club is definitely remains undisputed.
• Philippe Coutinho – Transfer from Liverpool to Barcelona for €135 million in 2018. A highly skilled Brazilian playmaker who has played for top clubs like Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Philippe Coutinho joined Barcelona from Liverpool in January 2018 in search of trophies and acclaim, and he got what he desired – winning two league titles in a row.
• Ousmane Dembele – Moved from Borussia Dortmund to Barcelona for €140 million in 2017. Barcelona took a leap of faith when they spent over €100m to sign Ousmane Dembele from Dortmund in 2017. The Frenchman had only had one season in the Bundesliga, but Barça scouts were convinced that this was a player who could become one of the world’s best.
• João Félix: 127.2m, Benfica to Atletico Madrid, 2019 – A Portuguese attacking midfielder known for his creativity, finishing, and dribbling skills. One of the world’s most exciting prospects, Joao Felix sealed a move to Atletico in 2019 despite being courted by almost all of Europe’s biggest clubs in the months before the move was made official.

EXPENSIVE FOOTBALLERS

• Enzo Fernandez: €121m, He became one of the many faces of Todd Boehly’s Chelsea revolution when he joined the Blues in January 2023 for €121m. The midfielder had just won the World Cup in Qatar with Argentina, inflating his price tag at former club Benfica, and after some early negotiations Chelsea returned at the end of January to force the deal over the line.
• Eden Hazard: €120.8m, Real Madrid weren’t prepared to wait an extra 12 months to sign Eden Hazard on a free and instead agreed to pay what could have ended up being €145m for the Belgian winger.
  >Sadly, injuries plagued Hazard from the off and prevented him from coming anywhere close to the elite form which convinced Madrid to make the move – leaving the transfer to be remembered as one of the worst of all time
• Antoine Griezmann: €120m, The Antoine Griezmann transfer saga had literally everything.
  >He rejected Barcelona in 2018 using a documentary produced by Gerard Pique’s company, only to sign for the club 12 months later amid a tapping-up scandal that led to a formal complaint from Atletico.
• Cristiano Ronaldo: €117m, Juventus watched Real Madrid win three consecutive Champions League titles and decided they wouldn’t mind a piece of the action, and they were prepared to spend big to get it.
• Declan Rice:  €116.6m, The transfer headlines during the first two months of the 2023 summer transfer window were dominated by Declan Rice and where he’d end up after winning the Conference League with West Ham.Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool were all interested at one time for another, with a bidding war ensuing between 2022/23 Premier League title challengers Arsenal and City.