Football is claimed to be the highest-paid sport on the planet.
Football players are compensated with astronomically larger transfer fees than players in any other sport.
If you look at some of the recent transfer sums for some well-known players, you’ll be surprised to see that players get paid billions of dollars only to join a team.
Is every footballer, however, compensated equally? Certainly not; only players who have shown themselves in multiple games and demonstrated match-winning performances are compensated well.
This gets us to the subject of how much money these players are paid to sign with a team.
The amount changes depending on a variety of factors such as the player’s current form, overall stats, and previous signing amount, among others.
Do you want to know how much the most expensive transfer in football history cost? Well! We’ve compiled a comprehensive list of the top ten most costly transfers in football history for you.
Read the entire article to find out which football transfers have generated global outrage.
10. Alan Shearer – Blackburn to Newcastle United
£15 million
After leaving Blackburn Rovers in 1996, Alan Shearer signed with Newcastle United for the tenth most expensive transfer in football history.
Alan was paid a total of 15 million Euros in the following transactions.
At the time, this historic deal was the most expensive football transfer ever done.
Alan had won the Golden Boot twice in a row in the Premier League that year, which prompted this unusual transfer.
Also, Shearer holds the record for scoring the most number of goals in the history of the Premier League with 260 goals.
9. David Beckham
£25 Million
David Beckham’s transfer is ranked 9th on our list of the most expensive football transfers in history. Beckham moved to Real Madrid for 25 million euros in 2003.
While at Bernabeu, David Beckham won one league title and one Spanish title.
His inclusion in the Real Madrid team had a big impact on the team’s results.
In the 2005-2006 football seasons, he earned three more titles with the squad, including Player of the Year.
8. Gianluigi Buffon – Parma to Juventus
£33 Million
Gianluigi Buffon ranks seventh among the top ten most expensive moves in football history.
He joined with Juventus in this deal, leaving Parma for a fee of 33 million euros.
He is also the most expensive goalie in football history to date.
7. Luis Figo – Barcelona to Real Madrid
£37 Million
Luis Figo made his name with a transfer price of 37 million Euros, placing him fifth on our list of the top 10 most expensive moves in football history.
After joining with his former team Barcelona, the soccer player went to Real Madrid in 2000.
During his transfer, he was also the target of controversy, and he was once tossed a pig’s head in a match.
6. Sergio Aguero – Atletico Madrid to Manchester City
£38 Million
Sergio Aguero’s transfer from Real Madrid to Manchester City in 2011 sparked heated debate among football fans.
Though the transfer fee was not very significant (just 38 million euros), Sergio’s impact was unavoidable.
His effect may be simply assessed by looking at his 201 goals for the 2014 and 2017 league champions.
Despite not winning a single title in his career, the 32-year-old player has a unique level of renown and popularity.
5. Zinedine Zidane – Juventus to Real Madrid
£46.6 Million
Zinedine Zidane was signed by Real Madrid in 2001 for a fee of 46.6 million euros.
He entered the list of the most expensive players in football history with this historic transfer.
In the Champions League finals the following year, Zidane proved that he was worth every euro spent on him by producing one of the most famous goals in the competition’s history.
4. Cristiano Ronaldo – Real Madrid to Juventus
£88.5 Million
Cristiano Ronaldo is difficult to leave off any football list.
The most expensive transfer list is the same. So far, Ronaldo has been the best soccer player we’ve ever seen.
His recent move to Juventus has been heralded as a watershed moment in his career.
His transfer from Real Madrid to Juventus was valued at 88.5 million euros, the third-highest fee ever paid to a footballer.
3. Paul Pogba – Juventus to Manchester United
£89 Million
Paul Pogba is a legendary soccer player who ranks among the best midfielders ever seen by football fans.
The outstanding midfielder previously played for Juventus before joining Manchester United in 2016.
His transfer cost 89 million euros, making it the fourth most expensive in football history.
2. Kylian Mbappe- Monaco to PSG
£120 Million
Mbappe became a trend in the football industry when he won the World Cup for the first time at the age of 19 in 2017.
But it was when he became the most expensive sold adolescent in the history of football that he became a discussion point in the market.
He also became the second most expensive player ever sold in football history.
Mbappe joined St. Paris Germain the following year after leaving his previous club Monaco.
Due to fair play regulations, he was first loaned to the team.
However, his role in helping Monaco win the title has undoubtedly helped him earn a lot of money later in his career.
1. Neymar – Barcelona to PSG
£198 Million
Neymar holds the record for the biggest transfer fee ever paid to a football player.
He transferred from Barcelona to Paris St. Germain for a record-breaking fee of 198 million euros, the largest transfer fee ever paid to a footballer.
Neymar, on the other hand, has kept his price tag by becoming one of his team’s top scorers since his arrival.
