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Football has witnessed some of the most expensive transfers in its fabled history over the course of the last decade or so. The inflation of the transfer market caused by several factors such as lucrative big-money TV deals, commercial partnerships, and several others, has seen transfer records broken frequently.
There is no bigger testament to this than the fact that ten of the world's most expensive transfers have been conducted since 2013/14. Gareth Bale kicked off proceedings with his move to Real Madrid from Tottenham Hotspur, and since then, nine players have been purchased for a fee higher than his €101m.
Despite the number of transfers that shattered the €100-mark mark, there has, so far, been only one transfer that has gone beyond the €200m barrier. Paris Saint-Germain shocked the football world when they decided to activate Barcelona superstar Neymar's €222m release clause and make him the most expensive player in football history.
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Here, we take a look at the most expensive transfers in the world from some of football's most celebrated nations.
#10 Jorginho | Chelsea, Italy | €57m
Kicking off this list is the most expensive Italian player in the world, Jorginho, of Chelsea. The midfielder was the first signing made by former Chelsea coach Maurizio Sarri upon his arrival from Napoli. The pair enjoyed a superb spell together in Naples, and Jorginho emerged as one of the most impressive deep-lying playmakers or registas in Europe under the Italian tactician.
His passing range, superb reading of the game, and positional awareness make him an excellent asset to have in midfield. That being said, he has also come under immense criticism for his lack of athleticism and getting overrun by physically imposing, press-friendly midfielders. Nonetheless, the 28-year-old remains an integral part of both Chelsea as well as Roberto Mancini's Italian side and is an expert at dictating the tempo from the middle.
#9 Kepa Arrizabalaga | Chelsea, Spain | €80m
The second of three Chelsea players on this list, Kepa Arrizabalaga, comes in as the most expensive Spanish footballer in history. The Blues looked to the then-Athletic Bilbao keeper as a replacement for the outgoing Thibaut Courtois, who had an agreement to join Real Madrid. Chelsea then triggered the young keeper's staggering €80m release clause, and it was a decision that they would live to regret.
After a relatively solid debut campaign, Kepa endured one of the worst campaigns ever registered by a Chelsea goalkeeper in the top-flight and was statistically one of the worst keepers in Europe last year. The Spanish international was abysmal, being unable to save shots that one would expect any top-flight keeper to save. If that wasn't enough, the 25-year-old made things even more difficult after an endless list of high-profile errors, including one in their most recent Premier League outing against Liverpool. Kepa is reportedly set to be replaced by Eduoard Mendy of Rennes.
#8 Kai Havertz | Chelsea, Germany | €80m
Chelsea's most recent high-profile acquisition, Kai Havertz, is widely regarded as one of the most exciting young talents in Europe at the moment. The German international broke records aplenty in the Bundesliga and recently became the first-ever player to have scored 35 league goals in Germany before his 21st birthday.
Havertz came to Stamford Bridge as part of one of the most historic transfer windows in football as Chelsea spent upwards of €200m on the likes of Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech, Ben Chilwell, and others. The former Bayer Leverkusen ace played a crucial role for Peter Bosz's side last year, scoring 18 goals and setting up a further nine. He will undoubtedly grow in stature for the Blues after a promising debut, and at 21, he can go on to become an all-conquering player for Frank Lampard's men in the future.
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#7 Virgil van Dijk | Liverpool, Netherlands | €84.65m
Virgil van Dijk has, arguably, been the best central defender in the world over the last two years or so. Several questions were raised when Liverpool parted ways with an astonishing fee of €84.65m/£75m for the towering Dutchman, effectively making him the most expensive defender in football history by some distance. However, what followed was nothing short of magical.
Van Dijk single-handedly transformed the landscape of Liverpool's poor defence, making them nearly impenetrable right from the get-go. In his two and a half campaigns at the club, he guided Jurgen Klopp's Reds to a UEFA Champions League trophy and an elusive Premier League title. Van Dijk is imperious in the air, composed on the ball, and is just a magnificent defender in full flow. The 29-year-old's impact simply cannot be questioned and will go down as one of the most impactful signings in Premier League history.
#6 Harry Maguire | Manchester United, England | €87m
Manchester United's defensive troubles since the departures of former greats Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand have been well-documented. The Red Devils looked to end their woes by signing Leicester City and England's Harry Maguire for a fee of €87m — making him the most expensive defender in football.
The 26-year-old had an impressive debut campaign for the Red Devils and received the captain's armband upon Ashley Young's departure to Inter Milan midway through the campaign. Despite injuries, Maguire played every single minute of their league campaign and was a key figure in defence. Manchester United boasted of the third-best defensive record in the league with Maguire, only behind the champions and the former champions. The Englishman did face his fair share of criticism for lack of recovery pace, but would hope to build on a solid debut campaign at Old Trafford.
#5 Gonzalo Higuain | Inter Miami, Argentina | €90m
Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain was once one of the most feared strikers in Serie A. The centre-forward, who played for both Napoli and Juventus, registered one of the highest-ever goal tallies by a player in a single season under Sarri. On the back of his heroics with the Partonopei, Juventus parted ways with an Italian and club-record fee of €90m for Higuain.
After a successful couple of seasons with the Bianconeri, Higuain's career took a nosedive after Juventus purchased former Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. The Argentine then spent time out on loan at AC Milan and Chelsea before being given another shot at reviving his Juve career by Sarri. After the former Napoli boss' departure and Andrea Pirlo's appointment, the Italian deemed Higuain — one of their highest earners — as surplus requirements. The 32-year-old eventually saw his contract terminated by the Italian champions before sealing a free transfer to David Beckham's Inter Miami.
#4 Eden Hazard | Real Madrid, Belgium | €115m
Former Chelsea superstar Eden Hazard was made the most expensive Belgian player in the world ahead of the 2019/20 campaign after an incredible career in the Premier League. The forward moved to the Spanish capital on the back of one of the best seasons of his career with Chelsea and looked set to set the Santiago Bernabeu alight.
However, due to recurring injuries and off-field issues, the Belgian was sidelined for extended periods and endured a nightmare debut campaign in Madrid, managing just one goal for Los Blancos. Hazard was allegedly unfit upon his return to the club from his vacation, and he failed to regain peak physical condition, leading to him losing his place in Zinedine Zidane's side. With the Belgium skipper set to turn 30 come January, he is running out of time to turn his career around in Madrid. Hazard would hope to regain his form and fitness to lead his side glory in the 2020/21 campaign.
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#3 Joao Felix | Atletico Madrid, Portugal | €126m
After a brilliant breakthrough campaign with SL Benfica, Joao Felix was made LaLiga Santander's most expensive player by Atletico Madrid in the wake of star striker Antoine Griezmann's departure. The Frenchman's €120m move to Barcelona pave the way for Felix's move to the Wanda Metropolitano.
The Portuguese did not endure the greatest of debut campaigns in the Spanish capital. Due to injuries and the fact that he required time to adapt to his new environment, the 20-year-old managed just six goals and an assist in 27 LaLiga games for Los Rojiblancos, but would hope to make amends in the upcoming campaign. His talent was on full display in the UCL, and he effectively kept Atleti in the game in their knockout tie against RB Leipzig, although ultimately ending up on the losing side. The versatile Portuguese is undoubtedly going to play a vital role in the coming years for club and country.
#2 Kylian Mbappe | Paris Saint-Germain, France | €180m
A man who needs little introduction, Kylian Mbappe is, at the age of 21, one of the finest footballers on the planet. The Frenchman has an astonishing number of accolades, both collective and individual, for someone of his age and experience. Mbappe was one of the most crucial players for Les Bleus' victorious FIFA World Cup 2018 campaign and was chosen as the best young player at the tournament.
The infallible 21-year-old already has league titles with different clubs, a UCL final, a Ballon d'Or top-five finish, and several other achievements to his name. He is also one of the most prolific players of the current era of forwards, having already racked up over a 100 professional goals. His importance to both France and PSG simply cannot be underestimated, to say the least. Mbappe is undoubtedly on course to carve out one of the most illustrious careers in football. The PSG star is the second most expensive player in the world (most expensive European player), and is only behind a teammate of his on this list.
#1 Neymar | Paris Saint-Germain, Brazil | €222m
Former Barcelona superstar Neymar was always tipped to be the best player in the world at some point, and playing alongside Leo Messi, the Blaugrana faithful were confident that he could be the man to replace succeed him. However, PSG triggered his €222m release clause to make him the most expensive player in football history — shattering Paul Pogba's then-record fee of €105m.
Neymar came under criticism for the fact that he was unavailable for several important matches PSG faced in the UCL. More so, he was also frequently linked with a return to Barcelona since his move to Paris. However, he put all his off-field and fitness issues behind him to drive PSG to their first-ever UCL final in 2019/20, and was the star of the show for Thomas Tuchel's men. The Brazilian icon was at the heart of PSG's creative prowess and was simply unplayable. Neymar would hope to build on an incredible campaign to lead PSG to further glory in the coming seasons.
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