10 Most expensive footballers from famous footballing nations

#3 Joao Felix | Atletico Madrid, Portugal | €126m

Felix was far from his devastating best in his debut season with Atleti

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.

3 - Joao Felix has become the first Benfica player to score a hat-trick in a European competition game since September 1992 (Pacheco vs MNK Izola). Diamond. pic.twitter.com/Y3lrzyhzoe

— OptaCan (@OptaCan) April 11, 2019

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.

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#2 Kylian Mbappe | Paris Saint-Germain, France | €180m

France and PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe

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.

1969 - Kylian Mbappé is the 1st French player to score at least 30 goals in a calendar year in Ligue 1 since Hervé Revelli in 1969 (31 goals). Peroxide. @KMbappe @PSG_English pic.twitter.com/1ZTCzEaSJm

— OptaJean (@OptaJean) December 21, 2019

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.

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#1 Neymar | Paris Saint-Germain, Brazil | €222m

Neymar is the world's most expensive footballer

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.

16 - Neymar completed 16 dribbles against Atalanta tonight, the most by a player in a single Champions League match since Lionel Messi v Manchester United in April 2008. Twist. #ATAPSG pic.twitter.com/WpT1ONRZVV

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) August 12, 2020

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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