9) Antoine Griezmann: Real Sociedad to Atletico Madrid – £25.5m
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Although he now leads the line for Les Bleus in internationals, he was virtually unknown in France while growing up because he was based in Spain. Antoine Griezmann came up through the ranks of Real Sociedad and was a forward to be reckoned with during his final two seasons with the Basque club.
A move to a bigger club was inevitable and Atletico Madrid came calling with the €30m required to trigger his buyout clause. At the time, Griezmann was booed by the Sociedad faithful when he returned to the Anoeta and came on as a substitute. But the move was always going to be a step up for Griezmann who also started to impress in the Champions League.
In spite of finishing as runners-up in 2016, it earned him a nomination to the top three for the Ballon d’Or and the UEFA Best Player in Europe award. He would also win the Golden Boot at Euro 2016 .
