3) Neymar (Santos) – €18m
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When football fans saw a young Brazilian kid humiliating defenders with skill and trickery, they knew he was destined for great things. Santos knew they had a special talent on their hands – a player who could combine well with his teammates, beat defenders one-on-one or, in some cases, beat an entire defence with a solo run that even had rival fans watch on in admiration.
Making his senior debut at the age of 17, his exploits soon drew comparisons with Brazil legends such as Pele and Robinho. As he neared 18, he was already targeted by clubs around Europe. West Ham even had a £12m bid rejected.
He continued to play in Brazil when he was obviously too good for any of the teams in the continent. Soon, it wasn’t a case of if he would move to Europe but when. Real Madrid and Barcelona came calling and eventually, he followed in Ronaldinho’s footsteps and sealed a move to the Catalan club in 2013 to join forces with Lionel Messi.
