In today’s world, it’s rare to find a player who spends their entire career with their training club. Most players switch to big clubs at a young age, hoping to take their career to the next level. But sometimes, even with the best scouting and recruitment, clubs end up paying astronomical amounts for international stars. It’s no secret that the top clubs in Europe spare no expense to get the best of the best on their team.
A list of the five most expensive transfers in history has been compiled below:
1st place: Brazilian superstar Neymar made the move from FC Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2017 for a staggering 222 million euros.
2nd place: French international Kylian Mbappé, who arrived at Paris Saint-Germain on loan from AS Monaco in 2018 and was later signed for a fee of 135 million euros.
3rd place: Brazilian midfielder Philippe Coutinho, who moved from Liverpool FC to FC Barcelona in January 2018 for a transfer fee of 145 million euros.
4th place: Portuguese national player João Félix made the switch from Benfica Lisbon to Atlético Madrid in the summer of 2019 for 126 million euros.
5th place: Frenchman Antoine Griezmann transferred from Atlético Madrid to FC Barcelona in the summer of 2019 for a fee of 120 million euros.
As football expert Mark Ogden has noted in The Independent, the cost of acquiring these players is simply part of the business of football, with clubs willing to pay significant sums to secure the top talent. The reality is that in today’s game, the most successful teams are those that can assemble a squad of the world’s best players, and this often requires significant financial investment.
