TRANSFER MARKET
Neymar joins Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal: which players have the highest combined transfer fees?
The former Barcelona and PSG star has overtaken Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku as the most expensive player in the soccer history.
First it was Cristiano Ronaldo, then it was Karim Benzema, then it was a host of other slightly lesser names, now it’s Neymar. The Saudi Pro League revolution shows no signs of slowing down, with money seemingly no object as they look to convince soccer’s biggest and brights stars to move to the Middle East. Al Hilal have paid a an initial $98.6 million (add-ons not included) to Paris Saint-Germain for the Brazilian star, who has now commanded more in transfer fees than any other player in the history of the sport.
That the top 10 on this particular list is made up of nine active players speaks to how the transfer market has spiralled wildly out of control in recent years, with Paris Saint-Germain and their über rich owners, Qatar Sports Investments, unsurprisingly heavily involved. LaLiga champions Barcelona crop up a lot too...
How much has Neymar commanded in combined transfer fees?
Neymar’s switch to Saudi Arabia has seen him overtake Romelu Lukaku as the most expensive player of all-time in terms of combined transfer fees. And that despite the fact he has only made three moves in his career, compared to the Belgians’ seven. Barcelona, PSG and now Al Hilal have shelled out a total of $404.4 million* to sign the Brazil star.
Who are the top 10 most expensive players of all time?
Romelu Lukaku - $362.4 million
Cristiano Ronaldo - $268.8 million
Ousmane Dembélé - $239.4 million
Álvaro Morata - $205.8 million
Philippe Coutinho - $196.3 million
Kylian Mbappé - $196 million
Antoine Griezmann - $196 million
Ángel Di María - $194.8 million
Zlatan Ibrahimovic - $184 million
*All fees are approximate and have been adapted from Transfermarkt, a website specialising in player values and the transfer market in general.