15 Most Expensive Players in Football History Ranked on How Well They Performed

Football clubs know just how much of a risk they are taking when they break the club’s transfer record to sign one of the most in-form talents in the world. It’s all well and good getting them to put pen to paper, but once a £100m+ deal is struck, it’s vital that the player lives up to expectations.

Fans who take one look at the list of the most expensive players in history will agree that there are more duds than hits. Barcelona, in particular, might be cautious about spending heavily on a player, given the La Liga giants’ grim track record of getting bang for its buck.

Here, we assess and rank the top 15 most expensive players in world football history based on whether their performances have repaid their transfer fee. This can include various factors, but of course, the price paid (converted from euros to pounds) is the primary focus.

Ranking Factors:

• Transfer Fee – Was a record-breaking amount of money spent? Was it worth affecting the club’s finances down the line?
• Statistics – Goals, Assists, Appearances
• Success – Did the player win individual and team trophies or awards? Did they make history for the club?
• Longevity – How long the said player spent at the club after the move.

15

Eden Hazard – Chelsea to Real Madrid (£106.3m)

The most expensive flop of all time goes to Eden Hazard, and that’s primarily due to his failure to remain fit throughout his four seasons at the Santiago Bernabeu. The Belgian winger is a Premier League Hall of Famer who starred for Chelsea, and many expected him to become the second coming of Cristiano Ronaldo when Real Madrid forked out £106.3m in the summer of 2019.

That wasn’t the case, though, as Hazard suffered recurring injuries and made only 76 appearances from 2019 to 2023. It was a sorry situation for the former PFA Player of the Year, who was among the most entertaining footballers at his peak in England.

Hazard showed humility and apologised to Madridistas for how his time in the Spanish capital had panned out. But unfortunately, there’s no denying just how much of a failure the transfer was, and he’ll probably regret ever leaving west London.

14

Alexander Isak — Newcastle to Liverpool (£127.6m)

It might only be three months into Alexander Isak‘s Anfield move, but becoming the Premier League’s most expensive player in history puts you under immediate pressure to shine. Even more so when you are already accustomed to English top-flight football and were signed based on your work in the league.

Isak has failed to replicate the sensational form he showed during his time at Newcastle United, and right now, the club’s decision to sell Darwin Nunez and replace him with the Swede looks wrong. Nobody would have envisioned that when the two clubs finally agreed to a deadline-day deal.

The 26-year-old downed tools at St James’ Park to make the move happen, and that might have come at the cost of ruining his preparation for the season. Of all the big-money forwards to join top Premier League clubs this year, performance-wise, he is currently the worst.

13

Philippe Coutinho — Liverpool to Barcelona (£118.8m)

This one remains one of football’s great mysteries for so many reasons, including Barcelona’s nonsensical decision to sign Philippe Coutinho. First off, the fee was astronomical. Secondly, there was no plan for the Brazilian playmaker in a side still focused on Lionel Messi and third, you have to question the player and his performances at Camp Nou.

It’s fair to say that Coutinho came nowhere close to repaying his transfer fee or reaching the heights that preceded him at Liverpool. He went from being a star of the show on Merseyside to sitting on the Blaugrana bench.

Coutinho ironically enjoyed his best moment as a Barca employee against the Catalans when he scored a brace in Bayern Munich‘s 8-2 demolition of the La Liga giants. He was on loan to the Bavarians at the time, and his career continued to plummet after flopping in Spain.

12

Florian Wirtz — Bayer Leverkusen to Liverpool (£110m)

Staying with Liverpool, and the Reds’ transfer chiefs’ wait to splash the Coutinho cash, has left much to be admired. They broke the British transfer record twice in the same summer, and their success in signing Florian Wirtz was heralded as a real statement of intent.

It felt for all the world as if Wirtz would follow the Bundesliga transfer norm and join Bayern Munich, but he opted for Anfield, enticed by the project overseen by Arne Slot. Unlike Isak, the German attacker was directly involved in a transfer tug-of-war, which makes it even more frustrating to see him falter.

Jurgen Klopp has backed his compatriot to come good, but just when you think Wirtz is turning a corner, he puts in a shocker like the one in the 3-0 loss to Manchester City. He’s still very young, so time is on his side, but it’s a worrying start.

11

Antoine Griezmann — Atletico Madrid to Barcelona (£105.6m)

Much has been made of Barcelona’s transfer dealings over the years, and another mind-boggling failed signing was Antoine Griezmann. The French attacker was shining in La Liga when the Catalans agreed on an initial two-year loan with a view to a £105.6m deal with Atletico Madrid.

Messi needed a new partner after Luis Suarez was sent in the opposite direction, but the Argentine failed to click with Griezmann. It seemed as though the pragmatic approach of former manager Diego Simeone had infiltrated the Frenchman’s playing style upon arrival at Camp Nou, unable to get to grips with Barca’s brand of football.

There’s no doubt Griezmann is one of Europe’s most highly-regarded attacking talents, but his spell in Catalonia quickly went up in smoke. The fact that he’s been reborn back at the Wanda Metropolitano speaks volumes about just how much of a bad match he was for the Blaugrana.

10

Joao Felix — Benfica to Atletico Madrid (£112.1m)

Who needed Griezmann when you’ve got Joao Felix? That was Atletico Madrid’s stance when spending a club-record fee on the Portuguese wonderkid in the summer of 2019 at the age of 19.

Felix was Europe’s new megastar, looking destined to step up to the Ballon d’Or podium for years to come. He even made the move at the same time he was awarded the Golden Boy award, which recognises the best young talent in the world.

There were some signs that Felix would come good at the Metropolitano and he had fans on the edge of their seats in the early stages of his spell with Atleti. But Simeone is renowned for his strict approach, and the Portugal international didn’t adapt to the demands of the fiery Argentine tactician, ultimately becoming a disaster who was offloaded to Chelsea for £46.3m in August 2024.

9

Enzo Fernandez — Benfica to Chelsea (£106.5m)

Enzo Fernandez was one of Europe’s most in-demand midfield youngsters, fresh off winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup’s Young Player of the Tournament award. He was linked with nearly every European powerhouse, including Real Madrid, which is why Chelsea swooped in January 2023 to secure his signature.

Benfica were reluctant to let Fernandez go, but once the Blues agreed to pay over £100m on a player they spent £10m on the year before, there was no turning it down. It has been a topsy-turvy time for the 24-year-old at Stamford Bridge, initially part of a team that were bullied by the Premier League and finished mid-table.

But a new era has arrived under Enzo Maresca, and with that, so too has a great improvement in the Argentina international’s game. He has been one of the Italian coach’s standout performers, including this season, most recently a key man in a 3-0 win over Barcelona.

8

Jack Grealish — Aston Villa to Manchester City (£103.4m)

Was Jack Grealish worth the £100m that Manchester City spent on him in August 2021? No, but that’s just the market that clubs are dealing with in this day and age.

To make the former Aston Villa captain the most expensive Englishman of all time was a risk and there are various ways to look at whether it paid off. Pep Guardiola will point to the trophy cabinet and Grealish’s role in the treble triumph in 2023 when he was crucial in the Champions League win.

But the 30-year-old lost his magic, that sense of unpredictability with the ball at his feet and the willingness to beat his man or look for the top corner. Those were the traits that saw him become City’s club record signing and they had fizzled out by the time he headed out on loan to Everton this summer.

7

Ousmane Dembele — Borussia Dortmund to Barcelona (£130.2m)

Had Ousmane Dembele remained fit during his time at Barcelona, he may well be further up this list, but the French winger was mostly sidelined. At such a hefty fee, it falls into the same category of Hazard, but the 28-year-old at least did contribute, especially in the Catalans’ 2022-23 campaign.

Barca will be enraged watching Dembele steal the show at Paris Saint-Germain and become the world-class winger they believed they had signed years ago. Going on to win the Ballon d’Or and the Champions League this year was another kick in the teeth.

6

Neymar — Barcelona to PSG (£195.4m)

Neymar is a divisive figure whose time at Paris Saint-Germain was full of drama on and off the pitch and ended with Parisian Ultras protesting against the Brazilian. The pressure of becoming the poster boy of the PSG project weighed heavily, and he was the easy scapegoat each time the French giants came up short in the Champions League.

But when you become the world’s most expensive player, there is no hiding, not even injury problems, excuse resisting talismanic responsibilities. The Parc des Princes faithful became more used to him picking up a lengthy injury per season than they did watching him lead them to glory.

Neymar agreeing to join PSG and leave Barca may go down as one of football’s worst decisions. He was part of one of the greatest attacking trios while at Camp Nou and looked likely to become a future Ballon d’Or winner until enduring a rollercoaster ride in the French capital.