Football transfers have over the years grabbed the attention of clubs, fans and commenters through the transfers of some of the greatest names in football and the huge sums of money involved.
TeamKenya.co.ke has complied a list of some of the most expensive football transfers of all time.
Neymar
The most expensive football player in history is Neymar. The Brazilian left Barcelona for PSG in a transfer worth Ksh28.26B (€222M).
Neymar's transfer was the first time a French club had claimed the world record in football transfers.
Kylian Mbappe
Mbappe transferred from Monaco to PSG in 2017 at the same time as Neymar.
Mbappe’s transfer was worth Ksh18.4B (€145M) making his the second-highest transfer fee of all time.
Joao Felix
Felix left Benfica for Atletico Madrid for a record transfer of Ksh16B (€126M) in 2019.
Following the departure of Antoine Griezmann, Felix received the No.8 shirt upon his arrival the club. Felix won the Golden Boy Award in the same year
Philippe Coutinho
In 2018, Coutinho transferred from Liverpool to Barcelona in a transfer worth Ksh15.2B (€120M). Coutinho plays as an attacking midfielder for both Barcelona and Brazil.
Antoine Griezmann
Griezmann joined Barcelona after transferring from Atletico Madrid at Ksh15.2B (€120M) in 2019.
Griezmann made his international debut in 2014 when he played in the FIFA World Cup.
Jack Grealish
Grealish moved from Aston Villa to Manchester City in 2021 in a transfer worth Ksh14.8B (€117M). The transfer made Grealish the most expensive English footballer.
Romelu Lukaku
Lukaku joined Chelsea in 2021 after a Ksh14.6B (€115M) transfer deal from Manchester United.
Lukaku is one of the few players that have scored over 50 Premier League goals before turning 23 years old. He also holds the record of the all-time record of 31 goals scored for the Belgian national team.
Ousmane Dembele
Dembele grabbed the football world’s attention in 2017. This resulted to a lot of transfer offers and rumours. In the same year, he moved to Barcelona from Borussia Dortmund in a transfer worth Ksh13.3B (€105M).
The French football player featured in all three of France's group stage games at the 2018 World Cup in Russia and then in the quarter-final win over Uruguay.
Paul Pogba
Pogba was previously held as the most expensive transfer when he joined Manchester United after transferring from Juventus. His transfer was worth Ksh13.3B (€105M).
Gareth Bale
At one point, Bale held the most expensive transfer title before losing it to Pogba. Bale moved from Tottenham to Real Madrid in a transfer worth Ksh12.7B (€100.8M) in 2013.
Bale’s transfer pushed Cristiano Ronaldo from the top spot of the most expensive transfers. Ronaldo's move to Madrid from Man U was a record transfer of Ksh11.9B (€94M).
Since the turn of the century, Kaka (2009), Zinedine Zidane (2001), Luis Figo (2000), and Hernan Crespo (2000) have all held the world record transfers.