The Most expensive football transfers of the last decade

The evolution of football from just a sport to a commercial juggernaut has been fascinating and interesting to fans.

Once upon a time, when footballers played the game of soccer, they usually do have a regular day job.

Presently however, footballers are among the richest sportsperson in the world, and a look at how the transfer fees have escalated over the years is amazing.

Even so, four of the ten most expensive signings in the last one decade involved the purchase or sales of English Premier League players.

Spanish La liga clubs have spent the most on top talents, signing six of the top 10 most expensive players of the last decade.

In 2017/18 season, the league secured a record revenue of 4.48 billion pounds.

Here are the shortlist of Players that made it into this list;

10. Cristiano Ronaldo 

The superstar joined Real madrid from Manchester United for the then world-record fee of 80 million pounds in July 2009.

He became a legend at the Bernabeu with over 450 goals scored, alongside winning numerous titles and awards in his glittering career.

In July 2018, he joined Juventus from Real madrid for a fee of 88.3 million pounds at the age of 33 years.

So far in Turin, he has scored 46 goals in 70 games till date and has won a scuddetto title to add to his many laurels.

9. Paul Pogba 

He returned to his boyhood club, after leaving as a free agent in his teenage years.

Manchester United had to coughed out 89.3 million pounds to Juventus in August 2016 to signed Pogba.

The fee paid for him remains the highest fee paid by an English club for a player.

He has 168 appearances with 31 goals so far, and he has won the league cup and the Europa league with the red side of Manchester. 

8. Eden Hazard 

The Belgian playmaker cost more than double of what was paid for the 10th priciest footballer signed between year 2000 and 2009 - Ronaldo Nazario cost 40.5 million pounds then.

Despite having just a year left on his contract, Real Madrid paid a fee of 90 million pounds to Chelsea in 2019 to obtain the service of Hazard.

So far, he has played 21 games with 2 goals and 

2 assists to show for it.

7. Gareth Bale

The Welshman's transfer to the galaticos from Tottenham cost a fee of 90.9 million pounds back in 2014.

In Real Madrid, he has made 245 appearances scoring 104 goals and contributing 67 assists. A league title and 4 champions league titles are the laurels he has won so far with the team.

6. Ousmane Dembele 

He was signed from Borussia Dortmund to replace Neymar in Barcelona for a record fee of 105 million pounds, plus a reported 40 million pounds add- ons on August 25, 2017.

With his buy-out clause set at 400 million pounds.

Despite not shining the light as expected yet, the former Rennes forward has played 81 games for the catalonia side, scoring 20 goals and making 14 assists.

5. Antoine Griezmann 

The 208 World  Cup winner was signed by Barcelona on a fee of 107.6 million pounds from Atletico Madrid in July 2019.

Since joining in the summer, the French jewel has made 26 appearances with 10 goals and 4 assists as his contribution.

4. Joao Felix 

Atletico Madrid 's massive outlay of 126 million pounds in July 2019 for Benfica wizkid Felix is the second most expensive fee paid for a teenager after Mbappe in history.

He is regarded as one of the best talents in world football at the moment but has so far played 13 games and scored just 3 goals.

3. Philippe Coutinho 

The Brazilian playmaker moved from Liverpool to Barcelona for 130.5 million pounds in January 2018.

He played 54 games and scored only 11 goals for the catalans before joining Bayern Munich on a loan deal for 2 years in the summer of 2019.

2. Kylian Mbappe 

He is the most expensive teenager ever after joining Paris Saint-Germain on a loan deal from rival club Monaco in 2017. PSG later paid 165 million pounds to complete the deal.

So far with the Paris based club, the teenage World Cup star has played 114 games and has scored 82 goals.

1. Neymar Jr 

At the moment, he is the most expensive player ever at 199.5 million pounds.

His 2017 transfer from Barcelona to Paris  Saint-Germain cost 236% of Cristiano Ronaldo's Real Madrid fee.

So far, he has been a decent player for the French giants, scoring 55 goals in 63 games.

His career in France though has been marred by controversies and injuries, which might be interpreted by some in certain quarters as being a wrong signing by PSG.

Which players will break the transfer record in the coming years?

Let's have your comments below.

Fabiyi Ridwan

Sports Writer and Analyst

9 Paris Saint Germain Players make the Top 10 of the Highest Paid Players in French Ligue 1

Tobi Adesina

Arab millionaires as most call them have gone a step further in flaunting their spending prowess. Away from acquiring the most expensive player in the world (Neymar Jr.), PSG now boast of 90% top-ten highest paid players in the French Ligue 1; with only Monaco’s Radamel Falcao making the top ten.

The figures below are based on gross weekly earnings for these players;

1.      Neymar Jr.: Who else could sit comfortably at top spot if not the man who shattered the most expensive record previously set by Welshman, Gareth Bale. Neymar moved from Barcelona for a record transfer fee of 200m pounds. He is on a weekly wages of 708k euro, placing him at par with the likes of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

2.      Edinson Cavani: After being unsettled by the arrival of Neymar Jr., Cavani keeps racking up goals while earning 355k euro, a figure that appears to be half his Brazilian colleague.

3.      Kylian Mbappe:  Here comes the man that completes the deadly attacking trio of the “unstoppable” PSG attack. The 18year-old attacker switched from Monaco after an impressive season; earning 346k euro on weekly basis.

4.      Thiago Silva: The rock solid defender earns 300k euro a week. Being the captain of this star-studded team, the Brazilian central defender’s position in this order is justified.

5.      Angel Di Maria: The Argentine earns €258k every week at the capital. Having switched from Manchester United after a rather disappointing season, he currently sits as 5th highest earner in the French league.

6.      Marquinhos: The Brazilian defender ties with Angel Di Maria at 5th position. He also earns €258k per week at the Parc des Princes.

7.      Thiago Motta: The Brazil-born Italian international and a constant selection in the PSG midfield when fit also earns €202k per week.

8.      Javier Pastore: Been devoid of playing time is something no footballer wish for leading up to a world cup year. But Pastore has well adjusted to his place on the sidelines after the arrival of Mbappe and Neymar. The Argentine earns €178k a week.

9.      Radamel Falcao: The only player not plying his trade for the Paris outfit club, Falcao left Manchester united after a rather poor season going by his lofty standards. He currently earns €173k at Monaco and well justifying that figure with over 20goals per season.

10.    Dani Alves: The older the wine –the sweeter. In truth, Alves had his best performance wearing the Barcelona shirt but nothing has changed over the years for the adventurous right-back player. Left Barcelona for Juventus; played a pivotal role to the Scudeto winning side. He currently earns €162k a week at PSG.

PSG announced the capture of Neymar

A new world record fee has been set by PSG as they gave a thrilling announcement on the signing of one of the best player on earth by the name Neymar da Silva Santos Junior. One of the trio of the deadly MSN attack has left Barcelona for a reported €222m to move to Paris and will be wearing the No.10 jersey.

Paris Saint-Germain is very happy to announce the arrival of Neymar Jr to the team. On Thursday the Brazilian striker signed a five-year contract in the presence of the Club’s representatives. Neymar Jr is now committed to the French capital’s club until June 30 2022.

Arriving from FC Barcelona, the former Santos player is widely considered to be an icon in world football – one of the top three players on the planet who has played at the very highest level for the past five years

At 25 years old, he has already been selected for the Brazilian national team 77 times, scoring 52 goals. As captain of the national team, Neymar da Silva Santos Junior has emerged as the leader of a team aiming to win its sixth World Cup in 2018. Wearing the Brazil jersey, Neymar Jr has already carried his country to its first Olympic title at the Rio Games in 2016.

Enjoying immense popularity across the world, Neymar Jr, admired by all for his extraordinary technique and decisive play, has already achieved 15 titles at club level. His arrival into the Paris Saint-Germain family emphasizes more than ever the club’s aims to rise to the top of world football.

"I am extremely happy to join Paris Saint-Germain, said Neymar Jr after signing his contract. Since I arrived in Europe, the club has always been one of the most competitive and most ambitious. And the biggest challenge, what most motivated me to join my new teammates is to help the club to conquer the titles that their fans want. Paris Saint-Germain’s ambition attracted me to the club, along with the passion and the energy this brings. I played 4 seasons in Europe and I feel ready to take the challenge. From today, I will do everything I can to help my new teamates, to open up new horizons for my club and to bring happiness to its millions of supporters around the world."