Despite the dawning of the era of Financial Fair Play, clubs are still splashing big money on players.
Several of the biggest fees ever paid have come in the last year and the last couple of weeks alone have already seen two huge deals involving Luis Suarez and James Rodriguez, worth a combined £138m.
With more massive fees set to follow in the coming years, here’s a look at the 11 most expensive transfers in football history.
1. Gareth Bale – £86m
Gareth Bale’s move from Tottenham to Real Madrid last summer is widely believed to be the most expensive of all time at around £86m. The Welshman had had an outstanding campaign with Spurs in 2012/13, prompting the Spanish giants to make his dreams come true.
Bale ended his first season in Spain as a Champions League winner,even scoring what proved to be the winning goal in the final.
2. Cristiano Ronaldo – £80m
Just weeks after Real Madrid made Kaka the most expensive player in the world, Los Blancos smashed the record again with the £80m signing of Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United. The move was a dream come true for the player, finally bringing to an end a transfer saga that had been rumbling more than 12 months.
In the years since, Ronaldo has firmly cemented his status as one of the true all time greats, with a staggering return of 252 goals in 246 appearances for the club.
3. Luis Suarez – £75m
Biting aside, Luis Suarez has shown that he is one of the very best players in the world over the last 12 months, with Barcelona paying a whopping £75m to take him to Spain this summer.
Last season, the 27-year-old outstanding performance at Liverpool almost won the Premier League for the Merseside. He will join an already formidable forward line at Barcelona. The only problem is he’s suspended until the end of October.
4. James Rodriguez – £63m
The latest addition to the list of the world’s most expensive players, James Rodriguez completed his out stunning £63m move from Monaco to Real Madrid. The 23-year-old Colombian lit up the World Cup with his Golden Boot winning performance and fans in the Spanish capital will be hoping he can do the same in the famous white shirt in the coming weeks and months.
5. Zlatan Ibrahimovic – £59m
One of the most colourful characters of the modern era, Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s £59m transfer to Barcelona in 2009 also included Samuel Eto’o, a world-class striker in his own right, who went to Inter Milan in a part exchange.
Though the player kept up his incredible run of consecutive league titles dating back to 2004 across several clubs and countries, he didn’t fit in with the Barcelona style and was loaned to AC Milan after just one season, making the move permanent the following summer.
6. Kaka – £56m
In the summer of 2009, Real Madrid broke their own seven-year-old world record to buy Kaka from AC Milan for £56m. The Brazilian had been awarded the Ballon d’Or in 2007 and was widely regarded as among the very best players in the world.
But things didn’t work out as well as player or club might have hoped and after suffering with injuries, he left Real to return to Milan on a free transfer in 2013.
7. Edinson Cavani – £55m
Another big mover last summer was Edinson Cavani, who joined PSG from Napoli for £55m. The Uruguayan striker had been prolific in Serie A and he marked his debut season in France with 25 goals in all competitions and a Ligue 1 winners’ medal.
However, he was frustrated at often being played out of position and could be on the move again in the not too distant future.
8. Radamel Falcao – £51m
Last summer most people expected Radamel Falcao to leave Atletico Madrid in a big money move, but few could have predicted it would be a £51m transfer to Monaco, backed by billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev.
The club were newly promoted back to the French top flight and ended the season second in Ligue 1, as well as securing a return to the Champions League. However, Falcao’s involvement ended prematurely after suffering a knee injury in January.
9. Fernando Torres – £50m
In January 2011, on what was arguably the most extraordinary day in the history English football, Fernando Torres left Liverpool for Chelsea for a British record fee of £50m.
However things have never quite worked out for the Spanish striker, whose form in front of goal has been miserable to say the least. In three-and-a-half seasons in west London he has scored just 20 Premier League goals, four fewer than in his debut campaign at Liverpool.
10. David Luiz – £50m
Shortly before the World Cup this summer it was announced that Paris Saint-Germain had agreed a staggering £50m deal with Chelsea over the transfer of David Luiz. The figure smashed the previous world record fee for a defender by some £15m and Luiz will join up with the French champions shortly.
But PSG will certainly be hoping he doesn’t continue his dreadful showings from the latter stages of the World Cup when he finally does arrive.
11. Neymar – £49m
Brazil’s biggest star since Pele, Neymar traded in Santos in his homeland for Europe last summer, with Barcelona paying £49m for the privilege. However, the transfer was rife with controversy and Barcelona president Sandro Rosell resigned a few months later after an investigation regarding the misappropriation of funds from the deal was launched.
On the pitch, the young forward endured a mixed season as he adapted to his new club, scoring a total of 15 goals in 41 appearances in all competitions.
