The following is a list of most expensive association football transfers, which details the highest transfer fees ever paid for players, as well as transfers which set new world transfer records. The first confirmed record transfer was of Willie Groves from West Bromwich Albion to Aston Villa for £100 in 1893[1] (equivalent to £14,000 in 2023). This occurred just eight years after the introduction of professionalism by the Football Association in 1885.[2] The current transfer record was set by the transfer of Neymar from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain for €222 million (£200 million) in August 2017.[3][4]
Highest transfer payments in association football
editMost of the transfers on this list are to clubs under UEFA's jurisdiction, with most of the purchasing clubs being from England, Italy, and Spain.
Romelu Lukaku appears on this list three times for moves to Manchester United, Inter Milan, and Chelsea. Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo and Kai Havertz appear on the list twice. All of the players on the list are of European (UEFA), South American (CONMEBOL) or African (CAF) origin. There are currently no players on the list from the remaining regions; North America (CONCACAF), Asia (AFC) and Oceania (OFC).
- As of 12 August 2024
Fee broke the world football transfer record at the time of the transfer
Fee broke the record for a teenager at the time of the transfer
Fee broke the national league record at the time of the transfer
Fee broke the record for a South American player at the time of the transfer
Fee broke the record for an African player at the time of the transfer
Fee broke the record for a goalkeeper at the time of the transfer
Fee broke the record for a defender at the time of the transfer
Most expensive player by confederation
edit| Confederation | Player | From | To | Position | Fee (€ million) |
Fee (£ million) |
Year | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CONMEBOL | Forward | €222[a] | £200 | 2017 | [3][4] | |||
| UEFA | Forward | €180 | £163 | 2018[ac] | [5] | |||
| CAF | Forward | €80 | £72 | 2019 | [65] | |||
| CONCACAF | Midfielder | €64 | £57.6 | 2019 | [66] | |||
| AFC | Defender | €50[a] | £43 | 2023 | [67] | |||
| OFC | Forward | €29 | £25 | 2022 | [68] |
-
Neymar, the most expensive South American
-
Kylian Mbappé, the most expensive European player
-
Nicolas Pépé, the most expensive African player
-
Christian Pulisic, the most expensive North American player
-
Kim Min-jae, the most expensive Asian player
-
Chris Wood, the most expensive Oceania player
World football transfer record
editThe first player to ever be transferred for a fee of over £100 was Scottish striker Willie Groves when he together with Jack Reynolds (£50) made the switch from West Bromwich Albion to Aston Villa in 1893,[2] eight years after the legalisation of professionalism in the sport. It took just another twelve years for the figure to become £1000, when Sunderland striker Alf Common moved to Middlesbrough.[69][70] It was not until 1928 that the first five-figure transfer took place. David Jack of Bolton Wanderers was the subject of interest from Arsenal, and in order to negotiate the fee down, Arsenal manager Herbert Chapman got the Bolton representatives drunk.[71][72] Subsequently, David Jack was transferred for a world record fee when Arsenal paid £10,890 to Bolton for his services, after Bolton had asked for £13,000, which was double the previous record made when Sunderland signed Burnley's Bob Kelly a fee of for £6,500.[70]
The first player from outside Great Britain to break the record was Bernabé Ferreyra, a player known as La Fiera for his powerful shot. His 1932 transfer from Tigre to River Plate cost £23k,[72] and the record would last for 17 years (the longest the record has lasted) until it was broken by Manchester United's sale of Johnny Morris to Derby County for £24k in March 1949. The record was broken seven further times between 1949 and 1961, when Luis Suárez Miramontes was sold by Barcelona to Inter Milan for £152k, becoming the first ever player sold for more than £100k.[70] In 1968, Pietro Anastasi became the first £500k player when Juventus purchased him from Varese,[72] which was followed seven years later with Giuseppe Savoldi becoming the first million pound player when he transferred from Bologna to Napoli.[70][72]
After Alf Common and David Jack, the third player to twice be transferred for world record fees is Diego Maradona.[70][72] His transfers from Boca Juniors to Barcelona for £3m, and then to Napoli for £5m, both broke the record in 1982 and 1984 respectively. In the space of 61 days in 1992,[72] three transfers broke the record,[70] all by Italian clubs: Jean-Pierre Papin transferred from Marseille to A.C. Milan, becoming the first ever £10m player.[72] Almost immediately, rivals Juventus topped that with the signing of Gianluca Vialli for a fee of £12m from Sampdoria. Milan then completed the signing of Gianluigi Lentini for a fee of £13m which stood as the record for three years.
The 1996 transfer of Alan Shearer from Blackburn Rovers to Newcastle United, for a fee of £15m,[74] kickstarted a year-by-year succession of record breaking transfers: Ronaldo moved the following year to Inter Milan from Barcelona for a fee of £17m,[75] which was followed in 1998 by the shock transfer of his fellow countryman Denílson from São Paulo to Real Betis for a fee of approximately £21m.[70][72][76] In 1999 and 2000, Italian clubs returned to their record-breaking ways, with Christian Vieri transferring from Lazio to Inter Milan for £28m,[77] while Hernán Crespo's transfer from Parma to Lazio ensured he became the first player to cost more than £30m.[70][78] The transfer prompted the BBC to ask "has the world gone mad"?[79] It took two weeks for the record to be broken when Luís Figo made a controversial £37m move from Barcelona to rivals Real Madrid.[70][80] A year later, Real increased the record again with a signing of Zinedine Zidane for £48 million (150 billion lire).[81]
Zidane's record stood for 8 years, the longest since the 1940s. Real Madrid continued with the Galácticos policy by buying Kaká from Milan for €67 million (£56 million),[82] which was the world record in pound sterling. However, both world record in euro and in pound sterling were broken by Real themselves when signing Cristiano Ronaldo for £80m (€94m) from Manchester United in the same transfer window,[70][83] Four years later Real Madrid broke the record again after completed the signing of Gareth Bale from Tottenham Hotspur in 2013. Although Real initially insisted that the transfer cost €91.59 million, slightly less than the Ronaldo fee, the deal was widely reported to be around €100 million (around £85.1 million).[84][85] Documents leaked in 2016 by Football Leaks revealed that instalments brought the final Bale fee up to a total of €100,759,418.[70][86] In 2016, Manchester United eventually took the record away from Real Madrid, signing French midfielder Paul Pogba for €105 million (£89 million),[87] four years after having released him to Juventus for training compensation.
A year after the Pogba transfer, however, there was a major jump in the record fee. Paris Saint-Germain matched the €222 million buyout fee of Barcelona's Neymar, converted to a reported £198 million by different sources,[4] or £200 million[3] more than double the previous record. This was the first time that the record fee was paid by a French club.
Historical progression
editNumber of record players by country
edit| Country | Player records | Record selling | Record buying |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | 20 | 19 | |
| 8 | 14 | 18 | |
| 5 | 3 | 1 | |
| 5 | 1 | 0 | |
| 3 | 1 | 1 | |
| 3 | 2 | 1 | |
| 2 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1 | 5 | 9 | |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 |
Cumulative transfers
edit| Player | Paid Transfers | Fees (£ million) |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | £344.1 | |
| 7 | £291.9 | |
| 4 | £212.5 | |
| 3 | £189.2 | |
| 5 | £162.5 | |
| 4 | £155.0 | |
| 3 | £154.7 | |
| 1 | £154.7 | |
| 4 | £154.0 | |
| 6 | £145.3 |
Managers
editIt has been suggested that this section be split out into another article titled List of most expensive association football managers. (Discuss) (December 2022) |
While players are often purchased for high fees, the fee to release a manager from their contract is a lot less.[112][113][114] Usually described as a "compensation fee", the amount paid to the manager's current club is based around several factors including the total salary for the current length of his contract, as well as potential bonuses and sponsorship deals, and additional fees if the club also need to pay compensation to hire a new manager.[112]
For football managers, the list is as follows:
Women
editThis list only includes transfers where a fee amount is reported publicly. Fees are in thousands.
- As of 4 July 2024
Fee broke the women's world football transfer record at the time of the transfer
| Rank | Player | From | To | Position | Transfer fee | Year | Ref. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ thousand | € thousand | $ thousand | |||||||
| 1 | Forward | £685[ad] | €805[ad] | $862[ad] | 2024 | [155][156] | |||
| 2 | Forward | £582 | €681 | $740 | 2024 | [157] | |||
| 3 | Forward | £426[ae] | €500[ae] | $544 | 2024 | [158] | |||
| 4 | Midfielder | £400[af] | €470[af] | $470[af] | 2022 | [169][170] | |||
| 5 | Defender | £390 | €453 | $485 | 2024 | [171] | |||
| 6 | Midfielder | £384[ag] | €450 | $484 | 2024 | [172] | |||
| 7 | Forward | £339 | €400 | $432 | 2024 | [173] | |||
| Forward | £338 | €400 | $429 | 2024 | [174] | ||||
| 9 | Midfielder | £300+[ah] | €350+ | $382+ | 2023 | [175][176] | |||
| 10 | Midfielder | £301[ai] | €350[ai] | $373 | 2023 | [177] | |||
Gallery
edit-
Kepa Arrizabalaga, the most expensive goalkeeper
-
Joško Gvardiol, the most expensive defender
-
Philippe Coutinho, the most expensive midfielder
-
-
Kylian Mbappé, the most expensive teenager and the most expensive player in a domestic transfer
-
Racheal Kundananji, the most expensive women's footballer
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ a b c d e f g The purchasing club carried out this transfer paying the player's buyout clause against the will of the origin club.
- ^ On loan since 2017, permanent move in July 2018
- ^ Initial £105 million plus reported £37 million bonuses
- ^ Initial £100 million plus reported £5 million bonuses
- ^ Initial £100 million plus reported £15 million bonuses
- ^ Initial €105 million plus reported €40 million bonuses
- ^ Fee was to be paid over time with an initial €105 million, plus another €5 million in additional bonuses; Pogba's agent Mino Raiola also received a reported €27 million from Juventus, from a portion of aforementioned transfer fee from Manchester United.
- ^ Initial €103 million plus reported €30.9 million bonuses
- ^ Initial £89 million plus reported £60 million bonuses
- ^ Initial €100 million plus reported €10 million bonuses
- ^ Initial €95 million plus reported €5 million bonuses
- ^ Fee was to be paid over time with an initial £75 million, plus another £15 million in additional bonuses.
- ^ The deal includes £5 million in add-ons.
- ^ Initial €80 million plus reported €20 million bonuses
- ^ Initial £64 million plus reported £21 million bonuses
- ^ Fee originally in 150 billion lire; the fixed exchange rate between euro and lire was 1:1936.27
- ^ Initial €75 million, payable in 5 financial years, plus additional €10.5 million broker fee
- ^ Initial €75 million plus reported €11 million bonuses
- ^ Initial €75 million plus reported €20 million bonuses
- ^ Initial €75 million plus reported €15–20 million bonuses
- ^ Initial €75 million plus reported €10 million bonuses
- ^ Initial €72 million plus reported €10 million bonuses. Swap deal, Barcelona received Miralem Pjanić (valued at €60 million) and €12 million.
- ^ Initial €70 million plus reported €5 million bonuses
- ^ Initial €70 million plus reported €5 million bonuses
- ^ Initial fee of £62 million with additional fees of £27 million.
- ^ Initial €70 million plus reported €11 million bonuses
- ^ Initial €70 million plus reported €10 million bonuses
- ^ Initial fee of €70 million with reported performance related bonuses of €10 million.
- ^ On loan in 2017, permanent move in July 2018
- ^ a b c €700,000 release clause, €35,000 (5%) training fee applicable, and $75,000 (€70,000) additional variables.
- ^ a b €450,000 fixed and €50,000 variables that Levante expected to be met: one clause was that Ramírez must appear in 30% of games over her four-and-a-half year contract.[158] The potential total was reported in The Athletic to be equivalent to £460,000,[159] while it was described in Press Association reports as £384,000 and £42,000 in add-ons (£426,000).[160] The fee was considered to be meeting Ramírez' release clause; Spanish media reported prior to the signing that it was expected to be slightly below or equal to the previous record,[161] with English media focusing on how it exceeded the previous record purchase by Chelsea (a former world record)[162][163] and would be a British record.[164] Levante announced details of the fee at the same time as the transfer.[158]
- ^ a b c Including bonuses up to €70,000 / £61,000. Initial fee of €400,000 / £348,000 would be a record in itself.[165] Forbes reported a fee of €500,000,[166] also describing Walsh as women's football's "first $500,000 player".[167] The approximately £400,000 figure is most consistently reported and accepted.[168][165]
- ^ Fee was player's release clause; it was triggered in February 2024 for Oberdorf to transfer at the end of the season (June 2024).
- ^ Reported to be a club signing fee for Manchester City, and by Sky Sports to be a British record fee, it was announced as "in excess of £300,000".
- ^ a b €250,000 fee and €100,000 variables.
References
edit- ^ Barclay, Patrick (2014). The Life and Times of Herbert Chapman. Hachette. p. 60. ISBN 978-0-297-86851-4. Archived from the original on 18 October 2020. Retrieved 24 June 2020.
- ^ a b c Glendenning, Barry; Murray, Scott; Bagchi, Rob; Steinberg, Jacob (30 August 2013). "The Joy of Six: record transfers". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2 August 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
- ^ a b c d e "Neymar: Paris St-Germain sign Barcelona forward for world record 222m euros". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
- ^ a b c d e Lowe, Sid; Laurens, Julien; Hunter, Andy (2 August 2017). "Neymar set to seal world-record move to PSG worth £450m in fees and wages". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 3 August 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
- ^ a b "PSG trigger Mbappe's permanent transfer". ESPN. 19 February 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
- ^ "Philippe Coutinho: Liverpool agree £142m deal with Barcelona for Brazil midfielder". BBC Sport. 6 January 2018. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
- ^ "Atlético Madrid sign Benfica teenager João Felix for fee of €126m". The Guardian. 3 July 2019. Archived from the original on 11 September 2019. Retrieved 4 July 2019.
- ^ "Enzo Fernandez: Chelsea sign midfielder in £106.8m British-record transfer deal from Benfica". Sky Sports. 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ "Antoine Griezmann: Barcelona sign Atletico Madrid forward". BBC Sport. 12 July 2019. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
- ^ "Jack Grealish: Man City sign England midfielder from Aston Villa for £100m". BBC Sport. 5 August 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- ^ "Declan Rice: Arsenal sign England midfielder from West Ham for £105m". BBC Sport. 15 July 2023. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
- ^ "Moises Caicedo transfer news: Chelsea sign Brighton midfielder for £100m". BBC Sport. 14 August 2023. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
- ^ Romano, Fabrizio (12 August 2021). "Chelsea confirm Romelu Lukaku signing from Inter in €115m deal". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
- ^ "Ousmane Dembele: Barcelona close to signing Borussia Dortmund forward". BBC Sport. 25 August 2017. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
- ^ "Official: Pogba signs for Man Utd for €105m". Football Italia. 8 August 2016. Archived from the original on 20 August 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
- ^ "Paul Pogba: Manchester United re-sign France midfielder for world-record £89m". BBC Sport. 8 August 2016. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
- ^ "Jude Bellingham: Real Madrid complete signing of England midfielder on six-year deal". BBC Sport. 14 June 2023. Retrieved 14 June 2023.
- ^ "Eden Hazard: Real Madrid sign Chelsea forward for fee that could exceed £150m". BBC Sport. 7 June 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
- ^ Romano, Fabrizio (10 July 2018). "Cristiano Ronaldo joining Juventus in €100m deal from Real Madrid". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
- ^ "Harry Kane transfer news: Bayern Munich agree deal in principle with Tottenham for striker". BBC Sport. 10 August 2023. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
- ^ "Harry Kane confirms Tottenham exit before Bayern Munich move". BBC Sport. 12 August 2023. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
- ^ "Spurs accept £85m Bale bid". BBC Sport. 1 August 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
- ^ "'An incredible moment': Antony seals €100m Manchester United move". The Guardian. 1 September 2022. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
- ^ "Man Utd accept £80m Ronaldo bid". BBC Sport. 11 June 2009. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
- ^ "Ronaldo agrees six-year Real deal". BBC Sport. 26 June 2009. Retrieved 27 June 2009.
- ^ "Man City sign Croatia defender Gvardiol for £77m". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
- ^ "Neymar agrees deal to join Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal". ESPN UK. 14 August 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
- ^ Gladwell, Ben (26 July 2016). "Juventus complete Gonzalo Higuain signing from Napoli in €90 million deal". ESPN. Archived from the original on 28 July 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
- ^ "Harry Maguire: Man Utd sign Leicester defender for world record £80m". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
- ^ "Romelu Lukaku: Man Utd sign Everton striker for initial £75m on five year deal". BBC Sport. 10 July 2017. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
- ^ "Jadon Sancho: Manchester United sign England winger from Borussia Dortmund for £73m". Sky Sports. 23 July 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
- ^ "Virgil van Dijk: Liverpool to sign Southampton defender for world record £75m". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
- ^ "Kai Havertz: Chelsea sign Bayer Leverkusen midfielder for £71m". BBC Sport. 4 September 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
- ^ Whaling, James (28 March 2016). "Luis Suarez's Barcelona transfer fee "revealed as £65m" – £10m LESS than his Liverpool release clause". Mirror. Archived from the original on 28 March 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
- ^ Webb, Charlie (31 August 2022). "Wesley Fofana: Chelsea complete signing of Leicester's French defender in £75m deal". Sky Sports. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
- ^ "Lukaku: Inter Milan sign Belgium striker from Manchester United for £74m". BBC Sport. 8 August 2019. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
- ^ "Nicolas Pepe: Arsenal sign Lille winger for club record fee". BBC Sport. 1 August 2019. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
- ^ Hincks, Michael (9 August 2018). "Chelsea seal £71.6m Kepa Arrizabalaga signing from Athletic Bilbao". Sky Sports. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
- ^ Ornstein, David (11 June 2022). "Real Madrid announce €100m Aurelien Tchouameni signing". The Athletic. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
- ^ Aarons, Ed (27 March 2019). "Bayern Munich confirm £68m signing of Lucas Hernandez from Atlético Madrid". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 31 July 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
- ^ "Liverpool confirm Darwin Núñez signing in £85m deal from Benfica". The Guardian. 14 June 2022. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
- ^ Fifield, Dominic (10 July 2001). "Real hail £46m Zidane". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
- ^ "Zidane makes record Real switch". BBC Sport. 9 July 2001. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
- ^ Jackson, Jamie (26 August 2014). "Ángel di María completes record £59.7m move to Manchester United". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
- ^ "Arsenal complete £65m Havertz signing from Chelsea". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
- ^ "Matthijs de Ligt: Juventus sign defender from Ajax in a £67.5m deal". BBC Sport. 18 August 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
- ^ "Frenkie de Jong to join Barcelona in €75m summer transfer from Ajax". The Guardian. 23 January 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
- ^ "Atletico agree £81.5m deal for Man City's Alvarez". BBC Sport. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
- ^ "Randal Kolo Muani: PSG sign striker from Eintracht Frankfurt". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
- ^ "Kolo Muani verlässt Eintracht Frankfurt" (in German). Eintracht Frankfurt. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
- ^ Whitwell, Laurie. "Manchester United confirm Hojlund transfer". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
- ^ "James Rodríguez signs for Real Madrid for a reported £63m". The Guardian. 22 July 2014. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 22 July 2014.
- ^ "Kevin de Bruyne: Manchester City sign Wolfsburg midfielder". BBC Sport. 30 August 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
- ^ "Barcelona exchange Arthur for Miralem Pjanic in deal with Juventus". The Guardian. 29 June 2020. Archived from the original on 29 June 2020. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
- ^ "Napoli sign Nigeria forward Osimhen from Lille". ESPN. 31 July 2020. Archived from the original on 3 August 2020. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- ^ "Rodri: Manchester City pay £62.8m release clause for Atletico Madrid's Spain midfielder". BBC Sport. 3 July 2019. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
- ^ "Thomas Lemar: Atletico Madrid newcomer 'very happy' to complete move". BBC Sport. 30 July 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2018.
- ^ "Newcastle smash transfer record for €70m Isak". ESPN.com. 26 August 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
- ^ "Liverpool sign Roma goalkeeper Alisson for world-record £66.9m fee". The Guardian. 18 July 2018. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
- ^ "Mykhailo Mudryk: Chelsea sign Shakhtar Donetsk forward in £89m deal". BBC Sport. 15 January 2023. Retrieved 15 January 2023.
- ^ "Man Utd confirm deal to sign Madrid's Casemiro". ESPN.com. 19 August 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
- ^ "Dominik Szoboszlai: Liverpool sign RB Leipzig midfielder for £60m". BBC Sport. 2 July 2023. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
- ^ "Newcastle sign Sandro Tonali from AC Milan on five-year deal". ESPN. 3 July 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
- ^ "Juventus confirm £66.6m Vlahovic signing". Sky Sports. 28 January 2022. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
- ^ "Nicolas Pepe completes move to Arsenal from Lille for club-record £72m". Sky Sports. 2 August 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
- ^ Marsden, Rory (2 January 2019). "Chelsea Sign Christian Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund for €64M". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
- ^ "Kim Min-jae: Bayern sign South Korean defender from Napoli". BBC Sport. 18 July 2023. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
- ^ "Newcastle transfer news: Chris Wood signs from Burnley in £25m deal to become second January arrival". Sky Sports. 13 January 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2023.
- ^ Proud, Keith (18 August 2008). "The player with the Common touch". The Northern Echo. Archived from the original on 30 September 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "World record football transfer fees". BBC Sport. 1 September 2013. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
- ^ "Arsenal honour Thierry Henry, Tony Adams & Herbert Chapman". BBC Sport. 7 December 2011. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Flanagan, Chris (4 September 2013). "How 13 other world record transfers panned out". Four Four Two. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
- ^ Smyth, Rob (17 September 2016). "Ronaldo at 40: Il Fenomeno's legacy as greatest ever No9, despite dodgy knees". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 7 September 2018. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
- ^ Turnbull, Simon; Nixon, Alan (30 July 1996). "Shearer goes home for pounds 15m". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
- ^ "Ronaldo signs up for Inter". The Independent. London. 21 June 1997. Archived from the original on 25 January 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
- ^ Longmore, Andrew (7 June 1998). "Denilson The Menacing". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 25 January 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
- ^ Whyte, Derrick (9 June 1999). "Inter's pounds 28m swap deal for Lazio's Vieri". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 25 January 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
- ^ Agnew, Paddy (12 July 2000). "Crespo to join Lazio in record £36m transfer". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 12 January 2014. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
- ^ "When transfers go mad". BBC Sport. 12 July 2000. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
- ^ "Figo's the Real deal". BBC Sport. 24 July 2000. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
- ^ Ley, John (9 July 2001). "Zidane in £48m Real deal". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 18 October 2020. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
- ^ Wilson, Jeremy (7 June 2009). "Real Madrid to confirm world record £56m signing of Kaka". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
- ^ "Ronaldo completes record Madrid switch". UEFA. 26 June 2009. Archived from the original on 14 September 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
- ^ "Just how much did Bale's transfer to Real Madrid cost?". ITV. 21 January 2016. Archived from the original on 4 August 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
- ^ Conn, David (31 August 2013). "Why Real Madrid think that even €100m for Gareth Bale is not silly money". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 4 August 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
- ^ Percy, John (29 January 2016). "Gareth Bale contract leak sparks panic at Real Madrid". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 August 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
- ^ "Paul Pogba: Manchester United re-sign France midfielder for world-record £89m". BBC Sport. 4 August 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
- ^ "Football player's transfer. Extraordinary terms". Staffordshire Sentinel. 30 June 1896. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
The Aston Villa had decided to give them £100 cash down and to play Small Heath a match on September 1st, probably at Perry Barr. They had guaranteed no less a sum that £250 from this, and Small Heath were also to have half any amount taken in excess of the guarantee. This would mean a gain to Small Heath of about £500. Wheldon was having £150 a year, and he (the chairman) understood his wages with Aston Villa would be considerably in advance of that amount.
- ^ "Daily Express". Record Transfer Fee. 17 October 1903.
- ^ Simkin, John (September 1997). "Alf Common". Spartacus Educational. Archived from the original on 8 October 2018. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
- ^ Jo Bath, Richard F Stevenson. (2013). "The Newcastle Book of Days". p. 31. The History Press
- ^ Taylor, Matthew (2005). The Leaguers: The Making of Professional Football in England, 1900–1939. Liverpool University Press. p. 42. ISBN 978-0-85323-639-9. Archived from the original on 18 October 2020. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
- ^ "A£2,000 Transfer". Derby Daily Telegraph. British Newspaper Archive. 6 January 1913. Archived from the original on 11 December 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
- ^ "Important transfer". Manchester Courier and Lancashire General Advertiser. British Newspaper Archive. 14 March 1913. Archived from the original on 11 December 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
- ^ Mortimer, Gavin (2012). A History of Football in 100 Objects. Profile Books. ISBN 978-1-84765-905-7. Archived from the original on 18 October 2020. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
- ^ Where Are They Now – David Jack. 22 September 2014. Archived from the original on 18 August 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
- ^ Charlie Buchan (2011). Charles Buchan: A Lifetime in Football. Random House. ISBN 978-1-84596-927-1. Archived from the original on 18 October 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
- ^ Ferguson, Ed (13 December 2016). "When Falkirk broke the world transfer record". Archived from the original on 2 October 2017. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
- ^ "Warney Cresswell". England Football Online. Archived from the original on 2 October 2017. Retrieved 1 October 2017.
- ^ a b c d e Barnes, Stuart (2007). News of the World Football Annual 2007/2008. Invincible Press. ISBN 978-0-00-725555-9.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t "The History of the World Transfer Record". BBC News. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
- ^ "Factbox – Evolution of world record transfer deals since 1893" Archived 28 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Reuters. Retrieved 2 May 2014
- ^ Hughes, Rob (30 July 1996). "Newcastle United Pays Record $23 Million for Sheare". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 3 June 2009.
- ^ "Brazilian Denilson on Bolton trial". The Independent. 6 January 2009. Archived from the original on 25 July 2020. Retrieved 3 June 2009.
- ^ Ash, Russell (2004). Top Ten of Everything 2005. Dorling Kindersley. p. 225.
- ^ a b c d "Real tipped to land Kaka for £56m". BBC Sport. 3 June 2009. Retrieved 3 June 2009.
- ^ "Kaka completes Real Madrid switch". 9 June 2009. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
- ^ "Ronaldo agrees six-year Real deal". BBC Sport. 26 June 2009. Retrieved 26 June 2009.
- ^ "Gareth Bale joins Real Madrid from Spurs in £85m world record deal". BBC Sport. 1 September 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
- ^ "United Sign Pogba". Official Manchester United Website. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
- ^ "The 10 most expensive players ever ranked by total transfer fees as £291m man could move again". GiveMeSport. 5 July 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
- ^ a b Brophy, Joe (30 March 2022). "MoneY's Worth: What is a transfer compensation fee, how is it worked out and what are the most expensive fees paid for a manager?". Talksport. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
- ^ "The 6 biggest fees paid for a manager: Potter 2nd, Mourinho 6th". Planet Football. 9 September 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
- ^ Walsh, Sean (8 September 2022). "The most expensive fees paid for football managers". 90min.com. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
- ^ Falk, Christian (27 April 2021). "Julian Nagelsmann leaving RB Leipzig to become Bayern Munich manager". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
- ^ Zeigler, Martyn; Toddy, Tom; Jacob, Gary; Lawton, Matt (9 September 2022). "Graham Potter: Chelsea paid record £22m fee to prise head coach from Brighton". The Times. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
The compensation cost to Chelsea is understood to be £20 million for their new head coach Potter and a further £2 million for the five-strong backroom team that have gone with him.
- ^ Wallace, Sam; Fleming, Mark (22 June 2011). "Chelsea close on Villas-Boas after paying Porto £13m". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 28 July 2014. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
- ^ Doyle, Paul (22 June 2011). "Chelsea appoint former Porto coach André Villas-Boas on three-year deal". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 11 December 2014. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
- ^ "Vincent Kompany: Bayern Munich appoint Burnley boss as new head coach to replace Thomas Tuchel". Sky Sports. 29 May 2024. Archived from the original on 29 May 2024. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- ^ Scrafton, Matt (29 May 2024). "Burnley boss Vincent Kompany lands in Munich ahead of unveiling as new Bayern manager". Burnley Express. Archived from the original on 29 May 2024. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
- ^ "Full amount of compensation revealed for Leicester to take Brendan Rodgers from Celtic". ESPN. 14 March 2019. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
- ^ "Sporting confirma Rúben Amorim na CMVM" [Sporting confirms Rúben Amorim on CMVM]. zerozero (in Portuguese). 5 March 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
- ^ "Real Madrid to unveil José Mourinho as coach on Monday". The Guardian. London. 28 May 2010. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
- ^ Uersfeld, Stephan (13 April 2021). "Gladbach appoint Eintracht Frankfurt's Adi Hutter as coach for 2021-22 season". ESPN. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
- ^ Romano, Fabrizio; Fisher, Ben (24 October 2022). "Aston Villa confirm Unai Emery as manager after paying €6m clause". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
- ^ "Mark Hughes appointed Man City boss". The Independent. London. 4 June 2008. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 18 July 2013.
- ^ Herbert, Ian (1 June 2012). "Liverpool swiftly settle £5m Rodgers compensation". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
- ^ "Everton land Ronald Koeman after £5m fee is agreed with Southampton". The Guardian. London. 7 June 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
- ^ Lovett, Samuel (16 June 2019). "Maurizio Sarri: Italian leaves Chelsea to join Juventus as new manager". The Independent. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
- ^ a b "Steven Gerrard: Aston Villa name Rangers boss as new manager". BBC Sport. 11 November 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ "Marco Rose: Borussia Monchengladbach head coach to join Borussia Dortmund at end of season". Sky Sports. 15 February 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
- ^ Richards, Alex (6 June 2017). "Ajax coach Peter Bosz joins Borussia Dortmund as German side pay £4.3million to replace Thomas Tuchel". The Mirror. London. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
- ^ "Zum Sommer 2019, Trainer Nagelsmann verlässt Hoffenheim - und geht zu Leipzig" [In summer 2019, coach Nagelsmann leaves Hoffenheim - and goes to Leipzig]. Der Spiegel (in German). Hamburg. 21 June 2018. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
- ^ Mitchell, Louis (22 February 2019). "Everton and Watford agree compensation in the region of £4m to end Marco Silva row". The Independent. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
- ^ Burt, Jason (3 January 2015). "Alan Pardew confirmed as Crystal Palace manager after Newcastle receive £3.5m compensation". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 4 January 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
- ^ "Real appoint Pellegrini as coach". BBC Sport. 14 June 2009. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
- ^ Fifield, Dominic (25 June 2013). "Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid move sparks Premier League domino effect". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
- ^ "The story behind Christophe Galtier's turbulent Lille departure". Get Football News France. 14 August 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
- ^ "Bruce leaves Birmingham for Wigan". BBC Sport. 18 November 2007. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
- ^ "Bruce leaves Birmingham for Wigan". BBC Sport. 3 June 2009. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
- ^ Uersfeld, Stephan (22 May 2018). "Borussia Dortmund appoint Lucien Favre as new manager on two-year deal". ESPN. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
- ^ "Monaco set to appoint Jardim as new coach". Four Four Two. 5 June 2014. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
- ^ White, Duncan; Gilmour, Rod (26 October 2008). "Harry Redknapp appointed Tottenham manager as Juande Ramos sacked". The Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 13 March 2011. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
- ^ "Wigan finally land boss Martinez". BBC Sport. 15 June 2009. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
- ^ "Mowbray confirmed as Celtic boss". BBC Sport. 16 June 2009. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
- ^ Erskine, Carole (30 June 2010). "Roy Hodgson 'Confirmed As New Liverpool Boss'". Sky. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
- ^ "Villa agree compensation". Sky Sports. 17 June 2011. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
- ^ Hunter, Andy (3 June 2013). "Roberto Martínez to take over as Everton manager after release agreed". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
- ^ "Gary Rowett: Stoke City name Derby County boss as their new manager". BBC Sport. 22 May 2018. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
- ^ James, Stuart (18 May 2019). "Graham Potter to leave Swansea for Brighton manager's job". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
- ^ "Niko Kovac: Bayern Munich announce Croat will replace Jupp Heynckes". BBC Sport. 13 April 2018. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
- ^ "Chelsea appoint Mourinho". BBC Sport. 2 June 2004. Retrieved 19 July 2013.
- ^ "Reports: Fonseca set for Roma". Football Italia. 11 June 2019. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
- ^ Thomas, Lyall; Dorsett, Rob (18 September 2021). "Steve Cooper: Nottingham Forest set to appoint ex-Swansea boss after £1.2m compensation agreed". Sky Sports. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
- ^ Kassouf, Jeff (13 February 2024). "'I'm expecting to overcome challenges': Racheal Kundananji on her world-record move to Bay FC – Equalizer Soccer". Retrieved 13 February 2024.
- ^ Griñán, Marta (13 February 2024). "¡Pelotazo del Madrid CFF con Kundananji, rumbo a EE UU!". Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 February 2024.
- ^ Kassouf, Jeff (5 March 2024). "Source: Orlando Pride acquire Barbra Banda for $740,000 fee, second largest in world history – Equalizer Soccer". Retrieved 6 March 2024.
- ^ a b c "Traspaso de Mayra Ramírez del Levante UD Femenino al Chelsea". www.levanteud.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ Harpur, Charlotte. "Chelsea confirm signing of Colombia international Ramirez". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ "Chelsea Women sign Colombia's Mayra Ramírez for British record £384,000". The Guardian. PA Media. 26 January 2024. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
- ^ "¡Bombazo Mayra! El Chelsea paga una cifra récord y le pone un contratazo de cuatro años". Relevo (in Spanish). 25 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ "Mayra Ramirez: Chelsea set to sign Levante striker for club-record fee after Sam Kerr's ACL injury". Sky Sports. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ "Chelsea sign striker Ramirez for club record fee". BBC Sport. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ "Mayra Ramirez: Chelsea sign Levante striker for British record fee". Sky Sports. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ a b Sanders, Emma; Garry, Tom (10 September 2022). "Tom Garry on Twitter "Fully concur with this, the deal overall is 'just over £400k', as we've consistently written, (€470k = £406k) and yes that includes add-ons, as is normal"". Twitter.
- ^ Burhan, Asif. "FC Barcelona Femení To Promote Positive Female Body Image In Partnership With Bimbo". Forbes. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
- ^ Burhan, Asif. "2022: The Year That Changed Women's Soccer In Europe". Forbes. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
- ^ "Walsh completes record move to Barca from Man City". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
- ^ Hudson, Molly. "Barcelona agree world-record fee for Manchester City's Keira Walsh". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
- ^ Ballus, Pol. "World-record signing Keira Walsh's Barcelona debut: Playing deep and stepping up". The Athletic. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
- ^ "Defender Is Sold by Corinthians for a Record Amount in Brazil". Folha de S.Paulo. 23 April 2024. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
- ^ "Bayern sign Wolfsburg midfielder Oberdorf". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
- ^ "Kika Nazareth ya es jugadora del Barça a todos los efectos". Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 4 July 2024. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
- ^ Palet, Anna (17 June 2024). "Els clubs han arribat a un acord de traspàs per menys de 400.000€, per tant, no serà el fitxatge més car de la secció". X (Twitter) (in Catalan). Què T'hi Jugues.
- ^ "Jill Roord: Manchester City complete British record signing of ex-Arsenal midfielder from Wolfsburg". Sky Sports. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
- ^ "Man City sign midfielder Roord for club record fee". BBC Sport. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
- ^ "Avslöjar: Rekordövergången större än väntat". www.aftonbladet.se (in Swedish). 15 September 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2023.