Top 15 Highest Cumulative Transfer Fees

August 11, 2016

Take a look at the list of the top 15 highest cumulative transfer fees in the history of football.

Paul Pogba is the world’s most expensive player after Manchester United agreed to pay Juventus £89 million (€105 million) for his services, however when it comes to the highest cumulative transfer fees, he’s nowhere near the top of the list. Many other players have changed clubs for massive fees which have contributed to their high overall transfer value. (We used Transfermarkt as the main source for info regarding transfer fees.)

Check out our top 15 highest cumulative transfer fees below! You might even find some surprise inclusions.

15) Ronaldo Luis Nazario de Lima – €100.98 million (£85.83m)

(Image credit: All Soccer Planet)

Il Fenomeno needs no introduction, but with a total value of transfers amounting to just over €100 million, he’s the last player on our highest cumulative transfer fees list. (But just to appease all you Ronaldo fans, we’ll rank him among the very top players on any future lists that we have.)

Ronaldo started out his career with Cruzeiro in 1993 and went on to bag 44 goals in two seasons while still a teenager. His talents in front of goal caught the eye of Dutch side PSV (€5.48 million), for which he scored 35 goals in 36 appearances in his debut season in Europe. The following season was less fruitful for the Brazilian striker, but it still earned him a world-record move to Catalan giants Barcelona (€15 million) in the summer of 1996.

Ronaldo spent a sole season with the Blaugrana side after they refused to hand him a new, improved contract, despite him finding the back of the net on 47 occasions in 49 appearances. Inter decided to break the bank with a world-record fee of €28 million to seal Ronaldo’s signature that summer. His transfer instantly reaped benefits for the Nerazzurri as he was on target 34 times in 47 outings in his first season in Italy.

After recovering from a serious injury that has seen him spend nearly two full seasons on the sidelines, Ronaldo led Brazil to their fifth World Cup triumph in 2002 by scoring 8 goals in the tournament which saw him collect the Golden Boot.

The World Cup success earned him a move to then Champions League winners Real Madrid (€45 million) where he spent the next four-and-a-half seasons. Mid-way through 2006/07 he was transferred to AC Milan (€7.50 million), and then in 2009 he made a free transfer move to Corinthians, where he ended his career in 2011.

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14) Radamel Falcao – €103.03 million (£87.58m)

(Image credit: Fox Sports)

Falcao’s career is a typical one that we see far too often in football: a player starts out from a small club and goes on to become a star for a bigger side, before being sold to a top club where he falls from grace and is never again the player that he used to be.

Falcao started out with Lanceros Boyaca in the Colombian second division at just 13 years of age, before moving to Argentina’s River Plate in 2001 on an amateur contract. After impressing with his performance, Porto acquired his service (€5.43 million) in the summer of 2009, and that’s where he became a household-name.

A whopping 72 goals in two years convinced Atletico Madrid to purchase him (€40 million) in 2011, where he continued his impressive form by scoring 70 goals in the subsequent two seasons. And that’s when AS Monaco came calling (€43 million) and offered the Colombian vast riches that would see him collect a paycheck of around 18 million per season (don’t forget, tax is non-existent in the Principality).

His first year at the Stade Louis II was unsuccessful, which propelled a loan move to Manchester United (€7.60 million loan fee) in 2014, while the following season he agreed to another year-long loan deal with Chelsea (€7 million loan fee), before returning to Monaco.

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13) Robbie Keane – €103.85 million (£88.27m)

(Image credit: Full FIFA)

Not many would have guessed the Irishman to be included on the highest cumulative transfer fees list, but after playing for a total of 10 clubs it’s no wonder his transfers have accumulated to over €100 million. He started his career with the Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1997 and after two years made a switch to then Premier League side Coventry City (€9 million) where he scored 12 goals in his debut season in the English top flight.

Inter Milan were impressed and in the summer of 2000 they purchased the young prospect (€19.50 million), however his Italian adventure ended after only six months at the club. He was loaned out to Leeds in January 2001 and then bought outright by them the following summer (€18 million). A year later he was once again on the move to Tottenham (€10.50 million), only this time he stayed with the club for the next six seasons where he enjoyed great form, before being signed by Liverpool (€24 million) in 2008. His Anfield spell didn’t last long, as he was bought back by Spurs in January 2009 for a cut-price fee of €16.70 million.

12 months later Keane agreed to a short loan move to Celtic (€1.20 million loan fee), before being loaned out by Tottenham to West Ham (€1.20 million loan fee) in January 2011. The Spurs then decided to finally sell Keane to Los Angeles Galaxy (€3.75 million) the following summer, which he has been with since then, expect a minor loan spell with Aston Villa in 2012.

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12) Paul Pogba – €105 million (£89.25 million)

(Image credit: Man United Twitter)

The world’s most expensive player joins our list of highest cumulative transfer fees thanks to only one transfer that took him from Juventus to Manchester United in 2016. The world-record €105 million deal saw the Frenchman rejoin Old Trafford, which he left four years earlier on a free transfer, which represents a great piece of business for the Turin side. This deal surpasses the previous world–record fee of €101 million that involved Gareth Bale’s transfer to Spanish giants Real Madrid. During Pogba’s four-year relationship with the Old Lady, he appeared in 178 matches and scored 34 goals in the process.

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11) Cristiano Ronaldo – €111.50 million (£94.78m)

(Image credit: Daily Mail)

This man has won everything, and on multiple occasions both at club level and personal accolades, so you should know him well by now, we assume. Ronaldo rightfully claims a position on our list of highest cumulative transfer fees with his two transfers, one of which saw him become the world’s most expensive signing.

He played for Sporting for merely a year before being snapped up by Manchester United (€17.50 million) in 2003, following a friendly game in which the youngster impressed a number of Alex Ferguson’s men. It took Ronaldo three years before his breakthrough season came in 2006/07 when he scored 17 goals in the Premier League and 23 across all competitions. Next season, the Portuguese did even better as he bagged an incredible 31 goals in the league and 42 overall, as Man United claimed another league title and lifted the Champions League trophy.

After several years of speculation, Real Madrid announced in the summer of 2009 that they’ve finally signed Ronaldo for a world-record (€94 million). Since making the switch to the Bernabeu, he has broken countless records and even surpassed Real’s legendary striker Raul as the club’s all-time leading goalscorer in a span of seven seasons – as of the end of the 2015/16 season, Ronaldo boasts a record of 364 goals in 348 appearances for the club. He’s guided Los Blancos to two Champions League triumphs (2014 and 2016) and one league title (2012) among lots of other trophies.

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10) Gareth Bale – €115.7 million (£98.35m)

(Image credit: Eurosport)

The Welsh winger scored an impressive 5 goals in 43 appearances while still a youngster in his first full season with Southampton, and that earned him a move to Tottenham (€14.70 million) in the summer of 2007. Bale played as a left-back until then Spurs boss Harry Redknapp decided to shift things around in the 2010/11 season and play him more up front. This move yielded results as Bale proved to be more effective, something that was showcased during a Champions League game against Inter Milan where the Welshman scored a hat-trick at San Siro – this essentially announced him to the world.

After bagging 26 goals in 44 outings for the Spurs in 2012/13, Real Madrid signed Bale that summer for a world-record fee of €101 million. He justified his record-breaking deal by leading Real Madrid to Champions League and Copa del Rey glory in his first season with the club. Despite being a world-record signing in 2013, Bale’s total transfer value earns him 10th spot on our highest cumulative transfer fees list

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9) Juan Sebastian Veron – €116 million (£98.6m)

(Image credit: Man United)

Veron’s career is reminiscent to that of Falcao in the sense that he started out with a small side before going on to achieve fame with a bigger club, but then made a bad move to a top side that essentially saw his career come to a halt.

Local side Estudiantes was the Argentine’s starting club, but in 1996 he transferred to Boca Juniors (€2.20 million) and then shortly after that followed that with a move to Sampdoria (unspecified amount). In the summer of 1998, Veron agreed transfer to Parma (€17.50 million), before opting for a switch to Lazio (€30 million) a year later.

After becoming a star at Stadio Olimpico, Manchester United came calling in 2001 with a then British transfer-record of (€42.60 million). His time at Old Trafford was tumultuous, and the club decided to sell him to Chelsea two years later for a much lower deal (€21.50 million).

Following a two-year loan spell with Inter (2004-2006), Estudiantes bought Veron back for a minimal fee (€2.20 million), where he, now retired, currently serves as the club’s president.

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8) Luis Suarez – €116.52 million (£99.04m)

(Image credit: Fox Sports)

Besides being very-well known for sampling different cuisines in the form of other players on the pitch, Suarez is also known for being a goal-machine. Every club he’s played for reaped massive benefits for having him, which may be the reason why they tolerated his tantrums.

The Uruguayan striker began his adventure with local side Nacional before being transferred to Dutch side Groningen (€800,000) in 2006. Only a year later he moved to domestic rivals Ajax, which gave him an opportunity to compete in Europe regularly. In his first two season, Suraez found the back of the net 50 times, while in his third year he bagged a jaw-dropping 49 overall.

After Liverpool sold Fernando Torres to Chelsea half-way through 2010/11, Suarez was signed as a replacement (€26.50 million). His acclimatization to the new team took some time, but the Reds reaped benefits in the 2012/13 season during which he scored 23 goals in the Premier League and 30 overall. The following season, he followed that with another 31 goals in the English top flight, which earned him a move to Barcelona (€81.72) in the summer of 2014.

Although he was suspended until late October that year, due to his biting incident at the 2014 World Cup, he still managed to find the back of the net on 25 occasions in his debut season with the Catalan side. He even found himself on the scoresheet in the Champions League final in 2015 against Juventus, which saw Barcelona lift their 5th European title. In 2015/16, he usurped Messi’s long-standing reign by becoming the first teammate to score more goals than him in a season – 59 across all competitions, while the Argentine bagged ‘only’ 41.

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7) Hernan Crespo – €119.27 million (£101.38m)

(Image credit: Premier Futsal)

Crespo is one of the most iconic strikers in the history of the sport and his many high-profile transfers have earned him a place on our list of highest cumulative transfer fees.

Parma snapped up the Argentine (€4 million) in the summer of 1996 after he impressed with his performance at River Plate. Notching 80 goals in four seasons caught the attention of the 2000 Serie A champions Lazio, and they signed him for €55 million, a world-record at the time. Lazio endured financial difficulties which forced them to sell the Argentine to Inter for a cut-price deal (€36 million) in 2002, while only a year later he completed a transfer to Premier League side Chelsea (€24.27 million). Following that, he made loan moves and free transfers to clubs that included: AC Milan, Inter, Genoa and Parma.

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6) Nicolas Anelka – €127.36 million (£108.26m)

(Image credit: Goal.ge)

Arsenal fans dubbed him ‘Le Sulk’ for his perceived image of a smile-shy man towards the end of his time at then Gunners ground Highbury in 1999. But I’m pretty sure that he’s not sulking when he opens up his wallet and goes shopping for a new car.

Before joining Arsenal (€760,000) mid-way through the 1996/97 season, Anelka plied his trade for PSG before they were what they are now – the serial champions of Ligue 1 with virtually non-existent competition. His time with the Gunners didn’t last long, and he was shipped off to Real Madrid in the summer of 1999 (€35 million) aged only 20 at the time.

Only a year later he was transferred to former club PSG (€34.50 million), before agreeing to a loan move to Liverpool (€1.40 million loan fee) in January 2002. Man City signed him that summer (€15 million) where he enjoyed two fine seasons during which he scored 38 goals overall, however in his third year he was sold to Turkish side Fenerbahce (€10.70 million) mid-way through 2004/05.

In the summer of 2006, he was on the move once again to Bolton Wanderers (€12 million) where he enjoyed fine form that saw him score 23 goals in the span of 18 months for the Trotters. Short spells with clubs is what Anelka came to be known for throughout his career, with his stay at Stamford Bridge being the longest he has ever served a club (4.5 years), to which he transferred (€18 million) in January 2008. His best season with the Blues came in 2008/09 when he bagged 19 goals in the Premier League and 25 overall.

After Chelsea, Anelka made a number of free transfer moves that included spells with Shanghai Shenhua, West Brom, Juventus and even Mumbai City.

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5) James Rodriguez – €127.63 million (£108.49m)

(Image credit: LifeisMUFC)

This guy is a typical South American player that became a superstar overnight after s few good performances with his national side Colombia. Granted, he has shown talent on occasion, however he has failed to justify the astronomical transfer fees his clubs paid for him.

James started out with Colombian side Envigado and then transferred to Argentine club Banfield (€280,000) before finally settling in Porto in 2010 (€7.35 million) where he came to prominence. His adjustment to European football went smoothly as he bagged 6 goals in his first season and 26 in his next two years with Porto.

In the summer of 2013, AS Monaco snapped him up for €45 million which saw the Stade Louis II side receive a return of 12 goals across all competitions during 2013/14. James made the most of his opportunities during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil as he put on some fine performance for Colombia with two assists and six goals in five matches which gifted him the Golden Boot award.

Soon after his heroics at the World Cup, recently crowned Champions League winners Real Madrid signed James for a few believed to be around the €75 million mark. Since then, the Colombian has scored 25 goals in 78 appearances for Los Blancos in his first two years in Madrid.

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4) Hulk – €129.80 million (£110.33m)

(Image credit: Futbol Y TV)

Unlike most Brazilian star players, Givanildo Vieira de Sousa, or more commonly known as Hulk, didn’t immediately break onto the scene as a youngster, but rather had to wait until his mid-20s to achieve success. Before he claimed one of the highest cumulative transfer fees, Hulk started out with Brazilian side Vitoria in 2004 and then opted to make an uncommon switch to the Japanese J1 League to play for the Kawasaki Frontale.

Following his first season (2005) in J1, that saw him produce only 3 goals in 12 appearances, he was loaned out to Consadole Sapporo in the second league where he enjoyed a fruitful year scoring 26 goals overall. For the 2007 season, Hulk was once again loaned out, only this time to Tokyo Verdy for which he bagged a cool 37 goals in 42 league outings.

Hulk switched Japan for Europe in 2008 when Porto came calling, with Tokyo Verdy receiving €19 million in compensation. The Brazilian experience a difficult start to life with his new club, but his breakthrough season came in 2010/11 during which he scored 36 goals across all competitions as Porto claimed a Europa League title.

The next season he was transferred to Russian side Zenit for a deal believed to be worth €55 million, however he barely passed the 20-goal in each of his final three years with the club. His greatest achievement with the Russian outfit came in the 2014/15 season when Zenit lifted the league crown. In 2016 he moved to Chinese side Shanghai SIPG for a jaw-dropping €55.80 million where he is believed to be on around €20 million per annum. (Not bad, huh?)

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3) Gonzalo Higuain – €141 million (£119.85m)

(Image credit: FootballNews.ge)

Higuain – who was born in Brest, France – began his football adventure with River Plate where he pretty quickly established himself as a future star. In the 2005/06 season he notched 6 goals in 18 appearances for the club, and soon enough big clubs began circling around the wonderkid.

Shortly after turning 19 in December 2006, Higuain signed with Spanish giants Real Madrid (€12 million) and then spent the next season-and-a-half discovering his form which saw him score merely 9 goals during that period. However, the following two seasons Higuain found the back of the net an impressive 53 times, and he continued his great form – expect an injury setback during 2010/11 – until his departure from the club in 2013 for a €39 million fee.

After making a switch to the Italian Serie A, the Argentine striker went on to enjoy the best form in his footballing career as he bagged a whopping 91 goals during his three-year stay with Napoli. In his final season Higuain scored 38 overall and 36 in the league alone that saw him break a 66-year-old record. Following his impressive stats at Stadio San Paolo, Juventus decided to acquire his services to for an eye-watering €90 million, making him the fourth most expensive transfer in football. But on our list of highest cumulative transfer fees, he’s third most expensive.

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2) Zlatan Ibrahimovic – €169.1 million (£143.74m)

(Image credit: Eurosport)

The iconic Swede started out his football career with local side Malmo in 1999 some months before he turned 18 and just two years later he was transferred to Dutch club Ajax (€7.8 million) while still a teenager. Three years later he moved on to Italian side Juventus (€16 million) before making a switch to their Serie A rivals Inter in 2006 in a deal worth €24.8 million. During his three-year stay at San Siro, Ibrahimovic became the most sought-after striker in world football and Barcelona quickly snapped him (€49.5 million + the rights to Blaugrana striker Samuel Eto’o).

He endured a tumultuous season under manager Pep Guardiola, who shipped him off on loan to AC Milan in 2010 (€6 million loan fee) before signing with them permanently a year later (€24 million). Merely a year into his permanent deal, he opted to leave the Rossoneri for PSG that cost the latter club €21 million to acquire his services. Ibrahimovic enjoyed a highly successful spell with the Parisiens as he scored the most goals he’s scored out of all the clubs he has represented – 156 goals in 180 appearances. He’s now set to embark on what appears to be his final European adventure with Manchester United.

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1) Angel Di Maria – €179 million (£152.15m)

(Image credit: BatnGoal)

Di Maria – a native of Rosario just like compatriot Lionel Messi – joined Rosario Central as a youngster before receiving a promotion to the first team in 2005. Two years later he crossed the Pond to sign for Portuguese side Benfica (€8 million), while in 2010 he couldn’t turn down the opportunity to play for Real Madrid (€33 million) under then manager Jose Mourinho who had just joined Los Blancos after winning the Champions League at the Bernabeu with Inter.

The Argentine spent four years with Los Merengues before being forced to seek a new club, and when Manchester United came calling they signed him for a British transfer record of €75 million. After a disappointing season at Old Trafford, big-spending PSG acquired him in 2015 for a cut-price deal worth €63 million. Since his move to Paris, Di Maria has enjoyed much greater fortune on all fronts, but particularly in his goalscoring records; he scored 15 overall in his first season as opposed to merely 4 while at Man United. With €179 million in total transfer value, he takes top spot on our highest cumulative transfer fees.

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