The most expensive footballers in the world
History of people who have been the most expensive footballer in the world.
List activity
151 views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
18 people
- Gareth Frank Bale (born 16 July 1989) is a Welsh professional footballer who plays as a winger for Spanish club Real Madrid and the Wales national team. Renowned for his ball striking from distance, swerving free kicks, and his ability to get past defenders with pace, Bale has received plaudits from his peers, who have described him as a footballer with "tremendous speed, great crossing ability, a great left foot and exceptional physical qualities".
He began his professional career at Southampton, playing at left-back and earning acclaim as a free kick specialist. Bale moved to Tottenham Hotspur in 2007, for an eventual £7 million fee. During his time at Tottenham, managerial and tactical shifts saw him transform into a more attacking player. From the 2009-10 season, under the guidance of Harry Redknapp, Bale became an integral part of the team, rising to international attention during the 2010-11 UEFA Champions League. In 2011 and 2013 he was named PFA Players' Player of the Year, and was named in the UEFA Team of the Year. In 2013, he was also named PFA Young Player of the Year, the FWA Footballer of the Year and the Premier League Player of the Season. He was nominated to the PFA Team of the Year three times in a row between 2011 and 2013.
On 1 September 2013, Bale was transferred to Real Madrid for an undisclosed fee. Press at the time reported the transfer value at figures between EUR91 million and EUR100 million. In January 2016, documents pertaining to the transfer were leaked which confirmed a then-world record transfer fee of EUR100.8 million, eclipsing the previous record fee of £80 million (EUR94 million) the club paid for Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009. Bale played an integral role in his first season at Real Madrid, helping the club to win the 2013-14 Copa del Rey and UEFA Champions League, scoring in both finals. The following season, he won the UEFA Super Cup and scored in a third major final to help the club win the FIFA Club World Cup. Two years later, he was a key player in another Champions League run, winning the 2015-16 title and being elected to the UEFA Squad of the Season. He was also a finalist in the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award. In 2016, ESPN ranked Bale twelfth on its list of the world's most famous athletes.
Bale made his senior international debut for Wales in May 2006, becoming the youngest player at that point to represent the nation. He has since earned over 70 caps and scored 31 international goals, making him Wales' highest scorer of all time. He was the top goalscorer for Wales in their successful qualifying campaign for UEFA Euro 2016, scoring seven goals; he subsequently represented his nation in the final tournament as they reached the semi-finals, scoring three goals. He has been named Welsh Footballer of the Year a record six times.2013-present (Tottenham -> Real Madrid) - Actor
- Director
- Producer
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro was born on February 5, 1985, in Madeira, Portugal to Maria Dolores dos Santos Aveiro and José Diniz Aveiro. Cristiano has an elder brother, Hugo and two elder sisters, Elma and Liliana Cátia. His name was inspired by the former US-president, Ronald Reagan, whom his father was influenced by.
The island of Madeira was also the place where Cristiano first learned to master his skills as a footballer. He spent his early years playing for his local team, Nacional, and by the time he turned 12 years old, he already made his name for himself as one of Madeira's top footballers . It wasn't long before he started to catch the attention of other big Portuguese clubs. Among Sporting was Benfica, a team Cristiano and his father followed as a young boy. However he eventually chose to play for Sporting which was a team his mother loved and followed as she was growing up, to play with the likes of Figo was the dream for her son.
He was then spotted by former Liverpool manager, Gerard Houllier at the age of sixteen but Liverpool had no intentions to sign him at that time because they thought he was too young and he needed more time to develop his skills. However, in the summer of 2003, when Sporting played against Manchester United and defeated them, Cristiano caught the attention of Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson.
Ronaldo became Manchester United's first-ever Portuguese player. Initially, he requested for the number 28 as his jersey number because he didn't feel that he could live up to the pressure of previous players such as George Best and David Beckham who wore the number 7 jersey.
The year 2006 to 2008 proved to be a rather controversial year for the star. In the 2006 World Cup, Cristiano faced accusations regarding his sportsmanship. In a quarter-final match against England, he was heavily criticized for sending of his club team mate, Wayne Rooney who was playing for the England team. It wasn't too long until fans started accepting Cristiano again. In 2007, he won PFA Young Player of the Year, PFA Player of the Year, PFA Fans' Player of the Year, Portuguese Footballer of the Year, FWA Footballer of the Year, Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year and Manchester United's Players' Player of the Year. The year 2008 also saw him taking back the PFA Player Of The Year Award for the second time running. That same year, Ronaldo also had to deal with controversies regarding his club transfer to Spanish giants, Real Madrid. He eventually chose to stay with Manchester United and stressed to the public that he had no intentions of leaving the club.
Cristiano now lives with his cousin, Nuno and his brother in law Ze. When he is not on the field, he is a very family oriented person. Growing up, when he was about to choose football as his career, he said that it was very difficult for him as that would mean lesser time with his family, especially his mother, whom he says play a major role in his life.
During his free time, Cristiano enjoys cooking. He mentioned in an interview that he usually cooks before he leaves for his soccer practice. Because he is constantly training, Cristiano rarely has time to watch TV. If he does get the time to watch, he says he loves watching one of the local Portuguese game show which is mostly about trivia questions. Cristiano is an avid learner and he takes interest in learning new things everyday. Among Cristiano's biggest pet peeves are smoking, people who don't make an effort and dishonesty.
When the tsunami hit South East Asia, Cristiano flew to Indonesia to help those in need. He auctioned off a few stuff to help raise funds for charity. He hopes to get involved in more charity projects in the future because he believes his star status will help him reach out to others for help.2009-2013 (Manchester United -> Real Madrid)- Producer
- Actor
Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite (born 22 April 1982, commonly known as Kaká or Ricardo Kaká, is a Brazilian retired professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. Owing to his performances at Milan where he was an elite play-maker, Kaká is widely considered one of the best players of his generation. With success at club and international level, he is one of eight players to have won the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League and the Ballon d'Or.
Kaká made his professional club debut at age 18 at São Paulo in Brazil in 2001. After being named to the Bola de Ouro as the best player in the 2002 Campeonato Brasileiro, he joined Serie A club Milan for a fee of EUR8.5 million in 2003. In Italy, Kaká won a league title and was named the Serie A Footballer of the Year twice. In 2005, Milan finished runners up in the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final with Kaká as the top assist provider of the tournament, and named the UEFA Club Midfielder of the Year. Two years later, he led Milan to win the 2007 UEFA Champions League Final and was the tournament's top goal scorer. Kaká's pace, creative passing, goal scoring and dribbles from midfield saw him win the FIFA World Player of the Year, the Ballon d'Or, the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year and the IFFHS World's Best Playmaker awards.
After his success with Milan, Kaká joined Real Madrid for a transfer fee of EUR67 million. At the time, this was the second highest transfer fee (in euros) ever, behind only the EUR77.5 million (150 billion lire) fee for Zinedine Zidane. However, after four injury ravaged seasons in Spain, which saw his physical ability to dribble from midfield rapidly decline, he returned to Milan for a single season in 2013, prior to joining MLS expansion club Orlando City. He initially returned to his former club Sao Paulo on loan, before relocating to the United States in 2015, where he became a three time All-Star and won an MLS All-Star Game Most Valuable Player award prior to retiring in 2017.
Kaká made his debut for the Brazil national team in 2002, and was selected for their victorious World Cup squad that year, as well as the 2006 and 2010 tournaments, leading the latter tournament in assists. He was also a member of Brazil's 2005 and 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup-winning squads, winning the Golden Ball Award in 2009 as the tournament's best player.
In addition to his individual awards, between 2006 and 2009 he was named in both the FIFA World XI and the UEFA Team of the Year three times. In 2010, he was named in the A.C. Milan Hall of Fame. One of the world's most famous athletes, Kaká was the first sportsperson to amass 10 million followers on Twitter. Off the field, Kaká is known for his humanitarian work, where he became the youngest ambassador of the UN World Food Programme in 2004. For his contributions on and off the pitch, Kaká was listed by Time as one of the world's most influential people in 2008 and 2009.2009-2009 (Milan -> Real Madrid)- Zinedine Yazid Zidane (born 23 June 1972), nicknamed "Zizou", is a French former professional football player and current manager of Real Madrid. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Zidane was an elite play-maker, renowned for his elegance, vision, ball control and technique, and played as an attacking midfielder for Cannes, Bordeaux, Juventus and Real Madrid. At club level, Zidane won two Serie A league titles with Juventus, before he moved to Real Madrid for a world record fee of EUR77.5 million in 2001, which remained unmatched for the next eight years. In Spain, Zidane won the La Liga title and the UEFA Champions League, with his left-foot volleyed winner in the 2002 UEFA Champions League Final considered to be one of the greatest goals in the competition's history. Zidane also won an Intercontinental Cup and a UEFA Super Cup with both teams.
Capped 108 times by France, Zidane won the 1998 FIFA World Cup, scoring twice in the final and being named to the All-Star Team, while also winning UEFA Euro 2000, being named Player of the Tournament. The World Cup triumph made him a national hero in France, and he received the Légion d'honneur in 1998. He also received the Golden Ball for player of the tournament at the 2006 World Cup, despite his infamous sending off in the final against Italy for headbutting Marco Materazzi in the chest. He retired as the fourth-most capped player in France history.
Zidane received many individual accolades as a player, including being named the FIFA World Player of the Year in 1998, 2000 and 2003, and winning the 1998 Ballon d'Or. He was Ligue 1 Player of the Year in 1996, Serie A Footballer of the Year in 2001, and La Liga Best Foreign Player in 2002. In 2004, he was named in the FIFA 100, a list of the world's greatest living players compiled by Pelé, and in the same year was named the best European footballer of the past 50 years in the UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll. Zidane is one of eight players to have won the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League and the Ballon d'Or, and was the ambassador for Qatar's successful bid to stage the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the first Arab country to host the tournament.
After retiring as a player, Zidane transitioned into coaching, and began as his head coaching career at Real Madrid Castilla. He remained in the position for two years before taking the helm of the first team in January 2016. In his two and a half seasons with Madrid, Zidane won the UEFA Champions League an unprecedented three times consecutively, a La Liga title, a Supercopa de Espana, and the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup twice each. His success saw him named Best FIFA Men's Coach in 2017, but he resigned in May 2018. Following poor results by Real Madrid in the subsequent months, Zidane returned to the club as manager in March 2019.2001-2009 (Juventus -> Real Madrid) - Luís Filipe Madeira Caeiro Figo OIH (born 4 November 1972) is a retired Portuguese professional footballer who played as a midfielder for Sporting CP, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Inter Milan before retiring on 31 May 2009. He won 127 caps for the Portugal national team, a record at the time but later broken by Cristiano Ronaldo.
Renowned for his creativity and ability to get past defenders as a winger, Figo is regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation. His 106 assists are the second-most in La Liga history, behind Lionel Messi. He won the 2000 Ballon d'Or, 2001 FIFA World Player of the Year, and in 2004 Pelé named him in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players. Figo is one of the few football players to have played for both Spanish rival clubs Barcelona and Real Madrid. His controversial transfer in 2000 from Barcelona to bitter rivals Real Madrid set a world record fee of EUR62 million.
Figo had a successful career highlighted by several trophy wins, including the Portuguese Cup, four La Liga titles, two Spanish Cups, three Spanish Super Cups, one UEFA Champions League title, one UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, two UEFA Super Cups, one Intercontinental Cup, four Serie A titles, one Italian Cup and three Italian Super Cups. On the international level, he scored 32 goals for Portugal, representing the nation at three European Championships and two World Cups, helping them reach the final but finish as runners-up at Euro 2004.2000-2001 (Barcelona -> Real Madrid) - Hernán Crespo is an Argentine professional football coach and former player. He was the manager of C.A. Banfield, Defensa y Justicia and São Paulo F.C..
A prolific striker, Crespo has scored over 300 goals in a career spanning 19 years. At international level, he scored 35 goals and is Argentina's fourth highest goalscorer behind only Sergio Agüero, Gabriel Batistuta and Lionel Messi. He played in three FIFA World Cups: 1998, 2002, 2006. At club level, Crespo was the world's most expensive player, when he was bought by S.S. Lazio from Parma in 2000. He was top scorer in the 2000-01 Serie A with 26 goals, playing for S.S. Lazio.
Crespo's awards include three Serie A scudetti, a Copa Libertadores, a Premier League title and an Olympic Games silver medal.2000-2000 (Parma -> Lazio) - Christian Vieri was born on 12 July 1973 in Bologna, Italy. He is an actor, known for The Comedians (2017), Bobo TV (2020) and UEFA Champions League (1992). He has been married to Costanza Caracciolo since 18 March 2019. They have two children.1999-2000 (Lazio -> Inter)
- Denílson was born on 24 August 1977 in São Paulo, Brazil. He is an actor, known for Secret Tournament (2002), Nike - Olé! (2004) and LaLiga (1954). He has been married to Lucielle di Camargo since 30 May 2010. They have two children.1998-1999 (Sao Paulo -> Real Betis)
- Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima commonly known as Ronaldo, is a Brazilian business owner, president of La Liga club Real Valladolid, owner of Brazilian club Cruzeiro FC and a retired professional footballer who played as a striker. Popularly dubbed O Fenômeno ('The Phenomenon and also nicknamed R9, he is widely considered as one of the greatest players of all time. As a multi-functional striker who brought a new dimension to the position, Ronaldo has been the influence for a generation of strikers that have followed. His individual accolades include being named FIFA World Player of the Year three times and winning two Ballon d'Or awards. He won two FIFA World Cup.1997-1998 (Barcelona -> Inter)
- Alan Shearer CBE is one of the all-time legends of English football and remains the greatest ever goalscorer in the Premier League with 260 goals. A childhood Newcastle United fan, he started his career playing for Southampton F.C. in 1988, but five years later was snapped up by Blackburn Rovers. Whilst there, he scored over 30 goals in three consecutive seasons and was part of Blackburn Rovers' only Premier League winning team in 1995. While playing for England under Terry Venables, he was also the top scorer of Euro '96 with five goals from playing in five games. Shearer became one of the most sought-after strikers in the world but he resisted the chance of a lucrative move to a foreign club or Alex Ferguson's Manchester United, and in 1996 he quit Blackburn to go back to the North East to become captain of Newcastle United. He joined the 'Geordies' in a deal worth £15 million - a then-world record.
He married his wife Lainya at the age of just 20 on June 8th 1991. He has two daughters, Chloe and Hollie. Quietly spoken, Shearer rejected much of the 'showbusiness' side of footballing fame, preferring to spend time with his family. As a consequence, the British tabloids branded him 'boring'. With good humour he capitalised on this image with an amusing advert for McDonalds and a cameo in the British comedy 'The Match' (1999). Because of his good looks and muscular physique, modest Alan was regularly voted 'Britain's Hunkist Footballer', much to his embarrassment.
Since retiring from football in 2006, he has been a regular football pundit on the BBC, often working with his England goal-scoring predecessor Gary Lineker.1996-1997 (Blackburn -> Newcastle)
MISSING: Gianluigi Lentini
1992-1996 (Torino -> Milan) - Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Gianluca Vialli was born on 9 July 1964 in Cremona, Italy. He was an actor and writer, known for Lords of Football (2013), Dumar (2013) and Ramud Volume 2 (2018). He was married to Cathryn White-Cooper. He died on 6 January 2023 in London, England, UK.1992-1992 (Sampdoria -> Juventus)- Jean-Pierre Papin was born on 5 November 1963 in Boulogne-sur-Mer, Pas-de-Calais, France. He is married to Florence. They have four children.1992-1992 (Marseille -> Milan)
- Roberto Baggio Cavaliere is an Italian former professional footballer who mainly played as a second striker, or as an attacking midfielder, although he was capable of playing in several offensive positions. He is the former president of the technical sector of the Italian Football Federation. A technically gifted creative play-maker and set piece specialist, renowned for his curling free-kicks, dribbling skills, and goalscorer, Baggio is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. In 1999, he came fourth in the FIFA Player of the Century internet poll, and was chosen on the FIFA World Cup Dream Team in 2002. In 1993, he was named FIFA World Player of the Year and won the Ballon d'Or. In 2004, he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100, a list of the world's greatest living players.1990-1992 (Fiorentina -> Juventus)
- Quite simply a soccer phenomenon - stylish, articulate, affable and handsome, he was twice voted World Football Player of the Year and was widely regarded as one of the World's best ever players. Ruud Gullit (born as Ruud Dil, September 1, 1962 in Amsterdam) is a Dutch football coach and former player, who played professionally in the 1980s and 1990s. He was the captain of the Netherlands national team that was victorious at Euro 88 and was also a member of the squad for the 1990 World Cup. Named European Footballer of the Year in 1987 and World Soccer Player of the Year in 1987 and 1989, he was a versatile player, playing in numerous positions during his career. A true professional in everything he approaches. His career after playing extends to managing, broadcast, motivational speaking and hosting. Ruud speaks five languages, is extremely personable and media-friendly, which makes him perfectly placed in his role as Ambassador for International Companies throughout the world.He is a regular and valued pundit on BBC, Sky UK, BT Sport, Sky Germany, BeIn Middle East, USA and France, and Dutch TV channels SBS and SAS. He has worked for Supersport in South Africa and Super Soccer League in Malaysia and was offered a full time position with CCTV in China. He also received great reviews and huge coverage as the main Analyst/Commentator for ESPN throughout the World Cup extending his reach even further to the Americas. Basically his popularity, opinions and profile create a demand for him worldwide.Among his hosting accolades, Ruud has recently hosted the 'Fifa Best Awards 2019' in Milan, has hosted the 'Ballon D'Or live' 3 times in Zurich to 180 countries and presented the 'UEFA Draw' in Nice and hosted the Draw live for Television in Paris for the EURO 2016. He has also hosted the French "Oscars" of Football, as well as well as many other Industry awards throughout the world.His golf prowess as a capable 7 handicap elevated him to the position of Ambassador for the Ryder Cup, a regular in the Dunhill Open for the past 11 years, and a special guest in the prestigious Mission Hills Golf Event in China. His presence is always required at major golfing tournaments around the world both for charity and for corporate events like the UEFA1987-1990 (PSV Eindhoven -> Juventus)
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Diego Armando Maradona is an Argentine football manager and retired professional footballer.
Maradona was the coach of Argentine Primera División club Gimnasia de La Plata. He is regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. He was one of the two joint winners of the FIFA Player of the 20th Century award. His presence and leadership on the field had a great effect on his team's general performance, while he would often be singled out by the opposition.
He played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, FC Barcelona, S.S.C. Napoli, Sevilla F.C. and Newell's Old Boys during his club career, and is most famous for his time at Napoli and Barcelona where he won numerous accolades.
In his international career with Argentina National Football Team, he earned 91 caps and scored 34 goals. Maradona played in four FIFA World Cups, including the 1986 FIFA World Cup Mexico (1986) where he captained Argentina and led them to victory over West Germany National Football Team in the final, and won the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player. In the 1986 FIFA World Cup Mexico (1986) quarterfinal, he scored both goals in a 2-1 victory over England National Football Team that entered football history for two different reasons. The first goal was an unpenalized handling foul known as the 'Hand of God', while the second goal followed a 60 m (66 yd) dribble past five England players, voted 'Goal of the Century' by FIFA.com voters in 2002.
Maradona became coach of Argentina National Football Team in November 2008. He was in charge of the team at the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa (2010) in South Africa before leaving at the end of the tournament.1984-1987 (Barcelona -> Napoli)- Actor
- Soundtrack
Diego Armando Maradona is an Argentine football manager and retired professional footballer.
Maradona was the coach of Argentine Primera División club Gimnasia de La Plata. He is regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. He was one of the two joint winners of the FIFA Player of the 20th Century award. His presence and leadership on the field had a great effect on his team's general performance, while he would often be singled out by the opposition.
He played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, FC Barcelona, S.S.C. Napoli, Sevilla F.C. and Newell's Old Boys during his club career, and is most famous for his time at Napoli and Barcelona where he won numerous accolades.
In his international career with Argentina National Football Team, he earned 91 caps and scored 34 goals. Maradona played in four FIFA World Cups, including the 1986 FIFA World Cup Mexico (1986) where he captained Argentina and led them to victory over West Germany National Football Team in the final, and won the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player. In the 1986 FIFA World Cup Mexico (1986) quarterfinal, he scored both goals in a 2-1 victory over England National Football Team that entered football history for two different reasons. The first goal was an unpenalized handling foul known as the 'Hand of God', while the second goal followed a 60 m (66 yd) dribble past five England players, voted 'Goal of the Century' by FIFA.com voters in 2002.
Maradona became coach of Argentina National Football Team in November 2008. He was in charge of the team at the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa (2010) in South Africa before leaving at the end of the tournament.1982-1984 (Boca Juniors -> Barcelona)- 1976-1982 (Vicenza -> Juventus)
MISSING: Giuseppe Savoldi
1975-1976 (Bologna -> Napoli) - Johan Cruyff (or Cruijffie) is voted the best European soccer player of the twentieth century (and the second best worldplayer). He started his career with AJAX Amsterdam and led them to 4 European finals of which 3 were won (1971/1972/1973). In 1973 Cruyff joined Barcelona (for a the then record-fee of 6 million guilders), He became a very popular player
- also known as el salvador - and gave Barcelona (and Catalonia) their
After a few years he became involved again with his first love, Ajax. He coached them for a few years, winning the European cup winners cup, before he got fired after arguing with the president of the club. But he has not only a first love, but maybe he has an even greater second love, Barcelona. He coached them for a few years, winning the European Champions league for the first time and four times the Spanish league.1973-1975 (Ajax -> Barcelona)
MISSING: Pietro Anastasi
1968-1973 (Varese -> Juventus)