Neymar, Ronaldo & top 13 players with the highest combined transfer fees

Paris Saint-Germain made Neymar the most expensive footballer of all time when they paid €222 million (£200m/$242m) to Barcelona to secure the Brazilian's services in 2017. The deal also ensured that the attacker became the player with the biggest combined transfer fees, with Barca previously paying €86 million to Santos in 2013.

One of the greatest players of all time, Cristiano Ronaldo would be top of the list were it not for the Neymar transfer. Real Madrid paid just under €100 million for the Portuguese phenomenon in 2009 and his value barely diminished nearly 10 years later when Juventus forked out over €100 million to sign him in 2018. Even the fee paid by Manchester United to Sporting back in 2003 was relatively high and made him the most expensive teenager in English football at that point in time.

Belgium's record goalscorer Romelu Lukaku takes a lot of criticism, but he can always direct his detractors towards his impressive combined transfer fees as a testament to his ability. Everton, Manchester United and Inter have all paid mammoth sums of money for a striker who has scored double figures in nearly every season of his professional career.

Alvaro Morata has won trophies in Spain, Italy and England, with some of the biggest clubs in the world happy to pay out considerable fees for his services. He transferred from Real Madrid to Juventus and back (for relatively low figures), before making a big-money move to Chelsea in 2017. Atletico Madrid then forked out to make a loan move permanent in 2020.

Fleet-footed striker Kylian Mbappe became the most expensive teenage footballer in history when Paris Saint-Germain committed to a €180 million deal to sign him from Monaco in 2017. Considered by many to be among a selection of heirs to the throne of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, Mbappe could conceivably overtake Neymar on this list with his next transfer, with the likes of Real Madrid and Manchester City being long-term admirers.

Eden Hazard is widely regarded as one of the most skilful players to ever play in the Premier League and his €100 million move (which could rise to €140m) to Real Madrid in 2019 ensures his place on this list after Chelsea paid €35 million to Lille for the dynamo in 2012.

Liverpool signed Brazilian playmaker Philippe Coutinho from Inter for a bargain price in 2013, but he was catapulted onto this list five years later when he joined Barcelona for €160 million - breaking the British transfer record - in January 2018. Coutinho was one of Barca's marquee signings following the Neymar transfer to Paris Saint-Germain, which no doubt helped to inflate his price tag.

A World Cup winner with France, Antoine Griezmann was brought to Barcelona in 2019 ostensibly to relieve some of the creative pressure on Lionel Messi. The Catalan club paid Atletico Madrid a cool €120 million for the attacker, which saw the Rojiblancos make a tidy profit having paid just over €50 million to Real Sociedad back in 2014.

Argentina star Angel Di Maria has commanded major transfer fees from Real Madrid, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain. Benfica, who brought Di Maria to Europe from Rosario in 2007, made a nice return on the playmaker when they sold him to Madrid three years later. He became one of Manchester United's most expensive signings of all time when he joined for €75 million in 2014 and, while things didn't work out as planned at Old Trafford, the Red Devils managed to recoup most of that when they sold him to PSG a year later.

One of the greatest strikers in football history, Zlatan Ibrahimovic has played for a number of the sport's institution clubs, including Ajax, Barcelona, AC Milan and Manchester United among others. While he moved on free transfers towards the end of his career, Ibrahimovic will happily revel in the fact that his ability has convinced so many clubs to part with significant sums of money. The biggest fee ever paid for the Swede was the €70 million Barca paid to Inter in 2009.

Ousmane Dembele was the first major 100 million-plus transfer to follow the record-breaking Neymar deal in 2017, with Barcelona agreeing to sign him from Borussia Dortmund in a €145 million transaction. It is that deal which sees the France international among the top 10 players with the biggest combined transfer fees, adding on to the relatively modest €15 million paid to Rennes by Dortmund in 2016.

At Real Madrid, Gonzalo Higuain evolved into one of the most feared strikers in the world and that reputation made sure that clubs were happy to pay big money for his talent. While Madrid landed him from River for a relatively modest price, Napoli and Juventus parted with €40 million and €90 million respectively for 'El Pipita'.

He may have joined Everton on a free transfer, but James Rodriguez still boasts one of the biggest numbers when it comes to combined transfer fees. Porto, Monaco and, most notably, Real Madrid paid millions for the Colombian playmaker.