The Top 10 Most Expensive Forwards Of All Time
The summer of 2024 has certainly not been the busiest transfer window we've experienced in recent years, but there have still been plenty of significant, costly deals completed so far (and we still have plenty of time left before deadline day). From Manchester United's £52m acquisition of whizzkid centre back Leny Yoro to Juventus' £42m move for highly-rated Aston Villa CDM Douglas Luiz, plenty of money has been spent on more defensive-minded players this summer. But typically, it's players with a focus on creating and finishing chances that tend to command the highest fees in football.
In this article, we'll be exploring just how much money clubs are willing to splash out on those attacking players, by working our way through a comprehensive list of the top 10 most expensive forwards of all time. But before we get into that, we'll spend some time answering the question: why do forwards cost so much money in the modern day?
Why Are Forwards So Expensive In Soccer?
In the modern era, the inflation of the global transfer market means that all top players will cost a substantial amount of money to lure to a new club when they're still contracted elsewhere. But out of every position, forwards are the most expensive of all. Why is that?
Essentially, the reason forwards are so expensive (as you'll see in our run down of the top 10 most expensive forwards ever) is that there are only a handful of world-class players in this position. Finding a top quality striker — aka someone with excellent movement, razor sharp finishing, solid hold up play and pressing ability — is extremely difficult. There aren't too many players who can fulfil all these tasks and regularly rack up 15+ goals each season; those who fit this description tend to cost a lot of money. It sounds basic, but goals are the most important currency in football, and if you're guaranteed to provide them, clubs will be willing to pay plenty of money to bring you on board.
The Top 10 Most Expensive Forwards Of All Time
The players below have all commanded a staggering transfer fee at some stage in their careers, with some causing multiple elite clubs to break out the cheque book.
#10. Romelu Lukaku - €113m
All of the top 10 most expensive forwards of all time were bought for fees that surpassed €100m — remarkable. Belgian Number 9 Romelu Lukaku has attracted some significant transfer fees over the years, with Manchester United and Inter Milan both breaking the bank to sign him in 2017 and 2019 respectively (cumulatively, he's the most expensive footballer in history). However, the most that has ever been paid for Lukaku was the €113m (£100m) that Chelsea shelled out in the summer of 2022.
It seemed like a bold move that would strengthen the Blues' firepower up top, but in reality the signing has been massively underwhelming. After becoming Chelsea's biggest-ever transfer at the time, the experienced frontman scored just eight goals for the Blues in 2021/22 and has spent the last two seasons out on loan in Serie A; the club's hierarchy will be regretting spending all that cash on him.
#9. Eden Hazard - €115m
There's an argument that Lukaku's former Belgium teammate Eden Hazard is the biggest flop on this entire list; when he signed for Real Madrid in 2019 after a dazzling, trophy-packed spell in the Premier League at Chelsea, it seemed like a natural next step in this elite winger's career. But his performances never reached the heights they did in England, and a series of injuries plus a general lack of fitness kept Hazard on the sidelines for much of his time at Madrid.
He'll still be remembered as one of the finest players of his generation, but the Belgian's meagre seven goals and 76 appearances over a four-year spell in Spain was nowhere near good enough for a player of his calibre.
#8. Cristiano Ronaldo - €117m
Cristiano Ronaldo's €96m signing for Real Madrid in 2009 was a world record breaker, but extraordinarily, his high-profile switch to Juventus after nine extremely successful years in La Liga topped that deal. In 2018, the Italian giants paid a whopping €117m for the then-33-year-old Portugal captain, in a move that showed serious intent and ambition but also carried some financial risk.
At the time, it was a world record fee paid by a Serie A club, and no club has broken it since. Ronaldo continued scoring goals for fun while in Serie A, although few people would argue with the statement that the ageing forward peaked at Madrid.
#7. Jack Grealish - €117.5m
Like several players on this list, Jack Grealish is far from an out-and-out striker (there aren't too many of these around in the modern era). However, since joining Manchester City in 2021 for a whopping €117m, he's been utilised by Pep Guardiola across a front three, showcasing his versatility and developing into a far more tactically aware, systems-oriented player.
It's a far cry from the silky, constantly dribbling wide midfielder we used to see at Aston Villa, the club that profited from a club-record sale when Grealish departed for City. Three years later, it's a move that some Villa fans are still gutted about, and given his immense quality, you can see why.
#6. Antoine Griezmann - €120m
Each time an international tournament rolls around, France veteran Antoine Griezmann comes to the fore and shows why he is regarded as one of the greatest attackers of the modern era. Capable of playing as a false nine, a wide forward, a creative midfielder or a playmaker, he's an extremely versatile attacker who has racked up 268 goals and 119 assists in his glittering career at Real Sociedad, Atletico Madrid, and Barcelona.
It was Barca who broke the bank and paid €120m for Griezmann in 2019, but his time in Catalonia wasn't a huge success, and he was soon back at Atletico, where he remains to this day.
#5. Joao Felix - €126m
Another Atletico-linked player whose big-money move didn't exactly go to plan is Joao Felix, the silky Portuguese attacker who commanded a massive €126m fee when prised from Benfica in 2019. Just a teenager at the time, Felix was heaped with praise following his breakout season in the Portuguese top flight, but he struggled to replicate that form under Diego Simeone's disciplined and highly organised Atletico structure. He recently joined Chelsea for €52m following a loan spell.
#4. Ousmane Dembele - €135m
There's a theme emerging here — many of the most expensive players in football history have failed to deliver at the elite-level clubs they have joined. One man who certainly fits into that category is French international Ousmane Dembele, who returned to his country of birth last year to play for PSG after a disappointing spell with La Liga giants Barcelona. The Catalan club spent an enormous €135m on Dembele back in 2017, but the wide forward didn't manage to consistently sustain the kind of form that brought him to Barca in the first place, and he was eventually shipped out.
#3. Phillipe Coutinho - €135m
Tied in terms of price with Dembele is Phillipe Coutinho, an attacking midfield player who has also played as a wide forward on many occasions (hence his inclusion in this list). Liverpool's €135m sale of Coutinho in 2018 helped them lay the foundations of a new-look Jurgen Klopp squad that would go on to win the Champions League and Premier League, while their former Brazilian international strugled to make a significant impact at buyer club Barcelona. It's one of several flop deals Barca have been involved in in recent years, as they've abandoned their former youth development-oriented system in favour of a 'Galacticos'-style model that simply hasn't worked.
#2. Kylian Mbappe - €180m
Regarded by some as the greatest footballer on the planet today — and once Lionel Messi retires, surely this crown will be his to lose — Kylian Mbappe has blown away football fans all over the globe since bursting onto the scene with AS Monaco back in 2015. The wide forward's blistering performances for the Ligue 1 club meant it was no surprise when French big hitters PSG came in and splashed an incredible €180m on him to make Mbappe the most expensive teenager in football history. His goals and assists record since then has been outstanding, and Real Madrid fans will be desperate to see him in action next season after the World Cup winner's long-awaited signing for the La Liga champions.
#1. Neymar - €222m
At the very top of the tree is Brazil's all-time leading goalscorer Neymar, a player whose staggering €222m signing for Paris Saint Germain changed the landscape of the global transfer market, inflating prices and raising a few eyebrows too. His excellent performances for Barcelona before the move had warranted a big move, but very few clubs could have paid the enormous buyout clause hanging around his neck at the La Liga club. Neymar enjoyed plenty of success with PSG, winning five league titles and five domestic cups before his move to Saudi Arabia last summer. However, many people believe that he never quite got back to the levels he showed at Barca.
Check out our guide to the most expensive centre-backs ever for more information on the biggest deals in soccer history.