The Top 10 Most Expensive Right-Backs Of All Time
The international transfer market has undergone some huge shifts in the last few years. First of all, PSG's decision to trigger Neymar's staggering £200m buyout clause and bring him from Barcelona to France in 2017 had an instant impact on transfer sums, inflating the market and impacting fee negotiations for other players for years to come.
Wealthy English clubs like Manchester United and Chelsea have further normalised the paying of enormous fees for talented players, inflating the market even more, while the dramatic rise of the super-flush Saudi Pro League has also complicated things by attracting many gifted players by offering far higher wages than most European clubs are able to offer.
These shifts have impacted players in every position, with top strikers, midfielders and defenders all suddenly worth a lot more money than they would have been a decade ago.
In this article, we're going to examine how the inflation of the transfer market has affected the value of full-backs in elite-level soccer, exploring who the most expensive right-backs of all time are.
The Modern Right Back: Key Responsibilities
The versatility and dynamism demonstrated by all the best modern right-backs is a key driver in the inflated transfer fees currently being paid for players in this position. Right-backs must be able to attack with speed, providing width in transition and pushing forward into areas from which they can deliver dangerous balls.
Their passing skills must be strong, too, particularly in tight spaces, as they will regularly be tasked with getting involved in quick, fluid passing triangles with midfield players.
On top of these offensive-minded contributions, modern right-backs also need to have strong defensive capabilities. Jockeying opponents, making tackles, reading the game to complete interceptions and blocks, and even throwing themselves into last-ditch slide tackles when opposition attackers are bearing down on goal, are all part of the job of a right-sided defender.
This is particularly true of a traditional right-back in a back four; however, it also applies to slightly more advanced right wing-backs, who are commonly deployed at the highest level in the modern day.
In our list of the top 10 most expensive right-backs of all time, both these types of players are considered.
The Top 10 Most Expensive Right Backs Of All Time
If you can do the defensive basics while also contributing significantly to attacks from the right-back position, you'll be able to attract substantial fees from some of the world's best clubs…
10. Danilo – €37m
Since the influx of money began arriving from Abu Dhabi post-2008, Manchester City have been able to consistently spend cash with a level of freedom that very few clubs in the history of world football have enjoyed.
One player who benefited from this by securing a big move to the club in 2017 was Danilo, the experienced Brazilian full-back. City reportedly paid £26.5m to bring the versatile right-back to the Etihad, and while he produced some excellent displays in a sky blue shirt and won two Premier League titles, it never felt as though he was fully settled.
That certainly hasn't been the case since his €37m transfer to Juventus in the summer of 2019; Danilo has won several trophies and been one of the Serie A club's most consistent performers in recent years.
9. Tino Livramento – €37.2m
Just pipping Danilo to ninth-spot is Newcastle United's promising young full-back Tino Livramento, whose services were acquired by the Saudi-owned club in the summer of 2023 after Southampton's relegation from the Premier League to the Championship.
Livramento was after regular Premier League football, and he achieved that while also contributing to the Magpies' European campaign. Still aged only 22, the England youth international has a bright future ahead of him, as his £32m (€37.2m) transfer fee suggests.
8. Pedro Porro – €40m
The presence of manager Antonio Conte and sporting director Fabio Paratici at Tottenham Hotspur had a major impact on the club's transfer strategy, with several players brought in to appeal to the pair's tactical direction of travel.
Pedro Porro was one such name, brought from Sporting to Spurs in January 2023. His first few months at the club were a mixed bag, but he showed real promise, persuading the club to part with €40m in order to keep him there on a permanent basis following the arrival of Ange Postecoglou later that year.
Known for slick passing, excellent ball delivery skills and dogged defending, Porro has since solidified his place in the Spurs team and become one of the most consistent performers under Postecoglou.
7. João Cancelo – €40.4m
João Cancelo is a player whose clever movement, ball control skills, passing ability and incredible vision have convinced multiple clubs to pull out the cheque book and do whatever it takes to get his signature.
The first significant fee paid for the Portuguese international came in the summer of 2018, when Juventus handed Valencia over €40.4m for the then-24-year-old product of the Benfica talent factory, who had spent three stellar seasons at Valencia.
Later on in his career, Cancelo would cost even more to prise from The Old Lady…
6. Achraf Hakimi – €43m
Moroccan international Achraf Hakimi played an important role in his country's historic journey to the 2022 Qatar World Cup semi-finals (they were the first ever African nation to reach this stage of the tournament).
At the time, Hakimi was already one of PSG's most pivotal players at the age of just 23, and his star quality was evident when he was even younger. In 2020, the Real Madrid right-back (who graduated from the club's academy) was fresh from an excellent loan spell at Borussia Dortmund, in which he had got the attention of clubs across Europe.
The result? Madrid were able to demand a €43m fee for the rapid full-back from buying club Inter Milan, who were able to outflank BVB. Hakimi brought excellent technical ability and blistering pace to Serie A — while at Dortmund, he had set a Bundesliga speed record when he recorded a ridiculous 36.48km/h (22.67 mph) run in a match against Union Berlin.
5. Kyle Walker – €52.7m
England international Kyle Walker was a core member of Manchester City following his €52.7m move in 2017.
On 24 January 2025, he was loaned to AC Milan, making 16 appearances before Milan declined their €5m purchase option. Walker returned to City in June 2025 but was left out of the Club World Cup squad, suggesting he’s surplus to requirements.
Everton and Fenerbahçe have reportedly expressed interest in his services.
4. Aaron Wan-Bissaka – €55m
Crystal Palace became known for developing top talent… In 2019 he joined Manchester United for €55m.
Now aged 27, he plays for West Ham United, joining on 13 August 2024 for around £15m. He started 36 games in 2024–25, scored twice, led the team in tackles/interceptions, and was voted Hammer of the Year.
He's also now eligible for the DR Congo national team and remains a key contributor, though some still question whether he’s justified the original fee.
3. Benjamin White – €58.5m
We included Arsenal's Ben White in our list of the top 10 most expensive centre-backs in world football history, but Mikel Arteta's positional tweaking of the English pro means we had no choice but to place the versatile defender in this list too.
White has been a standout performer at the Emirates since joining from Brighton & Hove Albion for €58.5m in 2021, adapting his playing style to suit a wider area of the pitch and contributing in both a defensive and an attacking sense under Arteta's complex tactical system.
As well as being a solid, intelligent defender with strong aerial ability, White is excellent on the ball, his ability to build possession from the back and combine with midfielders making him one of the best right-backs in the Premier League.
2. João Cancelo – €65m
The record fee came in summer 2019 when Manchester City signed him from Juventus.
Following loan spells at Bayern Munich and Barcelona, Cancelo completed a permanent transfer to Al Hilal on 27 August 2024 in a deal worth £21–25 million. He featured in 22 league games during the 2024–25 season in Saudi Arabia.
1. Achraf Hakimi – €68m
It may not be a surprise to see Paris Saint Germain feature at the top of the list, given their huge spending over the past decade.
The club's purchase of Morocco star Achraf Hakimi in 2021 remains one of their biggest ever signings, but his performances in Paris have gone a long way toward justifying that fee. Revered for his incredible pace, his passing and ball delivery skills, as well as his ability to track back and defend, the former Inter Milan right-back is currently regarded as one of the best full-backs in the world, and as it stands, he's the most expensive right-back in history.
Hakimi also played a key role at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations and remains a cornerstone of both PSG and the Moroccan national team.
To see how some of these transfers slot into the broader picture of global transfers, check out our guide to the most expensive Premier League signings ever.
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The Top 10 Most Expensive Right-Backs Of All Time
