📊 Neymar has been at football's summit for nine years, here's why | OneFootball

August 3, 2017.

Paris Saint-Germain shocked the football world by paying the €222 million release clause to take Neymar from Barcelona.

The Brazilian, then 25, became the most expensive signing in football history.

📸 Aurelien Meunier - 2017 Getty Images

And he still holds that spot nine years later.

Neymar would go on to play for the French club for six seasons.

He racked up goals (118), domestic titles (13), the 2019/20 Champions League runner-up finish and a number of injuries before being sold to Al-Hilal for €90 million.

Did the market go crazy? 🤑

Barcelona suddenly had plenty of cash on hand after selling Neymar.

And they paid €148 million to Dortmund for Dembélé to replace the Brazilian later that same August.

The Frenchman was valued at €33 million at the time.

📸 JOSEP LAGO - AFP or licensors AFP or licensors

Then came the January window — usually one with few "extravagant" signings — and another €135 million to take Coutinho from Liverpool.

📸 Clive Rose - 2018 Getty Images

The duo ultimately did not enjoy the success that had been expected.

Dembélé was sold to PSG for €50 million, but Barça only received half of that.

Coutinho, meanwhile, brought in €8.5 million from his loan to Bayern and then €20 million from his sale to Aston Villa.

PSG already had Mbappé when Neymar was announced, but only on loan.

The fee to keep the then-young French star had already been agreed with Monaco: €180 million.

He still sits right behind Neymar in the ranking of the most expensive. And Dembélé completes the Top 3.

Top-🔟 most expensive in history

Every signing on this list has been made since August 2017.

Only Dortmund appear more than once among the selling clubs.

PSG, Barça and Liverpool stand out among the biggest buyers.

And there are now three English players among the most expensive in history after the additions of Morgan Rogers and Elliot in the current window.

Check them out below:

10 - Wirtz - Leverkusen ➡️ Liverpool - €125 million

9 - Jude Bellingham - Dortmund ➡️ Real Madrid - €127 million

8 - João Félix - Benfica ➡️ Atlético de Madrid - €127.2 million

7 - Elliot Anderson - Nottingham Forest ➡️ Manchester City - €135 million

6 - Philippe Coutinho ➡️ Liverpool - Barcelona - €135 million

5 - Morgan Rogers - Aston Villa ➡️ Chelsea - €138 million

4 - Alexander Isak - Newcastle ➡️ Liverpool - €145 million

3 - Dembélé - Dortmund ➡️ Barcelona - €148 million

2 - Mbappé - Monaco ➡️ PSG - €180 million

1 - Neymar - Barcelona ➡️ PSG - €222 million

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.

📸 Buda Mendes - 2026 Getty Images