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The transfer sums nowadays have become increasingly ridiculous with €100 million transfers now a common theme among Europe's elite.
Ever since Neymar's move to Paris Saint-Germain for a whopping €222 million in 2017, the transfer market has seen a huge amount of inflation. After the Brazilian's transfer, Kylian Mbappe, Philippe Coutinho, Joao Felix and many others made massively inflated, big-money moves.
Clubs have also fetched a lot of money from player sales
But while inflated prices have affected buyers, it has also helped clubs get maximum value for their players. As such, clubs have been able to generate a lot of money from player sales. While some of them have earned more in recent years, others have been making big money sales since the start of the century.
With the help of data from transfermarkt, we have taken a look at the five clubs who have made the most money from player sales in the 21st century. It's an interesting mix of clubs, from Europe's elite who tend to operate from both buying and selling high, to teams who religiously scout and develop talent before selling them.
So without any further adieu, let's have a look at these five clubs:
#5 Real Madrid - €1.29 billion
Real Madrid are without a doubt one of the most, if not the most successful, clubs of the 21st century and still remain a prime destination for players.
Whether it be Ronaldo Nazario, Cristiano Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane or perhaps Kylian Mbappe in the future, the Spanish side has always been able to attract the superstars of the game.
But while Madrid are synonymous with huge transfer fees and extravagant squads, they also know exactly how to get the highest price out of their unwanted stars. President Florentino Perez in particular has been shrewd in the transfer market.
As such, the club has made a staggering income of €1.29 billion from player sales in the 21st century.
Cristiano Ronaldo remains the club's record departure after he was sold to Juventus for €117 million in 2018. Meanwhile, the likes of Angel Di Maria, Alvaro Morata and Mesu Ozil have also fetched hefty sums for Los Blancos.
Madrid's academy, La Fabrica, has also been a major source of transfer income for the La Liga giants. Several players, including the likes of Achraf Hakimi, Sergio Reguilon and Marcos Llorente, graduated from the academy and were sold for hefty sums.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Real Madrid have not spent much in the transfer window in the last two seasons. However, the club has earned a decent profit from player sales. Hence Madrid will look to spend big next summer, with the likes of Erling Haaland and Mbappe touted as a potential targets for the club.
#4 SL Benfica - €1.31 billion
The only club to have a positive net spend (Income-Expenditure) on this list, SL Benfica have sold a number of young academy players for a healthy profit.
The club's academy has produced a number of top talents in the last few years, with their sales propelling Benfica to the fourth spot on this list.
Joao Felix remains their biggest sale to date after the academy graduate joined Atletico Madrid in 2019 for a whopping €127 million. But he's not the only homegrown star to be sold for such a healthy profit. The likes of Ruben Dias (€68m), Ederson (€40m), Axel Witsel (€40m), and Renato Sanches (€35m) have all graduated from the club and have been sold for big sums.
The club have a knack for scouting South American talent. Angel Di Maria and David Luiz were originally brought to Europe by Benfica, before being moved on for a tidy profit.
Benfica have only spent €682.65 million on transfers meaning in terms of net spend, the Portuguese side have made a whopping €624.94 million in this century.
Their player sales have not affected the squad as much since they managed to win the Portuguese league seven times in the 21st century. They have also been regularly competing in the Champions League in recent years. The Eagles are definitely one of the most well-run clubs in the world.
#3 Inter Milan - €1.32 billion
Inter Milan are one of the most popular and historical clubs in Europe and Italy. The famous blue and black stripes of the Nerazzurri have been worn by some of the game's finest stars, who have plied their trade at the iconic San Siro.
But like most clubs across Europe, Inter have often been forced to bid farewell to their stars whenever the right offer arrives. They have relied on transfer income to have a balanced squad that can challenge for both domestic and European trophies.
Inter's biggest sale happened this summer when they sold Belgian forward Romelu Lukaku to Chelsea for a reported €115 million. Achraf Hakimi's €60 million move to Paris Saint-Germain in the same summer was also one of their biggest sales. Notably, the club made the most money in Europe from transfers this summer.
In addition to that, the club have also overseen the departures of Zlatan Ibrahimovic (€69.5m), Mauro Icardi (€50m), Ronaldo (€45m) and Mario Balotelli (€29.5m) during the 21st century.
Inter had to sell some of their biggest stars due to a financial crisis this summer but the club has continued to perform well. They will definitely be hoping to rise from this situation once again.
#2 Chelsea - €1.34 billion
Chelsea became a spending juggernaut in 2003 when the club was purchased by billionaire Roman Abramovich.
Since the ownership of the club changed nearly 20 years ago, the Blues have spent hundreds of millions on new players. This has seen the club become a force in not just the Premier League but Europe as well, enabling them to win several trophies.
But the club has also made some massive sales during that time. They have recently become one of the best teams in the world at developing youngsters and selling them for profit.
The club's Cobham academy has become a regular source of income for the club, whether it be from loans or from permanent departures. However, Chelsea have often been criticized for a lack of a pathway for academy players to be integrated into the first team.
Chelsea's biggest departure, however, was that of their talisman Eden Hazard, who left for Real Madrid in 2019 for a reported €115 million. Other big sales include Diego Costa (€60m), Oscar (€60m), David Luiz (€50m) and Juan Mata (€45m).
The club's biggest sales from academy players was that of Tammy Abraham (€40m) and Fikayo Tomori (€29m) who both departed this summer for Roma and AC Milan respectively.
Chelsea continue to be smart in the transfer market and are definitely one of the clubs that has been able to justify their big spending with the income they generate.
#1 Juventus - €1.45 billion
Italian giants Juventus are the club who have profited the most from player sales in the 21st century.
The Bianconeri are Italy's most historically dominant club and part of that success has been built on being very shrewd in the transfer market. The Old Lady are known as the King of free transfers and have made some excellent bosman transfers over the years.
But Juventus have also splashed the cash and broken transfer records on superstars like Roberto Baggio and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Paul Pogba's departure to Manchester United in 2016 for €105 million in 2016 was the biggest sale made by the Turin-based side in the 21st century. Surprisingly, their second-biggest departure came back in 2001, when Zinedine Zidane was sold to Real Madrid for €77 million. It was a world record transfer at the time.
Juventus' other notable sales include that of Joao Cancelo (€65m), Miralem Pjanic (€60m), Leonardo Bonucci (€42m) and Arturo Vidal (€39m).
Despite selling so many big players, Juventus have managed to win Serie A a record 11 times during the century with nine consecutive wins coming between 2011-12 and 2019-20. This goes on to show that the club's hierarchy have done a pretty decent job in managing their finances while also not making a negative impact on the field.
