The Ligue 1 is one of the top football leagues in the world and is often associated with great footballers, but was always seen as something of a feeder league. Over the years there have been numerous talents who have risen from the French league and moved onto the bigger leagues in England, Spain, Italy and Germany to achieve superstardom.
However, in June 2011, the Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) helmed by Nasser Al-Khelaifi took over the reins of Paris Saint-Germain and since then the league has seen an influx of superstars and super talents, mostly to the French capital with large sums shelled out in every transfer window for the players. With lucrative contracts on offer along with a new culture, players are nowadays not shy to try their mettle in France, with the number of people watching the French league also skyrocketing in the last 3-4 years. Here, the ten most expensive signings that arrived in Ligue 1 history are listed.
10. Grzegorz Krychowiak - €33.6 million
Grzegorz Krychowiak became the most expensive Polish footballer in history when he was snapped up by Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain on 3 July 2016 for a reported sum of €33.6 million from UEFA Europa League winners Sevilla. The 26-year-old was a vital cog in Sevilla’s midfield for the past couple of years leading them to successive Europa League crowns and was included in the Europa League Squad of the Season for the past two seasons.
After the departure of Laurent Blanc, PSG appointed Unai Emery as their new manager this season and the Polish defensive midfielder followed his manager’s path to Paris, signing a five-year deal. Standing at 6 feet 1 inch tall, Krychowiak impressed under Emery at Sevilla and was included in the La Liga Team of the Season for 2014-15. After putting a decent performance in the recently concluded Euros for Poland, the Gryfice born star seems to be an excellent addition to the ranks of the French champions.
9. Nicolas Anelka - €34.5 million
A throwback to the days before PSG were the powerhouses they are today.
Nicolas Anelka began his professional football career with Paris Saint-Germain at the age of 17 and after a season in the French top flight, was transferred to Arsenal, and subsequently to Spanish giants Real Madrid. In the summer of 2000, PSG broke the then transfer record in French football when they re-signed the then 21-year-old for a hefty fee of €34.5 million.
The French striker was seen as the player who would lead the club to glory for many years to come, but he soon fell out with the coach, Luis Fernandez. Anelka scored 10 goals in 39 appearances for PSG before being loaned out to English Premier League club Liverpool in December 2001 until the end of the season. He was then shipped to Manchester City in May 2002, making him the club record signing of the English club at that time. Anelka held the record of the most expensive signing in Ligue 1 history for more than a decade, but his outcome with the Parisian club laments him as one of the worst transfers in the league history.
8. Lucas Moura - €40 million
Lucas Moura was a revelation in his time in Brazil, playing for Sao Paulo and was seen as a huge prospect for his country. Following his stellar performances for the Brazilian club, he was a reported transfer target for Manchester United. In August 2012, Paris Saint-Germain reached an agreement with Sao Paulo for the services of the player, and the Brazilian winger moved to the French club in January 2013 for a record €45 million.
The diminutive winger has lighted up the French league with his techniques, explosive pace and wonderful dribbling skills and played in a variety of positions in the offensive front, marking himself as a versatile player. Lucas has scored 21 league goals for PSG in 111 appearances and claimed the league championship in all of his seasons at the French capital. Still a subject of transfer for some of the European giants, Lucas Moura has been a good value-for-money signing by the French champions.
7. Thiago Silva - €42 million
Thiago Silva was seen as the best centre-back in world football at his time in AC Milan and was the subject of interest from Spanish giants Barcelona for a long time. However, after pledging to stay at Milan in the summer of 2011, Silva left the Italian club the next year to join Nasser Al-Khelaifi’s French revolution with Paris Saint-Germain in a deal worth €42 million making him the joint expensive footballer in Ligue 1.
The Brazilian scored on his debut for PSG and till now remains as the vital cog of the team. At the Parc des Princes, Silva claimed the Ligue 1 championship in each of his four seasons, winning the domestic treble in 2014-15 and 2015-16, and was voted in the Ligue 1 Team of the Year in all of the seasons, receiving plaudits from the French press for his commanding presence in the heart of the defence, and leadership ability. Now 31, Silva has already become one of the best players in PSG history.
6. Javier Pastore - €42 million
The Argentine was voted as the Seria A Young Footballer of the Year in 2010 for his outstanding performances for Palermo and was reportedly a transfer target for a host of big European clubs. After staying for another year in Italy and further impressing on the pitch, Pastore eventually signed for Paris Saint-Germain at the age of 22, on 6 August 2011 in a then French league transfer record fee of €42 million, breaking Nicolas Anelka’s record.
Pastore has been a successful signing by the Parisian outfit and has scored 25 times in 144 appearances for the club in Ligue 1, and was included in the Ligue 1 UNFP Team of the Year for 2014-15 season. The attacking midfielder has won four Ligue 1 titles, three Coupe de la Ligue and Trophee des champions each, and two Coupe de France with PSG, and also have scored some vital goals for his club in the UEFA Champion League.
5. Radamel Falcao - €43 million
Radamel Falcao established himself as the best striker in the world during his spells with FC Porto and Atletico Madrid, which produced goals aplenty at an alarming rate and also resulted in UEFA Europa League title success with both the clubs, as well as domestic trophies. It was only a matter of when a top club would come out to acquire his services that Falcao shocked the world with his big money move to the newly promoted French club AS Monaco in the summer of 2013. The transfer was worth €43 million and the Colombian signed a five-year deal with Monaco, with his annual salary to be around €18 million.
Falcao couldn’t explode like his stints in Portugal and Spain, and his season met a cruel ending when he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury putting his inclusion in the Colombian World Cup team in jeopardy. Falcao recovered in time to play in the tournament but never was the same player again. He left Monaco for England on loans with Manchester United and Chelsea in the next two seasons but faltered at both the clubs.
4. James Rodriguez - €45 million
A winner of eight trophies in his three years at the Portuguese club FC Porto, James Rodriguez was seen as one of the hottest young prospects at that time. The young Colombian was signed by the French club AS Monaco in the summer of 2013 on a five-year deal, few weeks before he turned 22, for an eye-popping sum of €45 million, the second largest transfer sum in Portuguese league history. At the principality club, James was joined by his Colombian colleague and former Porto team-mate Radamel Falcao.
James became an instant hit at Monaco and scored 11 goals in the league campaign as well as, topping the assist chart in the league. He was voted in the UNFP Ligue 1 XI and was crowned the Player of the Year by his club. In the FIFA World Cup 2014 in Brazil, James took the tournament by storm, guiding Colombia to the quarter-finals. He ended the tournament as top-scorer, won the Goal of the Tournament award and was included in the team of the tournament. After a sole season in Monaco, James left for Real Madrid in another big-money move.
3. David Luiz - €62.6 million
On 13 June 2014, David Luiz became the most expensive defender on the planet, when Paris Saint-Germain shelled out an eye-watering €62.6 million to Chelsea for the Brazilian’s services. The 6-feet 2-inch defender signed a five-year deal with the Ligue 1 champions, joining his Brazilian compatriot Thiago Silva at the heart of the PSG defence. Luiz’s transfer was met with mixed response from the football fans all over the world with Chelsea profiting double the amount they spent to sign him from Benfica in 2011.
At PSG, Luiz won the domestic treble in each of his two seasons. He formed an excellent defensive pairing with Thiago Silva and both players were named in the Ligue 1 Team of the Year for the seasons 2014-15 and 2015-16. Luiz scored against his former employers Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in March 2015 to knock out the English club from the UEFA Champions League. He has scored 3 goals in 53 Ligue 1 games for PSG.
2. Angel Di Maria - €63 million
After his miserable 2014-15 spell with Manchester United in England, where he was the most expensive British signing, Angel Di Maria was a reported target of Paris Saint-Germain. Labelled as the worst signing of the season in England, the mercurial Argentine was provided with an escape route by the French club, when they offered Manchester United a handsome €63 million. Di Maria eventually signed a four-year deal with the Parisians in the first week of August 2015, making him the second most expensive signing in Ligue 1 history.
Di Maria won the domestic treble in his first season at the Parc des Princes, contributing 10 goals and 18 assists in 28 league games, and also scoring the winning goal against Lille in the Coupe de la Ligue final. His assists in the league is a new record and he was rewarded with a place in the Ligue 1 Team of the Year. Di Maria also played an integral part in PSG’s march to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League where they were beaten by Manchester City.
1. Edinson Cavani - €64.5 million
Edinson Cavani scored a whopping 104 goals in 138 games for the Italian club Napoli in three seasons. After linking with moves to Spain and England, the Uruguay international joined the Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain on a five-year deal on 16 July 2013. PSG paid €64.5 million for his signature, making Cavani the most expensive signing in Ligue 1, and the sixth largest transfer in football history.
At PSG, Cavani was deployed in the wide role, with the manager Laurent Blanc prioritising Zlatan Ibrahimovic as the main man in attack. Despite playing second fiddle to Ibrahimovic, Cavani still managed to score 53 times in 97 games in the league, averaging more than a goal in every two games. In his first season at the club, Cavani won the domestic double and went one better in the next couple of seasons by claiming the domestic treble. He was also included in the Ligue 1 Team of the Year for the 2013-14 season. Cavani is not the best signing in Ligue 1 history yet, but he has made his value count for his team.
