The Bundesliga is the only top league in the world where clubs cannot buy their way to success. Well, unless you’re Bayern Munich that is. Bayern’s domination of the German top flight over the years and global appeal has put them in a position where they are able to bully the other teams and this is more than evident as you look at the amount of money they’ve shelled out in order to strengthen their squad.
Everyone else on the other hand, usually nurture young footballers and turn them into superstars, except for a couple of exceptions. Today, we look at players who secured the 10 most expensive transfer fees while signing for Bundesliga clubs.
#10. Mario Gomez - €30.00 million
The 31-year-old German secured a €30 million move to Bayern Munich from VFB Stuttgart in 2009 on the backdrop of some excellent form that saw him win the 20007 German Player of the Year. He Started with an inconsistent first season at Bayern, but the striker slowly settled in and eventually found lethal form, scoring 39 and 41 goals in the seasons to follow. He was injured while on international duty at Euro 2012 and Mario Mandzukic was brought in as a backup who eventually displaced him as the first choice striker. Limited game time forced him to seek a move and he joined Fiorentina in 2013.
A tall, big, athletic player, Gomez is a player with limited technical abilities but has a superb eye for goal. Arsène Wenger described him as "a great finisher who is often in the right place to finish off moves."
#9. Manuel Neuer – €30.00 million
The 30-year-old sweeper keeper who is often described as the best in the world today has revolutionized goalkeeping with his superb ability to anticipate the position of the ball on the pitch. It is this sort of form at Schalke that saw Neuer earn a big-money move to the Bavarians.
Under Pep Guardiola, his ability as a sweeper got highlighted and eventually his vital performances helped Germany lift the World Cup in 2014. He won the Golden Glove at the World Cup and has won the IFHHS Keeper of the Year for 3 years in a row starting 2013. He finished 3rd in the Ballon d'Or in 2014 and L'Equipe named him Athlete of the Year in 2014. He has cat-like reflexes to go along with his anticipation and positioning making him a fearsome opponent to beat. He has recently signed an extension at Bayern till 2021 and we can expect more of him to come.
#8. Douglas Costa – €30.00 million
The 25-year-old Brazillian winger has come a long way from Gremio in Brazil. A highly successful period at Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine secured a €30 million move to Bayern Munich last summer. A left winger by trade, he can perform with equal ease on the right and as well as adapts to the central attacking midfield thus giving him the dimension of a versatile attacker. He made 43 appearances for the club last season scoring 7 times and assisting an impressive 18 more in the process.
A speedster, Douglas Costa is very dangerous on the counter as he can burst through with loads of pace. Blessed with quick feet, an eye for assists and the ability to chip in with a healthy amount of goals, Costa looks like he can be a key figure at Bayern for years to come.
#7. Andre Schurrle – €32.00 million
The 25-year-old German international who plays as a forward at Vfl Wolfsburg has plied his trade in both Germany and England. A youth product of Mainz, he went on to join Bayer Leverkusen where his performances attracted several clubs before Chelsea finally secured his services. Frustrated with a lack of game time, he opted for a move back to the Bundesliga when Die Wolf came calling.
He has been fairly inconsistent and hasn’t been able to justify his large transfer fee, although he still has time on his side as well as the skills to turn his game around. A strong figure, he likes to dribble and cut inside and has good shooting ability. Had a fairly poor debut season with him scoring once and assisting 3 times across all competitions. He bettered the next season scoring 12 times and assisting a further 7 goals.
#6. Renato Sanches – €35.00 million
The 18-year-old starlet who was awarded the Best Young Player of the tournament at the UEFA Euro 2016 a few days back joined Bayern Munich from Benfica for €35 million ahead of a host of other clubs including Manchester United before the tournament in France. He has already shown glimpses of potential greatness following his move as he became the youngest Portuguese to play in, score in and win an international tournament. He also holds the record of being a player leaving the domestic league for the highest transfer fee.
The 1.76m youngster is primarily a central midfielder but has added dimensions of versatility which enable him to also operate in defensive, attacking as well as wide roles at such a young age. A highly talented youngster on the rise, his skills, and technical abilities are still raw which is very justified given a player of his age. If he keeps his chin up and stays humble, he could become one of the greatest ever players.
#5. Julian Draxler - €36.00 million
The 22-year-old German international and World Cup winner secured his move from Schalke to Wolfsburg for a club record €36 million last summer as a replacement for Kevin de Bruyne who joined Manchester City in another huge money move away from the Bundesliga. The golden boy of German football had big shoes to fill indeed.
He’s had a bit of a difficult start to life at his new club and hasn’t been able to quite replace de Bruyne yet. He made 35 appearances for Wolfsburg last season scoring 9 times and assisting 8 teams across all competitions. Following a strong showing at the Euros, he will be looking to build on a decent first season and fulfill his enormous potential.
An excellent dribbler of the ball with marvelous ball control, Draxler likes to shoot from long ranges and plays long balls. His defensive contribution nonetheless is weak but it overshadows his attacking and technical abilities.
#4. Mario Gotze - €37.00 million
A player whose name will forever be remembered in the history of German football, Mario Gotze holds the all special record of scoring the winner in the extra time against Argentina in the World Cup final in Brazil that gave Germany their 4th World Cup. This was of course, after his much-maligned move from Dortmund to rivals Bayern Munich.
In the 2012-13 season, Jurgen Klopp's Dortmund finished 2nd to Bayern in the Bundesliga, DFB Pokal, and the Champions League. Prior to the semi-finals, Bayern Munich had activated Gotze's release clause of €37 million and the player agreed to join them next season. Both the player and Bayern came in for huge criticism for both how they announced the transfer, as well as Bayern’s policy of using their financial might to bully their local rivals.
His stint at Bayern has been one he will not want to remember. Having been injury-plagued during his stint at the club, and not having the manager’s favour, he has been linked with a move back to the Signal Iduna Park. He's a technically strong player who loves to dribble and makes key passes and holds on to the ball well. He is a threat in counter attacks and likes to do layoffs and cut inside. He's appeared 114 times for Bayern Munich scoring 36 times and assisting 24 more.
#3. Arturo Vidal - €37.00 million
Back to back Copa America winner with Chile, Arturo Vidal is one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the world at the moment. Starting his career with Colo-Colo in Chile, he moved to Bayer Leverkusen in 2007 before moving to Juventus in 2011. He returned for his second spell in Germany by signing a deal with Bayern last season for a fee of €37 million. A tactically versatile player, Vidal can be used in both attack and defense as and when required making a strong addition to any team he plays for.
His tackling ability and defensive contribution are very strong and he is good at making through balls, key passes, long shots, and holding on to the ball. He's a good penalty taker and likes to cut inside and do layoffs. In his debut season at Bayern, he made 47 appearances scoring 7 times in the process becoming the engine of the Bayern team.
#2. Mats Hummels - €38.00 million
Undoubtedly one of the best centre-backs in the world right now, Hummels moved back to his youth club Bayern Munich after 8 seasons at Dortmund where he was eventually made the captain. Even though he had a year left on his contract, Dortmund extracted a hefty €38 million from Bayern thus making him the 2nd most expensive player in Bundesliga history as the Bavarians continued their practice of gutnig rival squads for their best players.
The world cup winner with Germany in 2014 is a large, consistent, and physically strong player is known for his powerful tackling and strength in the air. He's excellent in game reading and intercepts loose balls with ease. One of the few technically gifted central defenders of his generations, Hummels is tactically flexible and can be used as a defensive midfielder. His composure, elegance, on-the-ball abilities and confidence in possession have drawn comparisons with compatriot Franz Beckenbauer.
#1. Javi Martinez – €40.00 million
The 27-year-old Spanish international made his big money move to Bayern Munich from Athletic Bilbao after Euro 2012 for a league record €40 million which stands even today as of date. Bilbao was in no mood to sell their player but Bayern was firm in their pursuit and finally secured his signature by paying the full amount of his release clause which enabled the player to switch clubs. This signing turned out to be very crucial as he played a pivotal role in the season which helped Bayern to win the treble under Jupp Heynckes that season.
Plays usually as a central defender, Heynckes used him in defensive midfield which added immense stability to the team. He is extremely strong in passing and aerial duels and likes to hold the ball. He's good in tackling and makes rash challenges rarely. He is an indirect set piece threat and likes to do layoffs and play short passes. He's been plagued by injury in recent times but that has not deterred Bayern from removing their trust in him as he signed an extension to stay in Munich till 2021.
