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The transfer market scenario has changed drastically over the years. From clubs scouting young and talented players and signing them for cheap to them spending a huge amount of money on a single player tailored for a specific job, the transfer market has come a long way.
With clubs going in for quality over quantity, spending huge amounts of money on a single player has become the trend and clubs have started to raise the price tags of their prized assets in order to ward off interest from other clubs.
However, as seen in the Neymar transfer saga, money is not a concern when a club is determined to make a signing. While we wait for another exciting transfer or contract extension in the ongoing window, following is a list of the players with the highest transfer revenues generated in their illustrious careers as professional footballers.
#5 Romelu Lukaku - €132 Million
Romelu Lukaku has always been a special player. Since making his professional debut at age 16 to winning the league with Anderlecht as the top scorer, he has been a striker primed for success.
The big Belgian attacker has been playing in the Premier League since 2011 when he was signed by Chelsea for €12 million which is a staggering amount for an 18-year-old kid. He did not feature exclusively for the club in that season and the need for more game time saw him move to West-Brom on loan for a year.
In 2013, the player moved away from his parent club, in search of more game time, to Everton- his second loan spell in two years.
He scored 15 goals in the league that season and became popular among fans and critics. Everton did not hesitate and signed him on a five-year deal in July 2014, for a club record fee of €35 million.
His goal scoring form continued and his market value increased by the day, as he went on to score 51 times by the end of the 2016-17 season. His ambition to play in the Champions League and win silverware saw him reject a contract extension, and a move back to Chelsea seemed imminent in the summer of 2017.
However, a last minute call from Jose Mourinho saw the player move to Manchester United for a whopping €85 million. The player has resumed business as usual, having found the back of the net 10 times this season for Manchester United in the league and at a young age of 24, the sky is the limit for him.
#4 Gonzalo Higuaín - €142 Million
Higuain was born in France. After obtaining Argentina's citizenship in 2007, he now plays as a striker for the Italian club, Juventus and the Argentina national team. In his career as a professional footballer, Higuain has played for some big clubs across Europe.
He started his career with River Plate in Argentina, before Real Madrid signed him for €12 million, in January 2007. He played for them till 2013, winning the La Liga 3 times, the Copa-del-Rey and also scoring 104 times in the league.
With the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema and Bale in the team, competition for the striker's spot was intense and so he left the club for Napoli in a €40 million transfer deal.
With new pastures to prove his quality and another Argentinian's (Maradona) legacy to live up to in Napoli, Higuain started his career with a bang.
The 2015–16 season, saw him score 36 league goals, winning the Capocannoniere title. Italian champions Juventus took note of his goal scoring abilities and signed him for €90 million in 2016, making him the most expensive South-American footballer till Neymar's transfer to PSG.
At 30 years of age and with a great team to play for, Higuain looks settled in Italy and a future transfer looks less likely to happen. However, with players often looking at the financial aspect of the game during their later years, nothing can be said for sure.
#3 Zlatan Ibrahimovic - €169 Million
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the 6ft5in colossal striker has a legacy bigger than his name, and more self-confidence than a squad of players put together. Having played for the biggest names in club football and won domestic accolades across Netherlands, Spain, Italy, France and England, the Swede does not seem to be in the mood to retire anytime soon.
After joining Ajax as a teenager in 2001, the striker moved to Juventus for €16 million in 2004. His goal scoring abilities and physical presence on the pitch saw him move to rivals Inter for €24.8 million in 2006.
His exploits in front of the goal saw him move to Barcelona in 2009 for a club record €69.5 million. With personal problems persisting throughout the season, especially with manager Pep Guardiola, he moved back to Italy-- this time with AC Milan on loan.
He became one of the highest-paid players in the world and won another Scudetto with Milan in the 2010–11 season, making the club sign him for €24 million. A successful career at the club saw him move to PSG in 2012 for €21 million, courtesy of the heavily loaded PSG and super agent Mino Raiola.
After 3 seasons in France, the Swede moved on to Manchester, on a free transfer, to reunite with his favourite boss Mourinho in the hopes of winning a title in England. He is currently at Manchester United, in his second year at the club and going strong at the age of 36.
#2 Angel di Maria - €179 million
The Argentine attacking midfielder started his career at CA Rosario in Argentina. After impressing scouts, he made a switch to SL Benfica in Portugal, for €8 million in 2007.
Quick-footed, hard working and a player with a magical touch, Di Maria soon made it to the first team of Benfica and started impressing fans and critics with his vision and reading of the game.
In 2010, Real Madrid agreed terms with Benfica for the transfer of Di María, a player who was now backed by Diego Maradona to become "Argentina's next superstar".
Madrid secured a €33 million transfer from Benfica for a player who had just signed a contract extension in 2009. He was to join a star-studded team that had the likes of Xabi Alonso, Ozil, Modric and Kaka in midfield.
Di Maria soon became a regular in the first team despite all the competition and was crucial to the team with his vision and link up play, especially with Cristiano Ronaldo.
After winning the UEFA Champions League in 2014, with a man of the match performance in the finals, where his tireless runs down the wings saw him earn praise from everyone, Di Maria decided to leave Madrid.
With the zest to prove himself, he joined Premier League giants Manchester United in 2014, for a club record €75 million. He showed glimpses of his quality through the season, wearing the famous no.7 jersey. However, getting played out of position and falling out with the manager forced him to depart the club after a single season.
With a super agent in Jorge Mendes, Di Maria made his move to PSG in 2015 for a whopping €63 million. At 29, the player seems to have settled in the team over the years and with PSG trying to win the Champions League, he is very vital to their already world-class attack.
#1 Neymar - €310 Million
Neymar is logically the highest transfer revenue generating footballer of all times. His recent transfer from Barcelona to PSG, for a jaw-dropping €222 million, eclipses the total amount of value generated by the next player on this list, Angel Di Maria.
The Brazilian came to prominence at Santos, aged 17, when he helped the club win multiple honours and was named South American Footballer of the Year, twice.
His creativity and goal-scoring abilities earned him a lot of personal awards including the 2011 FIFA Puskas Award, at the age of 19. He had already started creating headlines in Europe with his game and a transfer to one of the biggest clubs in Europe looked imminent.
On 27 May 2013, Neymar was to sign with Barcelona on a 5-year contract. Barcelona had won the race to one of football's most exciting and marketable names, defeating rivals Real Madrid, amongst many other elite clubs, in the process.
The transfer value as stated by the club was €57 million. An investigation into the alleged tax evasion in the transfer deal revealed the amount to be much higher, with sources claiming it to be twice what the club had reported, with some claiming the amount to be around €88 million.
The player enjoyed great success at Barcelona, winning trophies and forming one of the deadliest attacks in football with teammates Messi and Suarez. In his 4 seasons at Barcelona, Neymar scored a staggering 105 goals in all competitions and won 8 trophies with the club and numerous individual awards.
With the vigour to prove himself and seeing the French league as a new challenge in his career, Neymar moved to PSG in 2017. At 25 years of age, the transfer fee paid for him looks astounding, but the player can be lured away with an interesting prospect, with him yet to reach his peak.
Also read: 10 footballers with the highest weekly wages in the world
