Top 10 Most Expensive Football Players in the World

10. Sergio Aguero

He is an Argentine striker who plays for English Club Manchester City and the Argentina National team. While playing for Atletico Madrid, he made a name for himself with 101 goals of 234 appearances and being the part of the squad that won UEFA Europa League and UEFA Super Cup. He moved to Manchester City for a transfer fee that is thought to be about £35 million. In the Premier league, he set the record of highest goals per minute ratio ever and also a record of five goals in a match. He is the leading South American goal scorer in the history of the Premier league.

9. Ricardo Kaka

He is a Brazilian attacking midfielder who plays for Orlando City SC and the Brazil National team. He has also played for clubs like Sao Paulo, Milan and Real Madrid. He received FIFA World Player of the Year Award and Ballon D’or in 2007. He also won Golden Ball Award in 2009 FIFA Confederation Cup. In 2009, his transfer from Milan to Real Madrid saw one of the highest transfer fees at the time. He has involved in humanitarian works as an ambassador of UN World Food Program. He is so popular worldwide that he is the first sportsperson to amass 10 million folowers on twitter.

8. James Rodriguez

This Colombian professional footballer plays for Spanish Club Real Madrid and the Colombia National team as an attacking midfielder or winger. For his exceptional playing skills and techniques, he is considered as one of the best young players at present. He has represented clubs like Envigado, Banfield, Porto, Monaco and currently Real Madrid. He moved from AS Monaco to Real Madrid for a transfer fee of €80 million, making him one of the most expensive players in football. He won the Golden Boot for being the tournament’s top goal scorer in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

7. Luis Suarez

He is a Uruguayan striker who plays for Spanish Club Barcelona and the Uruguay national team. He is considered as one of the best strikers ever with over 300 goals under his name. He represented clubs like Nacional, Groningen, Ajax and Liverpool before his transfer to FC Barcelona that saw one of the highest transfer fees in football history of about € 82 million. He was named PFA Players’ Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year in 2014. He also won Premier League Golden Boot for being the league’s top scorer. He has received the European Golden Boot Award twice. He has been Uruguay’s all-time top goal scorer with some major contributions in nation’s campaign in major title competitions.

6. Wayne Rooney

He is a forward player who represents Manchester United and the England National team. He played for Everton, Merseyside club before moving to Manchester United for £25.6 million. He is Manchester United’s second top goal scorer of all time. He has been the part of the club which has won the UEFA Champions League once, the FIFA Club World Cup once, the FA Cup once, the Football league Cup twice, the Premier League five times. He is England’s all time record goal scorer and has won the England Player of the Year four times. His bicycle kick goal against Manchester City won him “Premier League Goal of the 20 seasons” award.

5. Gareth Bale

He is a Welsh winger who currently represents Real Madrid and Wales National Team. His veering free kicks, great crossing ability, exceptional physical abilities and striking from distance are highly acclaimed. He has played for Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid Clubs. His transfer to Real Madrid saw one of the highest fees in the history, which also overshadowed Cristiano Ronaldo’s transfer fee into the same club. He has the fame of scoring in three major finals for Real Madrid to win Copa Del Rey, UEFA Champions league and FIFA Club World Club.

4. Zlatan Ibrahimović

He is a Swedish striker who plays for Paris Saint- Germain and Sweden National Team. He is Sweden’s all-time top goal scorer and is considered as Sweden’s second greatest sportsperson of all time after tennis legend Bjorn Borg. He has represented various clubs like Ajax, Juventus, Barcelona, Milan and currently PSG. He has won a record ten times GuldBollen for Swedish Player of the Year award. He is renowned as one of the best strikers ever in football history owing to his distinctive playing style and acrobatic finishing. One of the most memorable goals of this century is his spectacular bicycle kick for Sweden against England, which also won 2013 FIFA Goal of the Year Award.

3. Neymar

This Brazilian forward or winger player is an emerging superstar in football. He plays for Spanish Club FC Barcelona and Brazil National Team. He has shown immense potential in the international stage at very young age. He has exceptional skills, acceleration and incredible ability with both feet. He is very often compared to Brazilian football legend Pelé. He won FIFA Puskàs Award for Goal of the year in 2011. He is considered to be the third best player in the world. His contract with PSG made him one of the most expensive players in the world.

2. Lionel Messi

He is an Argentine forward player who plays for Spanish Club FC Barcelona. He is considered one of the best football players of all time. He is the only player in history to have won five Ballon D'Or Awards, four of  them consecutively. With FC Barcelona, he has won eight La Liga titles, for UEFA Champions League titles and four times Copas  Del REY. He is the all-time top goal scorer for Barcelona and Argentina. He had led his country successfully and recently retired from international football after facing defeat in Europe Cup 2016. Although he saw several injuries along his career he has still delivered the best for his teams.

1. Cristiano Ronaldo

He is a Portuguese forward player, who plays for Spanish Club Real Madrid and Portugal National Team. He is named the best Portuguese player of all time by the National Football Federation. He is the most capped player for Portugal and all time top-scorer for the country. His transfer from Manchester United to Real Madrid saw a transfer fee of about €94 million. He has won four Ballon D’Or Awards and four European Golden Shoe Awards. He is the all-time top scorer in UEFA Champions League while he also holds the record of scoring highest number of goals in single season. He is one of the most marketable athletes in the world. ESPN ranked him as the world’s most famous athlete in 2016.

This was our countdown for the top 10 expensive football players by 2017 and they are the players who have millions of fans worldwide, admiring their talent, game play and style. These players have been promising all along their career and will be remembered as the legends of the game over the decades.