100 million euros. A sum so ridiculous we’ve only seen it paid 15 (yes, the title and this are both correct) times in football history. The epectations for these players are so ridiculous that most of these players have ended up flopping after the move, even if it would be considered a good deal or unremarkable for a lower fee. Despite the first 100 million euro deal happening 10 years ago and most happening in the last 6 years, 6 of the 15 players have left their clubs, with a further 4 set to leave either this summer or next. In this post we’ll rank all 15 of them, or rather 13 of them, as Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice haven’t even made their debuts yet. We have a lot to get through, so let’s start.
#13: Romelu Lukaku
Switch: Inter Milan -> Chelsea
Fee: 113 million
Chelsea Appearances: 44
Current Club: Chelsea
It takes a truly awful stint to be labeled as the worst 9-figure signing ever, but Romelu Lukaku has taken the cake. Lukaku signed for 113 million only 2 years ago, but the saga has dragged on so long it’s felt like much longer. After 1 dreadful year at Chelsea, in which he only made 44 appearances and scored 15 goals. That doesn’t sound too bad, but 3 were against lower league opposition, and a further 3 were scored against teams in Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and Russia. Also, until May, he only had 5 league goals. Lukaku didn’t make any contribution to the build up, averaging 20 touches per game and not providing a single assist. He was then loaned back to Inter Milan for just 10 million, made it clear that he had lost the magic, and after alienating himself to the Inter faithful after opening talks with Juventus, a move to Saudi Arabia now seems likely, for around 15 million.
#12: Philippe Coutinho
Switch: Liverpool -> Barcelona
Fee: 135 million
Barcelona Appearances: 106
Current Club: Aston Villa
Despite spending 4 years at Barca, Philippe Coutinho’s best moment after this signing was actually getting 3 goal contributions off the bench… as a Bayern player against Barca as the Catalan side was beat 8-2. As Barca’s record signing, Coutinho was a hindrance more than a help. There were dramas every window on if he’d leave, and his career died a slow death at Barcelona before doing just well enough at Aston Villa to get him a permanent move away for around 20m, over 100m in losses to be even more embarrassed against Bayern in 2020.
#11: Eden Hazard
Switch: Chelsea -> Real Madrid
Fee: 115 million
Real Madrid Appearances: 76
Current Club: Free Agent
Barcelona and Madrid’s record signings come very low on this list. Hazard spent 4 years in Madrid as well, and despite Coutinho spending a year away on loan, he still played 30 more games for Barca than Hazard did for Real Madrid. Hazard missed exactly as many games through injury as he played for Madrid. In the first two seasons, Hazard missed 51 games through injury, suffering 4 muscle injuries, all of which kept him out for between 27-38 days and saw him miss 6-8 games each, and they were all in the 20/21 season. He also suffered 3 knocks, one of which kept him out for 27 days, and only 4 months after his first Madrid season began, he suffered a hairline fracture in the foot, keeping him out for 15 games, or 67 days. He also turned up to his very first Madrid training session overweight and struggled with weight issues throughout his 4 seasons there. After those first two hellish seasons, Carlo Ancelotti took charge, and by then Hazard was unfit and not match sharp. Combined with the rise of players such as Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo, and Marco Asensio under Ancelotti, Hazard was forgotten about. After Madrid’s 2022 Champions League win, Hazard promised Madridistas a return to his best, but it wasn’t to be. His contract expired last month, and a move to either Saudi Arabia or Inter Miami seems the favourite, but even now, no move is particularly close.
#10: Paul Pogba
Switch: Juventus -> Man Utd
Fee: 105 million
Man Utd Appearances: 233
Current Club: Juventus
What a rollercoaster ride. Paul Pogba’s term at Man Utd was a ridiculous and crazy 6 years that had every up and down imaginable. First it was the ridiculous hype of Pogback, then getting settled in. The first 3 years weren’t actually that bad. Mind you, there was drama, controversy, but not as many injuries as you’d think. Only 4 in 3 years and only 1 serious one. Then 2019-20 hit, and he missed essentially the whole season with injury. He missed United’s 4-0 win vs Chelsea with a back injury, injured his ankle 2 weeks later, 4 days after he returned from that injury, the bomb hit. A reaggrevation of his ankle injury; 84 days, or 19 matches. He was back for boxing day, his first game back and… reaggrivated his injury again. This kept him out until football returned in June after the COVID lockdown. He wasn’t the same after this. He missed 16 games through injury in 2020/21, and then 20 in 2021/22. He moved to Juventus on a free after that season, just as he did in 2012.
#9: Joao Felix
Switch: Benfica -> Atlético Madrid
Fee: 127 million
Atlético Madrid Appearances: 131
Current Club: Atlético Madrid
This was just weird. 127 million? Atleti spent too much on Joao Felix, I think we can agree, and I think we could have agreed on it then. He was worth 70-80m tops. Felix only scored 6 league goals in his first season for Atleti, but we knew that he was a project. Only 7 goals in his second season was still iffy, but he can still prove his price tag. Atleti lost their patience after only 12 league goals in a season and a half, and loaned him to Chelsea. The hype for that loan was unreal too, but it was just really disappointing, as were Chelsea last season. 4 more league goals. Combine that with serious beef with the club, and you’ve got a very toxic situation. Anyone who knew their stuff though, saw that a flashy, tricksty player like Felix wasn’t a fit at all for the physical defensive Atleti side. Even at Benfica, Felix looked like a typical indifferent teenager, and Simeone wants fully committed players; such as Diego Costa and Luis Suarez. Atleti just wanted to win the race, and it was bound to fail.
#8: Antoine Griezmann
Switch: Atlético Madrid to Barcelona
Fee: 120 million
Barcelona Appearances: 102
Current Club: Atlético Madrid
Antoine Griezmann’s career will go down as one of the strangest ever. Given a first life as a leader of the line, and then a second life as a playmaker first, scorer second. He is also one of the best international performers in France’s history, providing crucially in Euro 2016, and the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, as France reached the final in all 3 tournaments, and won it in 2018. His Barca move was the particular low light. Griezmann only scored 21 league goals for Barcelona in 2 seasons, and while he’s done better than everyone lower at Barca, only played 2 seasons at Barcelona, 2 very long seasons, and went back to Atlético Madrid on a loan, eventually extended to 2 seasons, before finally agreeing a move back to Atleti for 20 million in late 2022.
#7: Enzo Fernandez
Switch: Benfica to Chelsea
Fee: 121 million
Chelsea Appearances: 22
Current Club: Chelsea
This move is in the middle of the list because it’s too early to judge him much in my opinion. Sure, his first 6 months at Chelsea were pretty unsuccessful, but that wasn’t much his fault. We need to see what he can do before judging him too harshly. Potential to rise or fall in the future, but for now, it’s TBD.
#6: Jack Grealish
Switch: Aston Villa -> Man City
Fee: 117 million
Man City Appearances: 89
Current Club: Man City
Jack Grealish can only be described as a… unique character. All you need to see is his treble celebrations to see that he probably won’t be running any country clubs soon. However, the public perception of this deal has improved massively since 21/22. He had a redemption season, scoring in crucial moments and coming up big at many points this season for Man City. However, he can still fall a long way down this list soon.
#5: Ousmane Dembele
Switch: Dortmund -> Barcelona
Fee: 135 million
Barcelona Appearances: 185
Current Club: Barcelona
Up until 21/22, I wasn’t a fan at all of Ousmane Dembele. Sure, he could run the 100 yard dash at olympic speeds, but he got injured all the time. In 21/22, everything changed. He improved, Barca improved, and after it seemed like he’d leave on a free, he extended his contract. There was even a point where he hadn’t missed a game through injury in 14 months. However, Dembele still has his moments, and still seems somewhat entitled. There are moments where he keeps the ball for too long and tries to do too much. However, he is by far the most successful of Barca’s 100m signings.
#4: Neymar
Switch: Barcelona -> PSG
Fee: 222 million
PSG Appearances: 173
Current Club: PSG
The world’s most expensive player comes in 4th on this list. Neymar’s PSG stint has been up and down. His goal contribution per game ratio is better than it was at Barca, and he’s overall been a top performer at PSG. The majority of the negative perception of this deal comes from the drama and low lights. PSG still have’t won the UCL, the ongoing transfer saga every summer, and Neymar’s injuries, in total he’s missed 118 matches at PSG with injury. However, he’s a much better signing than everyone below him.
#3: Cristiano Ronaldo
Switch: Real Madrid -> Juventus
Fee: 117 million
Juventus Appearances: 134
Current Club: Al-Nassr
The first undoubted success, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Juve adventure will be one of the most remembered portions of his career. He got over 100 goals in only 134 games, and rpoved that even in his mid 30s was a top 5 attacker in Europe. However, still though, Juve signed Ronaldo to win the Champions League, and was eliminated in the Quarters to Ajax, and in the RO16 to Lyon and Porto. That will be the nagging thorn in Ronaldo’s time at Juve.
#2: Gareth Bale
Switch: Tottenham -> Real Madrid
Fee: 101 million
Real Madrid Appearances: 258
Current Club: Retired
The only player to move for 100m to have retired, Gareth Bale’s time in Madrid was turbulent but successful. He was accused by Madrid faithful many times of not putting in any effort, not learning Spanish, and his injuries were persistent, but Bale was a crucial cog in a machine which won 4 UCLs in 5 years, and the threepeat from 2017 to 2019. The highlights of his time there were his Copa del Rey goal against Barca where he ran almost the full length of the pitch, and off it for a portion, to score a beautiful goal, then you have his brace in the 2018 UCL final, and his bicycle kick, potentially the best UCL final goal ever.
#1: Kylian Mbappe
Switch: AS Monaco -> PSG
Fee: 180 million
PSG Appearances: 260
Current Club: PSG
Why wouldn’t he be here? Kylian Mbappe has leapfrogged to arguably best in the world off what he’s done at PSG. Over 200 goals, 100 assists, and countless trophies. Like Neymar though, there’s been no end of drama. Mbappe has been linked to Real Madrid every transfer window, and will be until he actually joins or retires. He’s had a turbulent relationship with PSG as well, but this transfer has actually been a successful one.
That concludes our list, and as you can see, 100+ million euro deals are generally not successful. Maybe it’s the ridiculous expectations for being in such an exclusive club, or maybe the club puts too much of a load on them, or maybe they just aren’t ready or can’t make the transition to another club. I wish Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice well at their new clubs, even though history doesn’t say they’ll succeed. I’m Jim James, until next time.