The 10 most expensive wingers of all time

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FT Desk

Neymar's switch from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017 means he is not only the most expensive winger of all time, but also the most expensive transfer in history.

The Brazil star left Camp Nou in order to escape the shadow of Lionel Messi, but he was unable to win the Champions League or the Ballon d'Or in the French capital.

Neymar cost PSG a world-record fee of €222m, but following the arrival of manager Luis Enrique in 2023, he was sold to Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal. But more on that later...

The player who sits in second place on this list was signed by Barcelona as a replacement for the aforementioned Neymar in the summer of 2017.

And that man is Ousmane Dembele, the France international who became the second most expensive winger of all time when joining Barca from Borussia Dortmund for €135m.

After struggling for consistency in Spain, Dembele moved to PSG in the summer of 2023 - when Neymar was in the middle of packing his bags.

And Dembele would ironically capture the two titles Neymar missed out on at PSG: the Champions League in 2025, and the Ballon d'Or in the same year.

The third player on this list is Bradley Barcola, the electric left winger who joined Liverpool from PSG for an eye-watering €125m in the summer of 2026.

Unable to usurp Dembele, Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in PSG's Champions League-winning front three, Barcola moved to Anfield in search of regular minutes.

In the same summer and for the same €125m price tag, Real Madrid splashed the cash to sign Ivory Coast international Yan Diomande from RB Leipzig.

After being named Bundesliga Rookie of the Season in 2025-26, Los Blancos loosened the purse strings in order to beat Liverpool and PSG to Diomande's signature.

Another winger who joined Real for a huge amount of money is Eden Hazard, the Belgium star who moved to the Bernabeu from Chelsea for €120.8m in 2019.

However, Hazard was unable to replicate his scintillating form for Chelsea at Real, scoring just seven goals in 76 appearances in the Spanish capital.

In a transfer involving two Premier League clubs, Jack Grealish swapped boyhood club Aston Villa for the riches of Manchester City in the summer of 2021.

Signed for €117.5m, Grealish went on to play a key role in helping Man City win the treble in 2022-23, recording five goals and 11 assists in 50 games under Pep Guardiola.

Real make the list again following the €101m signing of Gareth Bale from Tottenham Hotspur in 2013 - a transfer which set a new world record at the time.

While Bale was never loved in Spain, his record is bulletproof, with the Wales legend having won 16 trophies including three La Liga titles and five Champions League crowns.

Keen to strengthen their options out wide, Manchester United shelled out €95m to sign Brazil international Antony from Ajax in the summer of 2022.

However, despite linking up with his former Ajax boss Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford, Antony struggled to perform in England, netting just 12 times in 96 appearances.

The only player to appear on the list twice, Neymar moved to the Middle East for an incredible amount of money when PSG no longer required his services.

However, Al-Hilal got next to no return on their €90m investment, with Neymar scoring just one goal in seven games before returning to boyhood club Santos in 2025.

And the final name on the list is Savio, the left-footed winger who decided to join Tottenham from Man City for a mega fee of €87.7m in the summer of 2026.

Despite scoring just two Premier League goals in two seasons for Man City, Spurs were happy to part with an extraordinary amount of money to sign the Brazilian.

The 10 most expensive wingers of all time

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