The 10 most expensive teenagers of all time

FT Desk

• 14 Apr 2026 11:01 CDT
• 4 min read

Analysis

Kylian Mbappe is the most expensive teenager in football history, thanks to his €180 million transfer from AS Monaco to Paris Saint-Germain in 2018.

The France superstar originally joined the Parisians on a one-year loan deal before the deal was made permanent due to an obligation to buy clause.

He became PSG’s all time record goalscorer in March 2023, overtaking Edinson Cavani’s tally courtesy of a goal against FC Nantes, before eventually leaving the club to complete a dream move to Real Madrid on a Bosman deal.

Joao Felix is the second-most expensive teenager of all time. The Portuguese forward burst onto the scene at Benfica and his frightening talent convinced Atletico Madrid to pay €127.2m to sign him in 2019.

Jude Bellingham narrowly misses out on this list due to the fact he turned 20 just two days before his high-profile move to Real Madrid went through. The England international was still only 19 years old when Los Blancos finalised a deal with Borussia Dortmund, but he technically joined the club on 1 July and he was 20 years old by that point.

With Bellingham out of the equation, third place belongs to Matthijs de Ligt. The Netherlands defender left Ajax to join Juventus for a whopping €85.5m in 2019. He subsequently signed for Bayern Munich three years later before joining Manchester United in 2024.

Fourth on the list is Portugual star Joao Neves, who joined PSG from Benfica in 2024 for a whopping €62.9m.

Romeo Lavia is the fifth-most expensive teenager of all time. The Belgium international spent just one season at Southampton before Chelsea paid €62.1m to sign him following the Saints' relegation from the Premier League.

Meanwhile, Man Utd's signing of Leny Yoro from Lille, which cost €62m rising to €70m, is the sixth-most expensive deal for a teenager, with the Red Devils beating Real Madrid to sign the young defender.

In seventh place is Anthony Martial, who left Monaco to join Man Utd for €60m in 2015.

PSG's €50m capture of Desire Doue from Rennes in 2024 puts him in eighth place, while Brazilian wonderkid Endrick is ninth thanks to his €47.5m switch from Palmeiras to Real Madrid.

The 10th most expensive teenager of all time is Vinicius Junior, who moved to Real Madrid for €45m in 2018.

The 10 most expensive teenagers of all time

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