5 players with most combined transfer value as Alvaro Morata joins Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar after AC Milan switch
Alvaro Morata has joined Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar Jr on a list of players who have racked up the most combined transfer value in their careers. That comes after Spain's Euro 2024 winning captain made the switch from Atletico Madrid to AC Milan.
Morata's return to Serie A is said to cost the Rossonneri approximately €13 million. His career has seen him make moves from Spain to Italy intermittently, with a stint in England with Chelsea.
The move from the Santiago Bernabeu to Stamford Bridge cost the Blues €66 million. Notably, Morata has played for teams like Real Madrid, Juventus and Atletico Madrid as well, bringing his total transfer value to €204 million across his career.
The 31-year-old's total sits in just fifth place (via Barca Universal), among players who have racked up the highest transfer fees over their careers. In fourth place is Ousamane Dembele, who made a massive €135 million move from Borussia Dortmund to Barcelona. He has played for four clubs, with his combined value sitting pretty at €220 million.
In third place is Cristiano Ronaldo, whose massive moves between Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus have skyrocketed his total. It cost Los Blancos €94 million to get him from Old Trafford in 2009, and when they sold him nearly a decade later, in 2018, it was for €117 million to the Turin giants.
Romelu Lukaku sits in second place, having played for five clubs, with double stints at clubs like Chelsea and Inter Milan. The Blues snatched him up for his second stint with a record €113 million, but he has yet to meet expectations, going on loan to Inter and Roma.
In first place is Neymar Junior, thanks to the mega-money deal that saw Paris Saint-Germain pay an exorbitant €222 million to Barcelona to sign him in 2017. The Brazilian forward left Santos for the Camp Nou for €88 million. After his time with PSG neared its end in 2023, he was sold to Al-Hilal for €90 million. His combined transfer value sits at a record €400 million.
When former PSG midfielder compared Neymar Jr and Cristiano Ronaldo
After spending part of his career training alongside Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid and playing with Neymar at PSG, Pablo Sarabia spoke about the duo.
In 2023, the Wolves midfielder compared the two players in a conversation with TalkSPORT. He placed Cristiano Ronaldo ahead (via Daily Post):
“It is a very difficult question. It is Cristiano because his mindset is totally incredible. It is very hard. Neymar, his ability to be different than the other players, it’s possible to do everything, I have never seen anything like it. He has a lot of quality with the ball, it’s incredible."
Both Ronaldo and his Brazilian counterpart have left Europe, with the duo now plying their trade in Saudi Arabia. The Portuguese legend plays with Al-Nassr, while Neymar plays with Al-Hilal.
However, while Cristiano Ronaldo has enjoyed his time in the Middle East, scoring 35 league goals last season, it has been a difficult period for Neymar. The Brazilian has struggled with injuries, sitting on the sidelines for nearly a year.