Most expensive footballers in the world in each position
Over the last decade, the number of expensive football transfers have seen a meteoric rise. The inflation of the market has seen many transfers surpass clubs' existing transfer records, and in many cases, even world records. In fact, the ten most expensive footballers of all time were all purchased between the years 2010 and 2020.
Real Madrid's purchase of Gareth Bale from Tottenham Hotspur kicked off the decade's spree of world record signings, which was then surpassed numerous on many occasions over time. Neymar's eye-watering €222m transfer to Paris Saint-Germain — currently the most expensive move in the world — changed the landscape of transfers entirely. Many of the record fees seen in football have come after the completion of this record-breaking move.
On that note, here, we take a look at the most expensive football XI of all time, based on positions of the players.
GK: Kepa Arrizabalaga | Chelsea | €80m
Chelsea made Kepa the world's most expensive goalkeeper in the wake of Thibaut Courtois' decision to move to Real Madrid in 2018. However, after a respectable debut campaign, it has been anything but plain sailing for the keeper.
The Spanish international has endured a terrible 2019/20 campaign in which he was statistically one of the worst goalkeepers in the Premier League. Kepa was abysmal in goal, letting in shots that would have made for simple saves for more experienced keepers. Chelsea conceded more goals than anyone in the top half of the table and Kepa ultimately lost his place to Willy Caballero in the side.
The fact that Chelsea are on the lookout for a new number one ahead of the 2020/21 season is enough to sum up the 25-year-old's dismal season. Athletic Bilbao, his former club, proved to be the only winners from this world-record deal.
Also read: 10 Premier League signings that have failed to impress (2019-20)