Top 10 most expensive football transfers ever

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Our list of the best soccer players in the world that caught the attention of prominent soccer clubs resulting in transfers that attract fees in huge figures.

Transfer fees are paid when a player moves from one club to another normally before the completion of their contract. Transfer records have been set and broken but then the Spanish giants Real Madrid stand out in this case. Here are the top ten most expensive football transfer ever.

Radamel Falcao10.) Radamel Falcao

Transfer Fee: €60m ($77m)
From: Atletico Madrid
To: AS Monaco
Year: 2013

The Colombian star joined the French Club in the summer of 2013 after a great performance with Atletico Madrid. His move to Monaco, who had only been promoted to Ligue 1 after playing in the second tier for two years, was faced with lots of criticism with a number claiming that he was motivated by money.

On the other side, Monaco had vowed to challenge PSG for the title when they got promoted. For this reason, the club went on spending spree in the summer, bringing in James Rodriguez as well. The 28-year-old signed a five-year contract but has been loaned to Manchester United for the 2014-15 season on a £6m deal.

David Luiz9.) David Luiz

Transfer Fee: €62m ($84m)
From: Chelsea
To: PSG
Year: 2014

David Luiz left Chelsea for the French Champions on a five-year contact. The move stands as the highest transfer fee paid for a defender. The move came after Luiz had spent over three seasons at the English club, on a five-year contract.

Luiz had helped Chelsea in the campaign to win the Champions League and Europa League in two successive seasons. He partnered with fellow Brazilian defender Thiago Silva on joining the French Champions.

Edinson Cavani8.) Edinson Cavani

Transfer Fee: €64m ($84m)
From: Napoli
To: Paris Saint-Germain (PSG)
Year: 2013

The French side embarked on a project aimed at attracting big players in a quest to become one of the big clubs in Europe. At this time, Cavani had proved to be a world class player and he was the top scorer in Serie A in the 2012-13 season. The 27-year-old emerged as one of the best strikers in Europe while playing for Napoli.

Cavani agreed to a five-year deal with PSG in 2013. The deal on Cavani is the most expensive transfer ever among French clubs. PSG has further spent greatly on players such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Ezequiel Lavezzi, Marco Verratti and Thiago Silva.

Kaka7.) Kaka

Transfer Fee: €65m ($90m)
From: A.C. Milan
To: Real Madrid
Year: 2009

Kaka moved to Real Madrid on a six-year deal in the summer of 2009 after a successful spell at Milan. The deal was made a week before Real went on to buy Ronaldo from United. The deal on Kaka marked the third time Madrid broke the transfer record, after Zinedine Zidane joined from Juventus for £46.4m in 2001.

In January 2009, Manchester City had made a daring £100m bid on the player but the Brazilian opted to join the Spanish club later in the summer. Kaka left Real for Milan in 2013 after a series of injuries during his stay. Currently, he is signed with MLS club, Orlando City.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic6.) Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Transfer Fee: €69m ($94m)
From: Inter Milan
To: Barcelona
Year: 2009

After being with Inter Milan for three years, Zlatan moved to the Spanish side Barcelona on a five-year contract. The transfer deal included a move for Samuel Eto’o to Milan, valued at €20m, plus an additional amount resulting to a total of €69m.

The Sweden player had a short-lived spell at Nou Camp as he stayed for one year before falling out with the manager, Pep Guardiola. The deal with Barcelona included a 250m euros buy-out clause. He left Barcelona for AC Milan and then signed for PSG in July 2012.

Angel Di Maria transferred from Real Madrid to Manchester United for a fee of €75m ($99m)5.) Angel Di Maria

Transfer Fee: €75m ($99m)
From: Real Madrid
To: Manchester United
Year: 2014

Manchester United paid €75m for the Argentina midfielder, the highest amount spent by any British Club. The transfer was part of an effort by the Club, under their new manager Louis van Gaal, to strengthen the squad after a disappointing 2013-14 season.

The 26-year-old had been on a five-year contract with Real Madrid since 2010. The transfer fee overtakes the previous British record set by the Spaniard Fernando Torres while he moved from Liverpool to Chelsea for €58m in 2011.

James Rodriguez transferred from Monaco to Real Madrid for €80m ($107m)4.) James Rodriguez

Transfer Fee: €80m ($107m)
From: Monaco
To: Real Madrid
Year: 2014

The exploits of the Colombian player at the 2014 World Cup got the attention of the whole world and most notably the La Liga club Real Madrid. The 23-year-old star signed a six-year contract after switching from the Ligue 1 side AS Monaco.

Monaco were not willing to sell Rodriguez, having played for the club for only one season as part of his five-year contract. The two clubs finally agreed on an undisclosed transfer fee, reported as €80m. This amount sets him as the third most expensive player in Real Madrid and the most expensive player from Colombia.

Luis Suarez earned €81m ($109m) for his transfer from Liverpool to Barcelona3.) Luis Suarez

Transfer fee: €81m ($109m)
From: Liverpool
To: Barcelona
Year: 2014

Despite a four-month ban hanging on Luis Suarez after a controversy that involved him biting an Italian defender at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Barcelona made a move for the Uruguayan player in July. With appeals over his biting incident still being considered, Suarez could not make his debut for the club immediately.

The move came months after Suarez renewed his contract with Liverpool. Suarez is on a five-year deal with Barcelona. The club reportedly paid a transfer fee of €81m for the Uruguay and former Liverpool forward.

For €94m ($124m), Cristiano Ronaldo transfered to Real Madrid from Manchester United2.) Cristiano Ronaldo

Transfer fee: €94m ($124m)
From: Manchester United
To: Real Madrid
Year: 2009

For Real Madrid, the 2009 summer was a notable one. After a successful move for Kaka from Milan, the sensational Portuguese star made history by joining the club on a six-year-contract. The deal had a buy-out clause of €1 billion and made him the most expensive football player.

His departure from Manchester United had a number of reported sagas some involving the unwillingness of the United manager, Alex Fergusson, to release the player. Nonetheless, his career at Madrid has been exceptional having helped them win major tournaments, the La Liga title in 2012 and the Champions League in 2014.

Gareth Bale transfered from Tottenham Hotspurs to Real Madrid for €100m ($132m)1.) Gareth Bale

Transfer fee: €100m ($132m)
From: Tottenham Hotspurs
To: Real Madrid
Year: 2013

Gareth Bale holds the record for the most expensive transfer made in history. The Welshman made a €100m transfer deal from England to Spain. The move came after successful seasons at the White Hart Lane for the 25-year-old. Bale had initially started playing as a left-back before transforming to a rewarding forward role.

This is the fifth transfer record broken by Real Madrid and overtakes the previous record held by Ronaldo since 2009. Bale signed a six-year deal and termed his move to the club as a dream come true for him. His move was followed by the departure of Mesut Ozil to Arsenal.