15 Most Expensive Centre-Backs in Football History (Ranked)

Key Takeaways

• Some of the greatest defenders in world football have moved clubs for massive amounts of money.
• Manchester United’s signing of Leny Yoro in the 2024 summer transfer window breaks into the top ten.
• The Red Devils’ deal for Harry Maguire remains the most expensive for a centre-back in football history.

It’s often said that a good attack wins games, but a good defence wins titles. Perhaps that’s why some clubs spare no expense in signing the world’s best defenders. And, given the way the transfer market is evolving, it would not be surprising if this list were subject to rapid changes in the future.

Indeed, Manchester United’s recent signing of Lille’s Leny Yoro in the 2024 summer transfer window has already caught the eye for its expense, with the Red Devils having had previous experience of spending lavishly on a defender. But, United aren’t the only team to do so, and as a result, here is a list of the 15 most expensive central defenders in history.

15 David Luiz – £41m

From Chelsea to Paris Saint-Germain (2014)

In the summer of 2014, with his starting berth at Chelsea under threat, David Luiz made the decision to leave London and join Paris and its capital club. There, he was reunited with fellow Brazilian Thiago Silva, with whom he shared the pitch 95 times for Paris Saint-Germain.

Two years and eight trophies later, the Brazil international returned to Stamford Bridge, where he spent another three seasons (2016-2019), before joining Arsenal for his final European adventure. One of the most memorable moments of his French adventure was his goal against Chelsea in the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16 in 2014/15, which was widely celebrated in front of the Blues fans.

14 Eder Militao – £42m

From FC Porto to Real Madrid (2019)

From youth teams at Sao Paulo, his formative club, to a Champions League win with Real Madrid, Eder Militao’s early career has had an exceptional pedigree. Having left Brazil to join FC Porto in August 2018, the Brazilian defender needed just one season to attract the interest of Europe’s biggest clubs.

And it was certainly the biggest of them that took the prize, spending a sum of €50m (£42m) to secure the young Brazilian. It was a decision that paid off for all concerned, given that four years after arriving in Spain, Militao has already won 11 trophies, including two Champions League titles and three league titles.

13 Jules Kounde – £42m

From Sevilla FC to Barcelona (2019)

In 2019, despite being coveted by Chelsea and Manchester City, Jules Kounde decided to join Barcelona, where he signed a five-year contract. A central defender by trade, it is at right-back that the French international has now settled, having played 48 of his 88 games for the Blaugrana on the wing.

It’s a ‘conversion’ that has followed him all the way to the French national team, where he is now the first-choice right-back (despite having played there before joining Catalonia), and with whom he had a very good Euro 2024. A fact not to be overlooked when the player himself has already spoken of the difficulties he may have encountered there.

12 Min-jae Kim – £42m

From Napoli to Bayern Munich (2023)

By joining Bayern Munich in the summer of 2023, Min-jae Kim has quite simply become the most expensive South Korean player in history. An honorary title previously held by Heung-min Son, who transferred from Bayer Leverkusen to Tottenham for €30m in 2015.

His transfer came on the back of a phenomenal campaign with Napoli, where he played a key role in the Italian league title win in the 2022/23 season. He quickly became an indisputable starter in the heart of his new team’s defence, but gradually lost his place towards the end of the season as the Munich side struggled to find a real balance in their squad.

11 Cristian Romero – £44m

From Atalanta to Tottenham (2022)

After making his professional debut in his native Argentina with Club Atletico Belgrano, Cristian Romero flew to Italy, where he first joined Genoa before being bought at a high price (€31.5m) by Juve in 2019.

The investment turned out to be a failure, and the defender never actually played for La Vecchia Signora, having been loaned out – and then permanently transferred – to Atalanta, where he exploded. In 2022, Tottenham invested £44m to secure the services of a player who has become an integral part of the Spurs dressing room and has even worn the captain’s armband.

10 John Stones – £47m

From Everton to Manchester City (2016)

Before John Stones, Everton had never sold a player for more than €50m. A symbolic milestone was reached with the help of Manchester City, who wrote a cheque for €55.6m (£47m) to the Toffees to convince them to sell their defender.

Under Pep Guardiola, the England international has shown himself to be a versatile player, who is used to playing on the left flank, as well as in midfield when his team has possession of the ball. Although not always a first-team regular for the Skyblues, he has now made over 250 appearances for the club and won a host of trophies, including six Premier League titles, a Champions League and two FA Cups.

9 Lisandro Martinez – £48m

From Ajax to Manchester United (2022)

After training at Newell’s Old Boys and making his name at Defensa in Argentina, Lisandro Martinez joined Ajax Amsterdam in 2019 for a fee of €7m. In the space of three seasons, the centre-back has gone from strength to strength, helping his Dutch club to realise a huge capital gain on his transfer.

Now playing for Manchester United, the 2022 world champion and two-time Copa America winner has established himself as one of the Premier League’s top players, and will undoubtedly be an excellent mentor for the Red Devils’ new young recruit, Leny Yoro, who joined Old Trafford this summer.

8 Leny Yoro – £52m

From LOSC Lille to Manchester United (2024)

At just 18 years of age, the French defender occupies a special place on this list. Launched into the professional world by Paulo Fonseca, who was his coach at Lille at the time, the young French defender quickly impressed Ligue 1 observers with his talent.

A player of immense potential, he is regularly compared to Raphael Varane (given his profile, but also his career trajectory), whom he will have the onerous task of replacing on the right of Manchester United’s defence. But don’t worry, it won’t be long before the imposing France U-21 international wins over the demanding Old Trafford crowd and becomes a fully-fledged member of the great club to which he now belongs.

7 Aymeric Laporte – £55m

From Athletic Club to Manchester City (2018)

Starting his professional career in Spain, the country he now represents at international level, Aymeric Laporte came to prominence at Athletic Club, where Manchester City spotted him in 2018. Transferred to England for a record fee of £55m, the centre-back has, like Stones, seen his profile and abilities evolve through contact with Guardiola.

In four and a half seasons with the Skyblues, the native of Agen, France, helped them win a host of titles, including six English league titles and one Premier League title. Now at Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, he has benefited and passed on his lessons to La Roja, with whom he won Euro 2024 in Germany.

6 Matthijs de Ligt – £56m

From Juventus to Bayern Munich (2022)

Matthijs de Ligt’s three seasons at Juventus may have added to his trophy cabinet, but they still left something to be desired. Which is why the Italian club were certainly not too reluctant to let him leave for Bayern Munich in the summer of 2022, in return for a transfer fee of £56m.

But in Germany too, the Dutch international has yet to establish himself as an absolutely indisputable starter in the Munich defence. It has to be said that with stiff competition at centre-back, the 24-year-old has had his work cut out. But he certainly has the talent and potential to succeed.

5 Ruben Dias – £60m

From SL Benfica to Manchester City (2020)

Guardiola’s third most expensive signing of his career, Ruben Dias has also quickly become a benchmark in his position as a central defender. His rise to prominence began with his boyhood club SL Benfica, with whom the Portuguese exploded onto the international scene.

His exceptional talent was confirmed in his first season in the Premier League, where he was immediately crowned FWA Footballer of the Year, Manchester City’s Player of the Year and Premier League Player of the Season at the end of the 2020/21 season. A true leader of the Cityzens’ defence, Dias, now 27, is undoubtedly one of the best centre-backs in the world.

4 Wesley Fofana – £68m

From Leicester City to Chelsea (2022)

The arrival of Todd Boehly at the helm of Chelsea has caused an earthquake in the English football ecosystem. Never one to shy away from pulling out the chequebook, and all too often to excess, the owner of the London club has made a number of exceptional moves in the transfer market in recent seasons.

One of them, of course, was to spend some £68m to recruit Wesley Fofana from Leicester City in the summer of 2022. A transfer that has so far proved fruitless, given that the 23-year-old has only made around 20 appearances for the Blues and has suffered a number of physical setbacks (two knee injuries and a cruciate ligament rupture) over the past two seasons.

3 Virgil van Dijk – £71m

From Southampton to Liverpool (2018)

During his time at the Liverpudlian club, Virgil van Dijk has established himself as one of the best defenders on the planet. This all came about after the Reds paid a hefty fee of around £71m when the Dutchman was still playing for Southampton in January 2018.

Now regarded as one of Liverpool’s legends and captain, the centre-back has been one of the key men behind Jurgen Klopp’s many successes during the German’s near-decade on the English club’s bench. Such have been his performances that van Dijk even finished runner-up in the 2019 Ballon d’Or and won the PFA Player of the Year award, one of his many personal accolades.

2 Matthijs de Ligt – £72m

From Ajax to Juventus (2019)

As mentioned above, before signing for Bayern Munich in 2022, de Ligt first had an adventure on the other side of the Alps. After an exceptional 2018/19 season with Ajax Amsterdam, which included a Champions League semi-final appearance and the captain’s armband (at just 20 years of age), the Dutch defender signed a contract to join Juventus.

It was a marriage destined to last, but one that ended in divorce after just three seasons. This setback did not prevent him from making 117 appearances for the Turin club, playing alongside true legends of Italian football, and winning Serie A, the Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa Italia.

1 Harry Maguire – £73m

From Leicester City to Manchester United (2019)

Perhaps Harry Maguire is the perfect example of the damage that pressure can do to a footballer. When, in the summer of 2019, he signed for Manchester United from Leicester City for a record fee of £73m, the England centre-back seemed to have all the qualities needed to establish himself at the Red Devils. Unfortunately, things did not go according to plan, and the Sheffield-born defender was soon the target of criticism.

But despite his tricky performances, the Englishman was appointed captain of the team in 2020 by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who saw in him a true leader of men. It was a role that may – or may not – have been too important for the Three Lions player, who gradually lost not only his starting berth but also his captain’s armband, following the arrival of Erik ten Hag on the Manchester United bench.

All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt. Correct as of 19th November 2024.