The 10 most expensive transfers of Argentine footballers in history

The world cup won by the Argentina national team in Qatar, on December 18, 2022, it also caused a stir in the transfer market with a transfer that is historic for a player born on Argentine soil. After weeks of trading during the month of January, Benfica received the expected offer and for the value of the termination clause, which amounts to €121 million, Enzo Fernández will be a new Chelsea player and he went on to lead this list that has had Gonzalo Higuaín at the top since 2016, with one of the most controversial passes in Calcio’s history.

GOAL assesses who are the protagonists of the most expensive transfers involving Argentine players.

*The values ​​of the transfers are taken from the specialized Transfermarkt site.

In a football that had very different values ​​than today, the Little Witch’s pass to the Red Devils came before €42.6 million at the beginning of the 2001/02 season he broke all schedules. Barely two years later, he would be transferred to Chelsea for half that money.

The €44.5 million that City paid the Che team ahead of the 2015/16 season not only made the centre-back, at the time, the most expensive Argentine defender in history, but also placed him among the ten most expensive defenders in the world.

Tottenham made use of the €32 million purchase option it had on Gio, who had joined on a €16 million loan earlier this season. So the total amount of the operation was 48 million euros.

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For the 2020/21 season, the Parisians paid Neroazzurro €50 million by Mauro.

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After winning the Copa América with the national team and before the start of the 2021/22 season, the Spurs paid €55 million to stay with the Cordovan defender.

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Valdanito’s arrival at the Roman club at the start of the 2000/01 season in exchange for €63.81 million broke all records: at the time it was the most expensive pass in football history and kept the striker the most expensive Argentine of all time for 14 years.

Only a year after the purchase, the Red Devils presold Fideo 63 million euros. Despite the exorbitant figure, the England team did a bad deal…

14 years after Crespo set the record, Fideo became the most expensive Argentine player in history by moving from Merengue to Diablos Rojos for 75 million euros. The man from Rosario never adjusted to life in Manchester and a year later the club sold him for 12 million less than what he paid for.

El Pipita was the most expensive Argentine footballer in history for six and a half years, with the pass that earned him the hatred of Neapolitan fans: In mid-2016, the Argentine executed his termination clause €90 million and he went to the Vecchia Signora, where he did very well.

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Exorbitant. A word that perfectly describes the figure that catapulted the Blues behind the wheel of Benfica. Just over a year ago, he did the Olympic tour with River in the 2021 LPF tournament. In the first half of 2022, he became an important part of the Millionaire and moved to Portuguese football in exchange for 18 million euros.

Six months later and with a World Cup that had him as the protagonist and best young player of the world champion, Chelsea broke the market and paid the clause of 121 million euros, the first Argentine to break the 100 kilo mark.” and positioned as the sixth most expensive player in history and highest transfer in the Premier League.