15 Most Expensive Brazilian Players in Football History (Ranked)

As a nation, Brazil are nothing short of a footballing juggernaut. For decades, the South American country has been the birthplace of countless stars, from the days of Pele and Carlos Alberto, to Rivaldo and Ronaldinho in the 90s and 2000s, to modern starlets like Neymar and Vinicius Jr. No country in world football has matched their World Cup tally of five, an indication of how strong Brazil have consistently been.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, then, many Brazilian players have earned transfers to some of football’s biggest teams for some of football’s biggest fees. Though he is not on this list, given the inflation within the modern game, Ronaldo Nazario had broken the world record transfer fee twice by the age of 21 and was the first player to achieve such a feat since Diego Maradona. So, with that being considered, here are the 15 most expensive Brazilian transfers of all time.

15 Hulk

£46,500,000 to Shanghai Port

A player known for his name and the vicious power with which he can strike a ball, Hulk’s career path has certainly been far from the norm. After making a name for himself in Europe with Porto, being part of the team that won the 2010-11 Europa League, Hulk joined Zenit in 2012 and moved to Russia, spending four years there before departing for Shanghai.

In Hulk’s four years in China, he helped his team win one league title as he racked up 130 goal contributions in just 145 games. In January 2021, Hulk returned to his native Brazil to join Atletico Mineiro, where he still plays at the time of writing.

14 Raphinha

£48,000,000 to Barcelona

Raphinha started his senior career in Portugal, spending time with Vitoria Guimaraes and Sporting before moving to Stade Rennais in France for a year ahead of his transfer to the Premier League when he joined Leeds United in 2020. The winger blossomed under the guidance of Marcelo Bielsa, eventually catching the eye of Spanish giants Barcelona.

The Catalan side made their move for Raphinha in 2022 and in the two years since, the attacker has won a La Liga title and made a century of appearances for Barca, rising to the rank of fourth captain and becoming one of Hansi Flick’s key players early in the German’s managerial tenure.

13 Richarlison

£48,000,000 to Tottenham Hotspur

Richarlison spent two years playing professionally in his native Brazil before moving to England, joining then-Premier League side Watford and transferring to Everton after a season at Vicarage Road. The Brazilian became a fan favourite throughout his four-year tenure on Merseyside, being part of an Everton team that successfully battled against relegation.

In 2022, Spurs came calling and the forward made the move to London. Richarlison has since been open about personal struggles in recent years which have contributed to the notion that his stint in the capital thus far has been something of a mixed bag. Richarlison has shown promise, though, that he will be able to find his full form once more.

12 Fred

£49,000,000 to Manchester United

After five years and 10 trophies with Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine, Manchester United came calling for Fred and signed him for almost £50 million. The midfielder, a Brazilian international, quickly formed a partnership with fellow Red Devil Scott McTominay in the middle of the park for Man United.

Fred made over 200 appearances for the Old Trafford side and was a relatively consistent performer, with many feeling that his best form came towards the end of his time with the club under manager Erik ten Hag. He only managed to win one major honour in England, the EFL Cup, in his final campaign with the team, before leaving in 2023 to join Turkish juggernauts Fenerbahce, where he continues to play football.

11 Oscar

£50,000,000 to Shanghai Port

When teams within the Chinese Super League started their wave of luring European players to their competition, Oscar was one of the more surprising additions. Still in his mid-20s at the time of the transfer, the Brazilian was plying his trade for Chelsea and competing in Europe before becoming the Super League’s most expensive transfer of all time and reportedly earning £400k-a-week.

Oscar has spent seven years in Shanghai since then, winning two Super League titles and playing in almost 250 games for the team, chipping in with 75 goals and over 130 assists. Despite many feeling that a move away from China may have materialised in years passed, it never did, although Oscar has spoken about 2024 being his final year with the Chinese side.

10 Malcom

£50,000,000 to Al Hilal

Malcom made waves in 2018 when, at 21 years old, he moved to Barcelona from Bordeaux, with many excited about the attacker’s potential. After just a year in Catalonia, however, the Brazilian departed, moving to Russia and joining Zenit St. Petersburg. Malcom spent four seasons there, even gaining Russian citizenship before, in 2023, he joined Al Hilal in Saudi Arabia.

With almost 45 goal contributions in nearly 60 games, Malcom has enjoyed a strong start to his time in the Saudi Pro League and strongly contributed to his team’s league triumph in his debut season. That campaign also saw Malcom and Al Hilal lift the King Cup as they completed a domestic double.

9 Alisson

£52,000,000 to Liverpool

When Liverpool signed Alisson Becker from Roma, it was for a then-world record fee for a goalkeeper of around £52 million, though this would be later beaten in the same year when Chelsea announced the signing of Kepa Arrizabalaga. In the six years since for Liverpool, it is hard to argue that the Reds did anything but negotiate a brilliant bit of business.

The Brazilian was at the core of the Jurgen Klopp team that won a Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup and EFL Cup and has made over 250 appearances for the Reds since his debut. Alisson has also, famously, scored for Liverpool, his brilliant headed effort from a 95th minute corner against West Bromwich Albion sailing into the net to secure a crucial point for Liverpool at the time.

8 Kaka

£56,000,000 to Real Madrid

One of only nine players to win the World Cup, Champions League and a Ballon d’Or, Kaka is a bonafide legend of the game, having found the peak of his powers during a six-year stint with AC Milan across the 2000s. In 2009, Kaka moved to Real Madrid for what was then the second-highest transfer fee of all time.

Despite Kaka’s exceptional quality, his time in the Spanish capital was unfortunately marred by injuries which prevented him from finding a long stretch of form. Regardless of that, Kaka managed to win a La Liga and Copa del Rey in his four-year stint with Madrid that saw him make 120 appearances and rack up 58 goal contributions, before he moved to the MLS in 2013.

7 Casemiro

£59,000,000 to Manchester United

After spending three years with Sao Paulo in his native Brazil, Casemiro moved to Europe to join Real Madrid in 2013. After a year on loan at Porto, the defensive midfielder broke into the first team and would be a mainstay for the next eight years, being part of the Zinedine Zidane side that won three consecutive Champions Leagues.

Manchester United supporters were understandably ecstatic when the club announced that they’d agreed a deal for Casemiro. While the midfielder’s performances have generally been solid, he has never really replicated the level he displayed in his prime, though has won two domestic cups during his time in England so far.

6 Arthur Melo

£67 million to Juventus

Injuries have plagued what began as a promising career for Arthur Melo. The central midfielder earned a move to Barcelona at just 21 years old, having showcased his quality for Gremio in Brazil. Two years later, Arthur was part of a transfer to Juventus that saw Bosnian midfielder Miralem Pjanic go the other way in a swap deal.

Eventually, Melo was made to train alone at Juventus after struggling to break into the first team. He spent the 2022/23 campaign on loan at Liverpool, but due to these training conditions, struggled with injuries so much that he played just 13 minutes for the Reds. A season with Fiorentina on loan followed, during which Arthur was at least able to play consistent football, but he is still yet to regain a place in the Juventus first team.

5 Neymar

£73,000,000 to Barcelona

Having captured admirers across the world for his emergence at Santos, Neymar was the next bright light of Brazilian football. It was hardly a surprise when a team of Barcelona’s calibre went in for him. Neymar spent four years in Catalonia, forming part of the iconic MSN attacking trio alongside Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi.

Three Copa del Rey’s, two La Liga’s and a Champions League came Neymar’s way during his stint in Spain, with the winger notching 119 goal contributions in just 186 games before a big-money move to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017.

4 Neymar

£75,000,000 to Al Hilal

Given that Neymar was only in his early 30s when he transferred to Al Hilal, it came as a surprise to many that the winger made the move to Saudi Arabia as, in theory, he still had years to play at the elite level in Europe. Regardless, the transfer was made and soon into his first season, Neymar unfortunately suffered an ACL injury which ruled him out for a year.

Thankfully, the Brazilian recovered fully from the injury and made his return during the 2024/25 season, aiming to add to what is currently such a small record of games played for the club.

3 Antony

£82,000,000 to Manchester United

Antony joined Ajax in 2020, moving to the Netherlands from Sao Paulo where he started his career. He soon garnered a reputation as a skilful winger, full of flair and potential. So much so that, in 2022, Manchester United made him the most expensive Eredivisie player of all time when they paid over £80 million to sign him.

Antony is still young and with that, there is time for him to grow into the player that Manchester United hoped they had signed. It feels fair, though, to say that so far, he has not met the expectations of such an expensive signing, with just 12 goals and five assists in 86 games, albeit he has been part of the Erik ten Hag sides that have won an FA Cup and an EFL Cup during the Dutchman’s tenure.

2 Philippe Coutinho

£112,000,000 to Barcelona

At the peak of his powers during his time with Liverpool, Philippe Coutinho was one of the best players in the world. The dynamic attacking midfielder oozed quality every time the ball was at his feet, making up a fearsome offensive quartet alongside Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane, who would go on to have great successes as a trio after Coutinho, in 2018, joined Barcelona for over £100 million.

Sadly, things didn’t quite work out for Coutinho in Spain. He struggled to fit the team’s style of play, while struggling with both injuries and seemingly the pressure of his price tag. He spent the 2019/20 season at Bayern Munich on loan and featured sparingly in the following campaign before joining Aston Villa, first on loan, then permanently, in 2022, eventually returning to Brazil in 2024 when he signed for Vasco da Gama.

1 Neymar

£185,000,000 to Al Hilal

The most expensive Brazilian, and indeed, the most expensive player, of all time. Neymar’s highest-ever transfer fee came when, in 2017, he joined Paris Saint-Germain for a multitude of reasons, one of which reportedly being as it would give him the chance to be a sole star within a team, having shared the spotlight so frequently at Barca.

Though Neymar would spend six years at PSG, going on to reunite with Lionel Messi and play alongside Kylian Mbappe. Despite this, Brazil’s record goalscorer was unable to lead the team to a Champions League, a trophy that continues to elude the Parisians. This, alongside injuries and an overall, eventual desire to leave, contributed to his 2023 departure from the club.

(All stats and transfer fees are taken from Transfermarkt and are correct as of 31/10/2024)