20 Most Expensive Defenders in Football History

Leny Yoro’s transfer to Manchester United made him one of the most expensive teenagers in football history, with the Red Devils parting ways with £52m to get their hands on the French youngster amid interest from Liverpool and Real Madrid.

In the past, the big transfer fees were saved only for the superstars. More often than not, it would be those who played further up the pitch who would be costing a fortune. However, the money in modern-day football has also extended to defenders The fee to secure Yoro sees him join the top 20 most expensive defenders of all time, but there are several others who trump him.

10 Marc Cucurella

Brighton to Chelsea – £55 million

Having impressed on the south coast with Brighton, Marc Cucurella earned himself a big move to Chelsea in 2022. In the two years since, the full-back has struggled to recapture the form that the Blues would’ve been hoping to see from their new man.

Having worked with as many as four managers in the last two years, Cucurella will return from international duty to greet his fifth head coach in west London. However, the tide might be turning for the 25-year-old. The Spaniard was trusted to play a pivotal role at Euro 2024 and repaid Luis de la Fuente by grabbing an assist in the final against England and being named in the official Team of the Tournament.

9 Matthijs de Ligt

Juventus to Bayern Munich – £56.4 million

It’s not the last time Dutchman Matthijs de Ligt will appear on this list, but it is his most recent move that sees him slot in at number nine. Having failed to make the level of impact at a decaying Juventus that fans would’ve hoped, the former Ajax captain was snapped up by German giants Bayern Munich.

After a promising start, injuries and managers preferring alternative options have seen the Dutch defender drop out of the regular eleven. It has led to speculation of a third major move at the age of just 24 years old, with former manager Erik ten Hag reportedly keen on reuniting with his former skipper. He would join other top 20 defenders in Yoro, Lisandro Martinez, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and another name in the top 10 if he was to do so.

8 Achraf Hakimi

Inter Milan to Paris Saint-Germain – £57.3 million

Pacey defender Achraf Hakimi has had a phenomenal career at the age of just 25. The Morocco international has played for the likes of Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid in his time, but it was a move from Italian giants Inter Milan that earned him a place on this list.

Having won the Scudetto with the Nerazzurri, Hakimi made the lucrative move to the French capital where he joined PSG. Since then, among plenty of chances at the Parc des Princes, the flying full-back has been an ever-present figure for the Ligue 1 giants and has continued to showcase not only his talent but his incredible physical attributes too.

7 Ruben Dias

Benfica to Manchester City – £60.3 million

One of the best defenders in the world today, it is safe to say that the money Manchester City spent on acquiring Ruben Dias from Benfica was money well spent. Even as a youngster, the Portuguese powerhouse showed not only tremendous quality but an intensity and composure that anyone would want from a future captain.

Many central defenders have come and gone during Pep Guardiola’s time at the Etihad. The shelf life in this position is arguably shorter than anywhere else. However, since 2020, the 27-year-old has been a focal point in the Citizens’ defence and is an important component in the spine of potentially the greatest force in English football history.

6 Lucas Hernandez

Atletico Madrid to Bayern Munich – £67.4 million

France have seen some incredible left-backs in the past. Patrice Evra and Eric Abidal immediately spring to mind. In recent times, though, it has been Lucas Hernandez who has occupied that position in the team. Like others on this list, the 28-year-old has played for many top clubs in his career, but it was his move from Atletico Madrid to Bayern Munich that broke the bank.

Hernandez had a successful four-year spell in Bavaria, scooping up several domestic honours. He was then shipped off to PSG for almost half the price, where he suffered a horrific ACL injury which ruled him out of Euro 2024 and saw his brother, Theo, take his place in Didier Deschamps’ side.

5 Wesley Fofana

Leicester City to Chelsea – £67.75 million

Speaking of French players and injuries. Step forward, Wesley Fofana. Having adapted brilliantly to the Premier League as a young defender at Leicester City, his career was derailed by a broken fibula that ruled him out for over seven months. That didn’t prevent Chelsea from putting up a club-record fee for a defender to secure the youngster’s services.

Two years and 20 appearances later, Fofana has missed more games on the sidelines than he has been available for, indicating that the London club perhaps didn’t do their due diligence before signing off on the deal. At 23 years old, there is still time for a return to the team to fulfill his potential. Don’t count on it though, as Fofana wouldn’t be the only player to have a promising career snatched away from him by the injury bug.

4 Virgil van Dijk

Southampton to Liverpool – £71.3 million

If Ruben Dias was money well spent, then the impact that Virgil van Dijk has made on Liverpool has made him an absolute bargain. The 32-year-old was the missing piece of the jigsaw under Jurgen Klopp as the Reds surged from obscurity to Premier League champions in less than half a decade.

After Van Dijk’s arrival, the Liverpool backline turned into one of the most unbeatable and became the basis of their period of dominance across English and European football, where they made two Champions League finals. The Dutchman has even had a renaissance in recent months and is comfortably one of the best captains in England’s top flight currently.

3 Matthijs de Ligt

Ajax to Juventus – £72 million

Matthijs de Ligt, we meet again. Whilst his move away from the Old Lady was enough to crack the top three, his move to Turin was enough for him to secure the bronze medal. With his stock sky-high after being the teenage captain who led Ajax to an unexpected Champions League semi-final in 2019, it was a no-brainer for Juve to splash the cash on one of the most promising players in the world.

As previously mentioned, things didn’t quite go according to plan. De Ligt didn’t show quite the level of improvement that would’ve been desired, although he was still one of the club’s best defenders. However, the Italian side went through a period of financial difficulty, which meant cashing in on the defender was paramount.

2 Harry Maguire

Leicester City to Manchester United – £73.3 million

Historians may look back at the 2018 World Cup as being the tournament that shaped the future of Harry Maguire’s career. A Leicester City player at the time, he looked like a star waiting to burst onto the world scene as part of the backline that took the Three Lions to the World Cup semi-final. After a year of speculation, Manchester United made him the most expensive defender in the world.

Six months later, the Englishman was named captain. Now though, the 31-year-old has been ostracised at Old Trafford. Or at least Erik ten Hag has attempted to make it that way. A future at the Theatre of Dreams is unlikely, and the club are bound to have to take a significant loss in getting Maguire off their books.

1 Josko Gvardiol

RB Leipzig to Manchester City – £77.6 million

Maguire remained the most expensive defender in world football until the summer of 2023, when a young Croatian came in to take his spot. Josko Gvardiol’s name was on the lips of a lot of big wigs as the versatile defender excelled in Germany at RB Leipzig. With a release clause in his contract, it was only a matter of time before someone decided to bite the bullet to bring him in. Which is exactly what Manchester City did.

It was an unsteady start for the 22-year-old, who struggled to adapt in the early going. By the end of the season though, Gvardiol had managed to hammer down a regular spot at left-back and even became a goal threat, scoring four times in his final seven Premier League matches of the 2023-24 campaign.

All transfer fees and statistics are courtesy of Transfermarkt (Correct as of 19/07/2024)