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5 players worth €100m+
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Transfer fees have snowballed to crazy numbers over the past few decades. The astronomical prices seemed to culminate in Neymar’s €222 million move from Barcelona to PSG in 2017. To this day that remains the world record transfer fee. Even players signed to just be back-up or rotations players can easily go for well over €30m at the top clubs these days. However, in this globalised world in which players move all around the planet for mouth-watering amounts of money, some stars choose to stay put and have never even generated a single transfer fee across their entire careers.
From academy youngsters still making their way in the game to one-club legends, here at Transfermarkt, we have calculated the most valuable players of all-time, who were never bought for a transfer fee throughout their entire careers. This could be due to players running their contracts down and leaving on a fee transfer among other reasons, but some superstars crop up on the list. If players were at the same market value, we have ranked the youngest player higher as they have more time to increase their value further.
The most valuable players to have never generated a transfer fee
Two players share the mantle of being the most valuable player ever who never generated a transfer fee throughout their career. Lionel Messi reached his highest career market value of €180 million in 2012, and despite the Argentine magician moving clubs twice later on in his career, (Barcelona to PSG, and PSG to Inter Miami), both moves were on a free transfer. The other star is 17-year-old Lamine Yamal – the teenager already commands a €180m market value, and is the most valuable player for his age-group of all-time.
Next up are two English stars whom are academy products from the respective clubs they still play for. Manchester City’s Phil Foden reached a career-high €150m last season and remained at his boyhood club, whilst Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka is currently worth €150m and has only ever played for the Gunners. Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold reached a career-high €110m and remains a one-club man up until this point; the talented full-back is expected to leave for Real Madrid this summer, but it would be on a free transfer, which means the Englishman would remain on the list. In sixth is Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford, who reached €85m, but he is expected to leave Old Trafford this January.
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Two more Barcelona stars are up next. Sergio Busquets reached a career-high market value of €80m, and didn’t leave the Catalan giants until he moved on a free transfer to Inter Miami when he was 33. Ansu Fati showed such early promise for Barca and saw his market value shoot up to €80m when he was just 18; since then things have fallen badly for the young Spaniard, and after a failed loan-move to Brighton he is now worth just €10m. Thomas Müller has been a one-club man at Bayern Munich, and reached a career-high market value of €75m. Completing the top 10 is Italian Lorenzo Insigne, who only ever made a free transfer from Napoli to Toronto and had a career-high value of €75m.
