Football's Biggest Transfer Spenders, 1893–2026

The 15 football clubs that have paid the most in transfer fees, season by season from the first recorded fees in 1893 to the 2026 summer window. First place changed hands 20 times, and one club held it without a break from 1907 to 1960. Subscribe for the next race:    / @rankedworlddoc   Chapters 0:00 1893 The first recorded fees 0:15 1895 Liverpool takes first place 0:56 1907 Newcastle United takes first place 2:02 1928 Arsenal signs David Jack 2:51 1945 After the skipped war seasons 3:30 1957 Juventus climbs to second 3:45 1961 Inter Milan takes first place 4:35 1973 Barcelona signs Johan Cruyff 5:01 1979 Everton takes first place 5:15 1984 Napoli signs Diego Maradona 5:27 1986 AC Milan takes first place 5:42 1990 Juventus passes $100 million 6:08 1997 Inter Milan is back in first 6:42 2003 Inter Milan passes $1 billion 7:08 2009 Real Madrid takes first place 7:42 2017 Chelsea takes first place 8:07 2022 Chelsea is back in first 8:31 2026 The board today Data: Transfermarkt, "Income and expenditure by club" season tables (fees paid), https://www.transfermarkt.com/transfe.... Retrieved October 15, 2026; through the 2026/27 summer window. Changes: each club's fees added up season by season, top 15 shown; euros converted to US dollars at the 2025 average rate (€1 = $1.1299, FRED EXUSEU, https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/EX.... Nominal amounts, not adjusted for inflation. Five obvious data-entry errors (1920–1968) were left out. Club crests, league emblems and club and league names are trademarks of their respective owners and are used for identification only. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Transfermarkt, the Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, Ligue 1 or any club. #Football #Transfers #BarChartRace