The 10 most expensive Brazilian players of all time

Carlo Garganese

• Updated: 7 Nov 2024 15:44 GMT
• 6 min read

Brazil are the biggest nation in football, with the most World Cup wins of any country on the planet.

Some of the best players in history have played for the Selecao, including Pele, Neymar and Ronaldinho.

Below, FootballTransfers runs through the 10 most expensive Brazilian players of all time.

READ MORE: The 10 most expensive English players of all time

10. Oscar - €60m (Chelsea to Shanghai Port, 2017)

Oscar was largely overshadowed by Juan Mata and Eden Hazard during his time at Chelsea, but he was a fan favourite at Stamford Bridge and his talent was unquestionable.

The Brazilian was a consistent starter under Jose Mourinho, however his game time reduced upon the arrival of Antonio Conte and he left to join the riches of the Chinese Super League at the age of 25.

Oscar has admitted that he couldn’t refuse the offer of setting his family up for life, which is why he has never returned to Europe.

READ MORE: The 10 most expensive Argentine players of all time

9. Alisson - €63.5m (Roma to Liverpool, 2018)

Alisson enjoyed a successful two-year spell at AS Roma and Liverpool opted to briefly make him the world’s most expensive goalkeeper in 2018.

The Brazilian shot-stopper was seen as the final piece of Liverpool’s puzzle and he proved to be exactly that, helping the Reds win the Champions League and then the Premier League in his first two seasons at Anfield.

8. Kaka - €67m (AC Milan to Real Madrid, 2009)

Kaka was one of the world’s best players throughout the 2000s and his career peaked in 2007 - helping Milan win the Champions League before being awarded the Ballon d’Or.

He became the second-most expensive player of all time upon joining Real Madrid in 2009, but his career in Spain was plagued by injuries and he was unable to reach the levels expected of him.

Kaka left Los Blancos in 2013 and he eventually retired in 2017.

7. Casemiro - €70.7m (Real Madrid to Man Utd, 2022)

Casemiro won five Champions League trophies during an illustrious career at Real Madrid, with the Brazilian forming a formidable midfield trio with Luka Modric and Toni Kroos.

However, his time at the Santiago Bernabeu came to an end in 2022 following Los Blancos’ addition of France midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni.

Manchester United opted to spend just over €70m on Casemiro and he helped the Red Devils win the Carabao Cup during his debut campaign at Old Trafford.

6. Arthur Melo - €80.6m (Barcelona to Juventus, 2020)

Arthur Melo was involved in an extremely lucrative swap deal with Miralem Pjanic in 2020, with the two players swapping clubs for huge fees in order to ease the financial issues at both Barcelona and Juventus.

Arthur showed glimpses of promise at Camp Nou, but he never lived up to the billing of Andres Iniesta’s replacement.

Furthermore, injuries and a lack of form limited him to just 24 Serie A starts across his first two seasons at Juventus, before a disastrous loan spell at Liverpool saw his stock fall even further.

5. Neymar - €88m (Santos to Barcelona, 2013)

Neymar became the most expensive Brazilian player of all time when he joined Barcelona for €88m in 2013, while he has since moved clubs for a higher fee on two occasions.

Aged 19, he became the first player in history to finish in the top 10 of the Ballon d’Or rankings without playing in Europe, while his stellar first-team career at Santos ended with 136 goals in 225 games.

His ascent continued at Barcelona and Neymar established himself as one of the world’s very best players during his time with the Blaugrana.

4. Neymar - €90m (PSG to Al-Hilal, 2023)

Neymar appears on this list for a second time due to his €90m transfer from Paris Saint-Germain to Al-Hilal in 2023.

The Brazilian registered more goal contributions than appearances during his time at the Parc des Princes, but he was often injured at crucial periods of the season and he failed to achieve his goal of winning the Ballon d’Or.

He followed a host of elite stars to the Saudi Pro League ahead of the 2023-24 campaign, having won 14 trophies at PSG.

3. Antony - €95m (Ajax to Man Utd, 2022)

Erik ten Hag was determined to bring Antony with him upon his appointment at Man Utd, and the Dutchman was granted his wish when the Red Devils agreed a €95m deal with Ajax.

Antony had impressed under Ten Hag’s management in Amsterdam and he left Ajax with 24 goals and 22 assists in 82 games for the club.

Big things were expected of him upon his big-money arrival at Old Trafford.

2. Philippe Coutinho - €135m (Liverpool to Barcelona, 2018)

Barcelona failed to sign Philippe Coutinho during the 2017 summer transfer window, but they finally agreed a deal with Liverpool six months later.

The Brazilian had become a legend at Anfield, racking up over 200 appearances for the club, but he was eager to seal a Camp Nou move and the transfer was finalised in January 2018.

Coutinho played 106 times for Barca, but he failed to become a reliable starter at the club and he joined Aston Villa on a permanent basis following loan spells at Bayern Munich and Villa Park.

1. Neymar - €222m (Barcelona to PSG, 2017)

Neymar is the most expensive player in football history and he therefore tops this list as well.

He left Barcelona to join PSG for a world record fee of €222m in 2017, with the Parisians eager to end their Champions League hoodoo and Neymar keen to escape from Lionel Messi’s shadow.

The Brazilian superstar left Barcelona with 105 goals in 186 appearances, in addition to nine trophies across a four-year spell.

The 10 most expensive Brazilian soccer players of all time