The 10 most expensive Portuguese players of all time

Carlo Garganese

• Updated: 14 Nov 2024 13:53 GMT
• 5 min read

Portugal have produced some of the biggest stars in football history, including Cristiano Ronaldo, who many consider to be the greatest player of all time.

As a result, many Portuguese footballers have moved club teams for huge fees in the transfer market.

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

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

10. Otavio - €60m (Porto to Al-Nassr, 2023)

Otavio joined a host of players who made the switch from Europe to Saudi Arabia during the 2023 summer transfer window.

He ended a nine-year association with FC Porto to become Al-Nassr’s all time record signing. Otavio left Porto having made 283 appearances for the club.

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

9. Pedro Neto - €60m (Wolves to Chelsea, 2024)

Pedro Neto joined this list in 2024 when Chelsea paid €60m to sign him from Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur were all linked with Neto, but Chelsea won the race for his signature amid a spending spree during Enzo Maresca’s first transfer window in charge.

Neto scored 14 goals in 135 games for Wolves.

8. Matheus Nunes - €62m (Wolves to Man City, 2023)

Matheus Nunes completed a shock move to Man City for €62m after a fairly underwhelming debut campaign at Wolves.

He arrived at Molineux with huge expectations following an immense spell at Sporting CP, in which he was named as one of the world’s best players by Pep Guardiola, and Man City subsequently opted to spend over €60m to sign him in 2023.

Nunes made just seven Premier League starts during his first season at Man City, with the midfielder restricted to a rotation role.

7. Bruno Fernandes - €65m (Sporting to Man Utd, 2020)

Bruno Fernandes spent two-and-a-half years at Sporting CP and he established himself as one of Europe’s best attacking midfielders during his time in Lisbon.

Fernandes notched more than 110 goal contributions in just 137 games for Sporting, and this convinced Man Utd to spend €65m to bring him to Old Trafford in January 2020.

The Portuguese star was subsequently named club captain in July 2023.

6. Goncalo Ramos - €65m (Benfica to PSG, 2024)

Interest in Goncalo Ramos’ services sky-rocketed following his form at the 2022 World Cup, in which he displaced Cristiano Ronaldo, and Paris Saint-Germain agreed to sign him on loan in 2023.

He netted 14 goals in all competitions during the 2023-24 campaign and the deal was made permanent for €65m.

Ramos departed Benfica with 41 goals in 106 first-team matches.

5. Joao Cancelo - €65m (Juventus to Man City, 2019)

A Benfica academy graduate, Joao Cancelo spent time at Valencia, Inter Milan and Juventus before joining Manchester City for €65m in 2019.

He reinvented himself as an inverted full-back under Pep Guardiola and played a key role as the Etihad Stadium side continued to stamp their authority on English football.

However, the defender fell out with Guardiola after the 2022 World Cup and following loan spells at Bayern Munich and Barcelona, Cancelo joined Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Hilal on a permanent deal in August 2024.

4. Ruben Dias - €71.6m (Benfica to Man City, 2020)

Ruben Dias became Man City’s second-most expensive signing in history when he joined the club in 2020, with Pep Guardiola finally identifying the right-footed centre-back he was after.

Nicolas Otamendi moved in the opposite direction, with Dias finally completing a switch to Man City following several years of interest.

He departed Benfica with 137 first-team appearances for his name and he helped Man City win their first ever Champions League trophy in 2022.

3. Cristiano Ronaldo - €94m (Man Utd to Real Madrid, 2009)

Cristiano Ronaldo set a new transfer record when Real Madrid paid €94m to sign him from Man Utd in 2009.

He had won the Ballon d’Or in 2008 and Los Blancos finally finalised the deal one year later, with Ronaldo leaving Man Utd having won nine trophies during his first spell at Old Trafford.

The Portuguese football legend went on to achieve even bigger things at Real Madrid, tallying 450 goals in 438 appearances, while winning the Champions League on four occasions.

2. Cristiano Ronaldo - €117m (Real Madrid to Juventus, 2018)

Ronaldo is also the second-most expensive Portuguese player of all time, thanks to his move to Juventus from Real Madrid after the 2018 World Cup.

He opted to leave the Santiago Bernabeu after nine years with Los Blancos and Juventus were willing to pay close to €120m for his services in their bid to win the Champions League.

However, Ronaldo was unable to end the Old Lady’s European drought and he left the club to re-join Man Utd in 2021.

1. Joao Felix - €127.2m (Benfica to Atletico Madrid, 2019)

Joao Felix became the most expensive Portuguese football player in history when he joined Atletico Madrid for €127.2m.

He had burst onto the scene at Benfica, notably becoming the youngest player to score a Europa League hat-trick in April 2019, and he joined Atleti for a club record fee just three months later.

However, Felix never suited Diego Simeone’s style of play and after two loan spells away from Atletico Madrid, he joined Chelsea on a permanent deal in 2024.

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