The 10 most expensive centre backs of all time

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 15 Feb 2025 21:43 GMT
• 4 min read

Josko Gvardiol is the most expensive centre-back in football history thanks to his €90 million move to Manchester City from Leipzig in the summer of 2023.

Gvardiol had emerged as arguably the best young defender on the planet in the previous year before his transfer. He had been one of the stars at the 2022 World Cup as Croatia made it all the way to the semi-finals. Interestingly, Pep Guardiola eventually converted him into a left-back.

He overtook Harry Maguire as the most expensive centre-back ever. Maguire is now the second costliest centre-back after his €87m transfer from Leicester City to Manchester United in 2019.

The Englishman impressed at the 2018 Russia World Cup and after a further season at the King Power Stadium, Man Utd were persuaded to make Maguire the most expensive defender of all time. He started well at Man Utd but soon turned into a figure of fun with some disastrous performances.

Earlier in the same summer transfer window as Maguire’s big-money move to Man Utd, Matthijs de Ligt had previously become the most expensive centre-back of all time after leaving Ajax to join Juventus for €85.5m.

The Dutchman was heavily sought after following his role in Ajax’s run to the 2018/19 Champions League semi-finals and chose to join Juventus amid interest from across Europe. He was underwhelming in three years in Turin.

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De Ligt’s international team-mate Virgil van Dijk previously held the title of the world’s most expensive centre-back before the 2019 summer transfer window.

The former Celtic star left Southampton to sign for Liverpool during the 2018 January transfer window, signing for the Reds for a fee of €84.65m after impressing on the south coast.

He proved to be one of Liverpool's best defenders ever. He helped the Anfield-based side reach the Champions League final in his first six months at the club and then in the competition in 2019.

The 2022 summer transfer window saw Wesley Fofana move from Leicester City to Chelsea, costing the Stamford Bridge outfit €80.4m. This made him the fifth most expensive centre-back in football history.

It means that Leicester have been the selling club for two of the five most expensive centre-backs ever. Fofana has struggled with injury at Chelsea so far.

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Ruben Dias is the sixth most expensive centre-back of all time. He joined Manchester City from Benfica for a fee of €71.6m. He developed into one of the best defenders in the world at City under Pep Guardiola.

The aforementioned De Ligt appears in the top 10 most expensive centre-backs of all time for a second time thanks to his €67m transfer from Juventus to Bayern Munich in 2022. However, just like at Juventus, De Ligt struggled at Bayern.

Aymeric Laporte's €65m transfer from Athletic Bilbao to Man City in 2017 also makes the list, meaning the Premier League is responsible for the vast majority of the 10 most expensive centre-backs ever.

The ninth-most expensive centre-back of all-time became Leny Yoro in 2024, with the Frenchman joining Manchester United from Lille for a fee of €62m, although it could rise as high as €70m.

2022 World Cup winner Lisandro Martinez completes the top ten. The Argentina joined Man Utd from Ajax for €57.4m in 2022.

The 10 most expensive centre-backs of all time