The 10 most expensive goalkeepers of all time

Cameron Smith

• 12 Sep 2024 15:54 CDT
• 4 min read

Kepa Arrizabalaga remains the most expensive goalkeeper in football history, courtesy of his move from Athletic Club to Chelsea.

The Spaniard may have been a flop at Stamford Bridge, but the Blues paid a whopping €80 million to sign him in 2018.

Athletic Club strictly follow a club policy of only employing players from the Basque region, meaning it typically costs a lot of money to sign one of their talents.

READ MORE: What are the most expensive transfers of all time? The 50 highest fees in history

As a result, Chelsea were forced to break the world record fee for a goalkeeper in order to land Kepa in 2018, after losing Thibaut Courtois to Real Madrid in the same summer transfer window.

Chelsea were also linked with another goalkeeper during the summer they signed Kepa - Brazilian shot-stopper Alisson.

Instead, Alisson joined Liverpool from Roma and he was briefly the most expensive goalkeeper of all time before Kepa's move. Alisson is now the second on this list, having cost Liverpool €62.5m. His transfer was a huge success.

READ MORE: The 10 most expensive centre midfielders of all time

The third-most expensive goalkeeper of all time is Gianluigi Buffon thanks to his €52.9m move from Parma to Juventus way back in 2001. This stood as the world’s record transfer fee for a goalkeeper until 2018. Buffon is remembered as arguably the greatest goalkeeper of all time.

Andre Onana's transfer to Manchester United in the summer of 2023 sees him rank fourth on the list, having set the Red Devils back €50.2m - after Inter had signed him for nothing from Ajax just the season prior.

Brazilian international Ederson is fifth on the list. His move from Benfica to Manchester City cost the latter €40m and he played a pivotal role in establishing City's dominance under Pep Guardiola.

Next up is Jasper Cillessen, whose move from Barcelona to Valencia was worth a whopping €35m. Courtois’ transfer from Chelsea to Real Madrid also cost €35m, meaning he is the joint-sixth most expensive goalkeeper of all time.

In eighth place is David Raya. The Spaniard joined Arsenal from Brentford on a permanent deal for €31.9m in 2024 after a successful loan spell at the club.

Giorgi Mamardashvili became the ninth-most expensive goalkeeper in history when his move from Valencia to Liverpool was confirmed for €30m in August 2024.

Completing the top 10 is Manuel Neuer. His move from boyhood club Schalke to Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich in 2011 also cost €30m, and he soon established himself as the best goalkeeper in world football.

The 10 most expensive goalkeepers of all time