Top Ten Most Expensive Soccer Players Ever: $108M Rodriguez-Real Madrid Signing "Significant Transfer In Football History": Real Madrid inked a contract with world Cup 2014 sweet scorer James Rodriguez of Columbia for a transfer fee of $108 million. Monaco did not intend to sell Rodriguez but said, it was "one of the most significant transfers in football history". But that's not exactly the top transfer fee for a footballer.
The most expensive transfer deals are signed for even more. With Rodriguez moving to Barcelona, it might get a little crowded with so much talent from Christiano Ronaldo, Garetj Bale and Karim Benzema all holding major gatekeepers positions at the Spanish club.
Foremost on the list of most expensive soccer players ever is Gareth Bale for $146 million. Bale transferred from the Premier League's Tottenham Hotspurs to Real, making him the most expensive player.
Christiano Ronaldo caused a stir when he moved from Old Trafford's Manchester Unied to Real for $136 million, making him the record holder for the most expensive transfer signing.
Luis Suarez certainly raised some controversy with the 'biting on the pitch' episode during the World Cup 2014 match against Italy. So, Liverpool sold Suarez for $127 million to Barcelona. FIFA authorities asked Suarez to get help for biting players on the field,and banned Suarez during the World Cup matches.
Neymar made a newsworthy deal in 2013, moving from the Brazilian club Santos to Barcelona for $122 million, while Zlatan Ibrahimovic transferred from Inter Milan to Barcelona in 2009 for a hefty $100 million, spending just two seasons at Barcelona.
Kaka transferred from AC Milan to Real Madrid (2009) for $94 million. Despite the success of his teammate Ronaldo, Kaka did not make a big impression at Real. Edinson Cavani transferred for $93.7 million from Napoli to PSG (2013). Cavani, an Uruguayan, made a deal making him the most expensive player bought by a French team.
Zinedine Zidane moved from Juventus to Real Madrid (2001) for $90 million set a record then becoming the world's most expensive player. The last of the top ten most expensive soccer players is Columbia's Radamel Falcao, who was sold from Atletico Madrid to Monaco (2013) for $87 million.
