Harry Maguire, Virgil van Dijk to Raphael Varane - Who are the top 10 most expensive centre-backs of all time?

Ritabrata Banerjee

Harry Maguire, Virgil van Dijk to Raphael Varane - Who are the top 10 most expensive centre-backs of all time? image

With a move from Real Madrid to Manchester United all but done for a transfer fee close to €50m, Raphael Varane becomes the joint 10th most expensive centre-back of all time.

The 28-year-old, who spent the last 10 seasons at Real Madrid, won every single trophy in Spain including four Champions Leagues and three La Liga titles. He won a total of 18 titles at Santiago Bernabeu and is one of the most accomplished defenders of the current generation.

English international Harry Maguire is the most expensive central defender of all time after he moved to Manchester United in the summer of 2019 for a record fee of €87.1m from fellow Premier League club Leicester City.

Maguire's transfer overtook Liverpool's signing of Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk for €84.5m from Southampton which was the record transfer fee for centre-back until 2019.

In the list of most expensive transfers of central defenders, Manchester City have the most number of players, four out of the top 11 transfers.

Harry Maguire Leeds vs Man Utd Premier League 2020-21

Who are the top 10 most expensive centre-backs of all time?

Pos. Player Clubs Year Fee
1 Harry Maguire Leicester City - Manchester United 2019 €87.1m
2 Virgil van Dijk Southampton - Liverpool 2018 €84.5m
3 Lucas Hernandez Atletico Madrid - Bayern Munich 2019 €80m
4 Matthijs de Ligt Ajax - Juventus 2019 €75m (+€10.5m)
5 Ruben Dias Benfica - Manchester City 2020 €68m (+€3.6m)
6 Aymeric Laporte Athletic Bilbao - Manchester City 2018 €65m
7 David Luiz Chelsea - PSG 2014 €62.5m
8 John Stones Everton - Manchester City 2016 €58m
9 Eliaquim Mangala Porto - Manchester City 2014 €51.7m
10 Eder Militao Porto - Real Madrid 2019 €50m
10 Raphael Varane Real Madrid - Manchester United 2021 €50m

 

Ritabrata Banerjee