Gonzalo Higuain moved from Napoli to Juventus for £77.3m, causing outrage among Napoli fans. Manchester United have signed three of the top 11 most expensive Argentinian players.
Enzo Fernandez's move from Benfica to Chelsea for £104m makes him the most expensive Argentinian player of all-time. In the world of football, it is common knowledge that Argentina has, over the decades, produced some of the finest players in history. From Lionel Messi to Diego Armando Maradona and Daniel Passarella, there have been many talented players from the slender South American country who have splashed their genius all over the world.
As good as the aforementioned trio are and were, none of them feature on this list of the most expensive Argentinian players of all-time. The 11 Most Expensive Argentinian Players Transfers in Football History Rank Player From To Transfer fee (€/£) 1 Enzo Fernandez SL Benfica Chelsea £104m 2 Gonzalo Higuain Napoli Juventus £77.3m 3 Angel Di Maria Real Madrid Manchester United £64.
5m 4 Angel Di Maria Manchester United Paris Saint-Germain £54.1m 5 Lisandro Martinez Ajax Manchester United £49.3m 6 Hernan Crespo AC Parma SS Lazio £48.
8m 7 Cristian Romero Atalanta BC Tottenham £44.7m 8 Mauro Icardi Inter Milan Paris Saint-Germain £43m 9 Nicolas Otamendi Valencia Manchester City £38.2m 10 Enzo Fernandez River Plate SL Benfica £38m 11 Juan Sebastian Veron SS Lazio Manchester United £36.
6m 11 Juan Sebastian Veron "Veron is a ******* great player, and you're all ******* idiots". Those were the strong words used by Sir Alex Ferguson in response to the media's criticism of Juan Sebastian Veron, whose adventure at Manchester United had not always been a smooth one. After arriving from Lazio in 2001, the Argentinian quickly found himself labelled the most expensive transfer in English football for his £36.
6m move. A weight synonymous with pressure weighed heavily on the shoulders of the La Plata native, who also suffered a number of injuries during his two seasons at Old Trafford - 82 games, 11 goals, 15 assists. 10 Enzo Fernandez It took just six months for Enzo Fernandez to sweep Europe off its feet.
The Buenos Aires-born midfielder, who trained at legendary Argentine club River Plate, made the move to Europe in June 2022 after establishing himself as a first-team regular with Millonario . And it was SL Benfica, known for their links with Argentina, who managed to secure his services for £38m. Wearing the number 13 shirt worn by club legend Eusebio, Fernandez quickly became a key component of the Aguias ' system.
In 29 games for the Eagles, he made 11 decisive appearances (four goals, seven assists), before his performances at the 2022 World Cup opened the doors to some of Europe's biggest clubs. 9 Nicolas Otamendi After four successful seasons with FC Porto, an equally successful loan spell with Atletico Mineiro and a convincing campaign with Valencia , Nicolas Otamendi left Spain for England in the summer of 2015. The transfer was marred by a clash between the Che club and its defender, who refused to train, precipitating his departure for a new destination.
Eventually moving to Manchester City , the Argentinian soon established himself with the Skyblues, with whom he won numerous titles during his five seasons at the Etihad Stadium. When his contract expired in 2020, Otamendi decided to return to Portugal, this time to play for Porto's arch-rivals Benfica - no doubt to the delight of his former fans. 8 Mauro Icardi When he arrived at Paris Saint-Germain in 2019, Mauro Icardi was seen as the No9 capable of taking the Parisian attack to new heights.
Having scored more than 20 goals on three occasions in his six seasons at Inter Milan , the Argentinian centre-forward seems to have all the qualities needed to do just that. Unfortunately for him, however, things did not go according to plan. Far from being considered an indisputable starter, he also suffered a series of physical problems and ended up on loan at Galatasaray, where he has since embraced a new lease of life and seems to have rediscovered his goal-scoring instinct.
7 Cristian Romero After a successful start to his career with his Club Atletico Belgrano, Cristian Romero flew to Italy, where Juventus bought him for a high price (£27m) in 2019. It was an investment that quickly proved to be a disaster, as the defender would never play for the Turin club. Instead, he made his name at Atalanta, where he was first loaned out before being permanently transferred.
In 2022, Tottenham decided to pay Dea £44.7m to secure his services. It was a decision that paid off for a player who has now become one of Spurs' key players, both on and off the pitch, and one of the best in his position in the Premier League .
Tottenham have produced some of the greatest defenders England has seen over the years. 6 Hernan Crespo Another product of the legendary River Plate academy, Hernan Crespo left his native Argentina for Serie A in 1996. After winning a silver medal at the 1996 Olympic Games, where he finished top scorer with six goals, the striker signed for Parma, where he met Carlo Ancelotti , who helped him shine in Calcio .
After scoring 114 times (94 goals, 20 assists) in 201 appearances for the Crociati , the Florida-born forward joined Lazio in 2000 in a record-breaking £48.8m transfer. In his first season in Rome, Crespo scored 26 goals to finish top scorer in the league.
Although more complicated, the second season remained rather interesting, but the club's financial problems forced them to part company with their striker, who left for Inter Milan. 5 Lisandro Martinez The ninth most expensive centre-back in history , Lisandro Martinez first made his name in Argentina, before going on to shine in the Eredivisie with Ajax. In the space of three seasons, the Gualeguay native established himself as the mainstay of the Amsterdam rearguard and helped his club win several trophies, including two Dutch league titles.
After moving to Manchester United in 2022, he has gone from strength to strength, having played an active part in Argentina's conquests of two Copa Americas and the 2022 World Cup . As the 2023/2024 season gets underway, he will no doubt have to take on the role of mentor for his young team-mate Leny Yoro , recruited to succeed Raphael Varane. 4 Angel Di Maria In the seven years he spent at Paris Saint-Germain, Angel Di Maria earned the luxury of becoming a legend at the French capital club.
With a quality that needs no introduction and an irreproachable state of mind, the Argentinian winger helped Les Rouge et Bleu reach new heights in their race to the European summit. GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Angel Di Maria is one of the only players in history to have won five French Cups, alongside Marceau Somerlinck, Dominique Bathenay, Alain Roche, Thiago Silva, Marquinhos and Marco Verratti. The scorer of 93 goals in 295 appearances for PSG, he also became the club's all-time leading provider of assists (119), punctuating his time in France with a host of titles, including five league titles and four French Cups - mark that will forever be engraved in the annals of the Parc des Princes.
3 Angel Di Maria But it was not in Paris that Di Maria began to write his legend. Launched into the big time at Rosario Central, then brought to Europe by Benfica, where he confirmed the hopes placed in him, the Argentinian finally joined Real Madrid in 2010. Di Maria quickly became indispensable to the club in the Spanish capital, shining with his creative qualities and helping the Merengues win a number of titles, including their tenth Champions League title in 2014, after a memorable final .
GIVEMESPORT ranks the 9 best Champions League final opening ceremonies. However, the recruitment of new star players such as Toni Kroos and James Rodriguez precipitated his departure in 2014. Recruited by Manchester United for a record fee in the history of the Premier League, the striker had a very difficult season with the Red Devils, whom he left the following summer.
2 Gonzalo Higuain Of all the Italian fans who hate Juventus, those of Napoli are undoubtedly among the most vigorous. So when Gonzalo Higuain left the south for the north in 2016, the Neapolitan tifosi were quick to react. Shirts were burnt, photos torn up and a banner bearing the Argentinian's likeness hung from a dumpster, and nothing, not even the €90m offered by the Vecchia Signora to Aurelio Di Laurentiis, with whom Higuain had problems, was able to appease their anger.
The centre-forward's time in Turin was sparse, with a successful start but a less successful end. In all, he made 149 appearances, scoring 66 goals and providing 16 assists, before breaking his contract and joining Inter Miami in September 2020. 1 Enzo Fernandez Since 2022 and the arrival of BlueCo at the helm of Chelsea , the London club's spending has continued to rise and its players have continued to arrive.
One of them, Fernandez, made a massive arrival in the Premier League, quite simply by being the most expensive in club history. And this just six months after arriving in Europe. An extraordinary achievement that he owes in part to an exceptional 2022.
Since then, the midfielder has established himself as an indisputable starter in midfield for the Blues, missing just a few games at the end of last season as a result of a groin injury. On the eve of the start of his second full season with the English club, the 23-year-old will have to raise his game a little more if he wants to see his team return to national and international prominence. All statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt .
Correct as of 9th of August 2024..
