Ranking worst transfers of all time: Lionel Messi impacted massively by top spot; Real Madrid make it twice

Will the signing of Joao Felix to Al-Nassr be a failure for the Saudi club after paying €50 million to Chelsea? What about Hugo Ekitike to Liverpool? It's too soon to say what will happen, but the next years will tell us if the current 2025 summer transfer window will also be remembered for some expensive transfer moves that didn't work out. If we look at the past, there are plenty of examples showing how dangerous the transfer market can be for clubs. There are many deals, which also include Ballon d'Or winners, that turned out to be a total failure for both teams and players, showing how sometimes it's difficult to predict if a move can be successful or not.

So, here you have it -- the 10 worst transfers of recent years based on the value the player brought to the team in relation to the transfer fee:

10. Leonardo Bonucci to AC Milan -- €40 million

In the summer 2017, AC Milan started a revolution in the team that brought 12 new players into the roster coached by Vincenzo Montella. The Rossoneri signed Italian center back Leonardo Bonucci from Juventus, a few weeks after the Bianconeri lost their second Champions League final in three years against Real Madrid. AC Milan also took advantage of the bad relationship between Bonucci and Massimiliano Allegri, who back then was coaching the Bianconeri, and decided to make Bonucci their new captain and leader of the new cycle. After a disappointing season, Bonucci made his comeback at Juventus one year later. While at Milan, he ironically scored one goal in that 2017-18 season, and it was against Juventus.

9. Kaka to Real Madrid -- €67 million

When in the summer of 2009 Real Madrid signed Brazilian star and 2007 Ballon d'Or winner Kakà for €67 million, it was widely considered as one of the best signings in the history of the sport, also because it happened in the summer when Real Madrid also signed Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United. While the second one was one of the best signings of the past years, Kaka's spell at Real Madrid quickly became a nightmare due to injuries. Viewed as one of the absolute top players in the world at the time, over the four years at Madrid, Kaka only scored 29 goals and played 120 matches before making his comeback at AC Milan for one season, then moving to Brazil and lastly to the MLS, where he ended his career playing for Orlando City.

8. Fernando Torres to Chelsea -- €60 million

The Spanish striker was one of the best talents of the second decade of the 2000s and starred at both Atletico de Madrid and Liverpool before making his move to Chelsea in the 2011 winter transfer window. Despite winning the 2011-12 edition of the UEFA Champions League, Torres was never able to consistently show his talent at Stamford Bridge, leaving in 2014 for a loan spell to AC Milan before joining again Atletico de Madrid on a permanent deal. At Chelsea, the Spanish forward scored 45 goals in three and a half years.

7. Angel Di Maria to Manchester United -- €75 million

The Argentinian winger moved from Real Madrid to Manchester United in the summer of 2014 as the English giants paid him around €75 million, but things didn't go as planned. Di Maria, after one season and only four goals scored with Manchester United, left the club and joined PSG where he played for the following seven seasons, showing why he was worth that amount of money, even if things didn't work out at Old Trafford. He would later go on to win the World Cup with Argentina.

6. Paul Pogba to Manchester United -- €105 million

The French midfielder moved to Juventus in the summer of 2012 as a free agent after his deal with Manchester United expired, as former manager Sir Alex Ferguson was not willing to satisfy the requests of the player and his agent, the late Mino Raiola. After four exciting years at the Italian club, the same Manchester United decided to pay €105 million to sign the Frenchman again, which also included a €20 million fee for the same agent. In the summer of 2022, Manchester United lost Pogba again as a free agent, as he returned to Juventus. Pogba later received a doping ban and has since joined AS Monaco.

5. Romelu Lukaku to Chelsea -- €115 million

In the summer 2019, Inter signed Romelu Lukaku from Manchester United for around €85 million and it became the most expensive signing in the history of the Italian team. Not many believed Inter could make a profit out of that deal, as in the summer 2021 after two years at the club, the Nerazzurri sold Lukaku to Chelsea for a record fee of €115 million. The move proved a major disappointment for the English side, as Lukaku, who scored only eight goals across all competitions that season, was loaned back to Inter in the summer of 2022, just one year later.

4. Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona -- €120 million

One of the most disappointing signings in history. After five exciting seasons at Liverpool, the Brazilian attacker joined Barcelona for €120 million but was not able to come close to his previous form. This is why Barcelona decided to loan him out during the 2019-20 season, when Coutinho managed to win the treble with Bayern Munich, which also included a dramatic 8-2 win against the same Barcelona in the quarterfinal of the Champions League, when Coutinho scored two goals against his former club. Ouch.

3. Neymar to Al-Hilal -- €90 million

When Barcelona signed Neymar from Santos in 2013 for a then-record fee of around €90 million, the Brazilian striker was considered as the next big thing in the sport. He definitely showed his potential and talent at both Barcelona and PSG, but then joined Saudi side Al-Hilal in 2013 for €90 million, where he only played seven games in two years, as he suffered from an ACL injury. After two years in Saudi Arabia, he left the club and rejoined his childhood team Santos, where he's currently playing. His move to Al-Hilal, also considering his annual $100 salary, was one of the most disappointing and expensive moves in the history of the transfer market. In the end, it averages out to having paid €12.8 million per game he played there.

2. Eden Hazard to Real Madrid - €100 million

Eden Hazard was one of the best European talents of the last 20 years, playing some exciting football at Chelsea in particular, where he also won two Premier League titles among other trophies. He later attracted the interest of Real Madrid which signed Hazard in 2019 for €100 million, but his move to Spain was a total failure, despite the expectations. He only scored seven goals in four years at Real Madrid, playing 76 matches in all competitions before retiring from the sport in 2023.

1. Antoine Griezmann to Barcelona - €120 million

If the Coutinho signing was disappointing, the are not many words to describe the transfer of Antoine Griezmann to Barcelona. The Spanish club paid the €120 million release clause to Atletico de Madrid in the summer of 2019, also in a difficult financial moment for the club, which led to the issues of the summer of 2021 when Barcelona were not able to offer Lionel Messi a new deal. The same summer, 2021, marked the end of the two-year experience of Griezmann at Barcelona, as he made his comeback at Atletico de Madrid on loan with an option to buy included in the deal. This move had a direct financial impact on Barca losing Messi, and it will be hard for any fan of the club to ever forget.