The most expensive XI in world football ft. Mbappe, Caicedo and Neymar | OneFootball

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The late Trevor Francis holds a unique chunk of history as the first-ever million-pound player. With Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest shelling out the fee for the Birmingham City and England forward in 1979, it proved to be a watershed moment in the sport that seemed to indirectly change the way business was conducted in football forever. Fast-forward 44 years, and Kylian Mbappe has been offered a billion pounds for a season in the Saudi Arabian Pro League, transfer records are being topped every year, and a million pounds on a new signing is viewed as relative chicken feed.

After Enzo Fernandez’s £106 million move to Chelsea to make him the most expensive signing by a British club ever, the football sphere in England had borne witness to a watershed moment. Just seven months later, Tod Boehly brandished his chequebook once again, and has now shelled out another record-breaking sum for Moises Caicedo, who joins Chelsea for a fee worth £115 million.

Due to all the astronomical spending in the Premier League this summer, we decided to take a look at the most expensive XI of all time, according to Transfermarkt. As you'd expect, the XI is absolutely stacked with talent, some better than others, and it cost a hell of a lot of money to assemble. How much we hear you ask? Well, if you add up all the transfer fees, it comes to just over £1.2 billion. So, without further ado, here is the most expensive XI of all time.

11 GK: Kepa - £71.6 million

Chelsea paid Kepa Arrizabalaga’s €80 million release clause to make him the most expensive goalkeeper in the world, breaking the record just weeks after Alisson’s £66.8 million (€72.5 million) move to Liverpool from Seria A side Roma. Unfortunately, for the Blues, while they may have outdone their red-wearing counterparts on money spent for their shot-stopper, the money on offer didn't guarantee them a safe pair of hands, with the Spaniard falling out-of-favour to Edouard Mendy. While it initially looked as though he may have regained his number-one spot under Mauricio Pochettino, it was recently announced that the Chelsea shot-stopper had sealed an out-of-the-blue loan move to Real Madrid, following a season-ending injury to Thibaut Courtois.

10 CB: Josko Gvardiol - £77.6 million

At 21 years of age, it could be argued that Manchester City have massively overpaid for the services of RB Leipig's hot-prospect, Josko Gvardiol. At an exact £77.6 million, the Croatian international became the most expensive defender in football history, beating Harry Maguire's previously set record by a few hundred thousand. Manchester City understand the perils of stagnation in the Premier League, and building on and consolidating what they've already achieved is vital next term, when they look to defend their crowns as European, English, and FA Cup champions.

9 CB: Harry Maguire - £77 million

Harry Maguire’s transfer from Leicester to Manchester United made him the most expensive defender in the world after beating Virgil van Dijk's £75 million transfer to Liverpool, a comparison that hasn't done Maguire any favours. Maguire's spell in the North West has been underwhelming, to say the least, and has been tipped for a move away from the club all summer, with West Ham reportedly ready to take the out-of-favour centre-back off the Red Devils' hands.

8 CB: Matthijs de Ligt - £75 million

Matthijs de Ligt was one of the most talked about players in the world in 2018, with many football fans believing he could go on to be one of the best defenders of our generation if he reached his potential. The winner of the Golden Boy award, De Ligt was a part of the Ajax team that reached the semi-final of the Champions League in 2019, beating the likes of Real Madrid and Juventus on the way. After his £75 million move to Juventus, he later moved on again to Bayern Munich for a reported £60 million, with the Turin-based giants having to concede a £15 million loss on the player.

7 CM: Enzo Fernandez - £107million

One of the most recent additions to the most expensive XI, is Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez who claimed the title as the most expensive British signing after beating the previous record held by Jack Grealish for £100 million. After a long transfer saga and a seriously impressive World Cup, Fernandez will be hoping to live up to the hype around him after the eye-watering price tag was paid for his services. In the player's first six months at Chelsea, we witnessed glimpses of his multi-dimensional, deep-lying playmaking ability, who is able to operate between the lines and strike the balance between being defensively savvy and offensively creative.

6 CM: Moises Caicedo - £115 million

The 21-year-old Ecuadorian midfielder has been the talk of the town this summer. His ongoing transfer chronicle is so lengthy that it could be made into one of those newspaper serialisations. However, after being dragged on and on for seemingly months on end, it has finally reached its conclusion, with Caicedo joining for a new Premier League record sum of £115 million. The central-defensive midfielder was simply faultless for the Seagulls last term, and his impeccable performances certainly didn't go unnoticed with numerous clubs vying for his signature. With his future now confirmed, the Ecuador international can focus on the new Premier League season, and helping to improve Chelsea following on from their discouraging preceding campaign.

5 RAM: Joao Felix - £113 million

Just like De Ligt, Joao Felix is also a winner of the Golden Boy award and was bought by Atletico Madrid for a club-record €126 million (£113 million) in 2019. Initially a slow-burner, the Portugal international eventually found his feet at the Metropolitano. However, due to alleged complications with head coach, Diego Simeone, Felix was frozen out in Madrid and subsequently loaned out to Chelsea during the 2022-23 campaign. Now back at his parent club, the lad from Viseu, Portugal will be hoping he can make amends and relaunch his career in the famous red and white stripes of Atletico, or failing that, be allowed to make haste and explore other opportunities.

4 LAM: Philippe Coutinho - £142 million

LEEDS, ENGLAND - MARCH 10: Aston Villa forward Phillipe Coutinho in action during the Premier League match between Leeds United and Aston Villa at Elland Road on March 10, 2022 in Leeds, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Liverpool fans were devastated when their star player had agreed to leave the club after four years at Anfield. Putting it kindly, Coutinho's spell at Barcelona was underwhelming to say the least, however, with the Brazilian being shipped out on loan to Bayern Munich and Aston Villa, there was still hope that he'd regain the form that secured him the move to Catalonia in the first place. Unfortunately, following a permanent transfer to Villa Park, Coutinho's form nose-dived further, and the Brazilian has now been rumoured to be wanting a move away from England yet again.

3 RW: Ousmane Dembele - £120 million

Ousmane Dembele joined Barcelona from Borussia Dortmund in 2017 for a deal worth €140 million, which when converted into pounds sterling is roughly £120 million. Dembele's time at Barcelona hasn't exactly been a riveting success, and if reports are correct, the Frenchman looks like he may be heading back to France, with PSG interested. To label his time in Catalonia a disappointment would be a fair assessment, and with the player still being only 26 years old, time remains on his side to relaunch his career, whether that be under Xavi at Barca or elsewhere.

2 LW: Neymar - £190 million

The transfer that changed football forever, PSG and the Qatar Sports Investment group officially stated their intention on being the best football club in the world when they signed Neymar for a world-record €222 million, a record which is unlikely to be beaten anytime soon. For countries like Qatar, Abu-Dhabi, and Saudi Arabia, there are no obstacles, aside from the FIFA-implemented Financial Fair Play regulations when it comes to funding such deals. This transfer seemed to change the game when it came to dealings entirely, with sums demanded for players skyrocketing like never before.

The level of inflation meant that the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele Enzo Fernandez, and the likes' transfers were for also, previously unprecedented figures. Neymar has certainly paid some of that monumental investment back, albeit not necessarily in the way that QSI would have wanted, with the Champions League still very much eluding them. On the verge of sealing a whopping £129 million per year at Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League, Neymar seems to be trading the promise of future silverware for further riches.

1 ST: Kylian Mbappe - £166 million

A potential future GOAT or at least one of the world's best players by the end of the decade, Kylian Mbappe’s €180 million transfer still looks like a bargain in comparison to how much players go for now. Mbappe transcends football, his name, brand, and arms-crossed celebration could now be considered key symbols of popular culture, or at the very least, in the context of football subculture. The exquisite Frenchman went on to win the World Cup in 2018, scoring in the final in Croatia. While his impact is yet to be truly felt in the Champions League, the player will still have plenty more attempts at reaching the continent's pinnacle, especially if he turns down the move to Saudi Arabia.