James Rodriguez may only be 26 years of age but, in terms of cumulative transfer fees, the Colombian is one of the most expensive players in history.
The attacking midfielder was unveiled as a Bayern Munich player on Wednesday, joining on a two-year loan from Real Madrid that will cost the Bavarians €5 million per season.
That means that, to date, James has now changed clubs five times for a grand total of €140.1m, which puts him fourth on the all-time standings, just €100,000 behind the 24-year-old Romelu Lukaku, who moved to Manchester United this week for €84.8m.
| Rank | Player | Clubs | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Angel Di Maria | Rosario Central, Benfica, Real Madrid, Manchester United, PSG | €169.2m |
| 2 | Zlatan Ibrahimovic | Malmo, Ajax, Juventus, Inter, Barcelona, Milan, PSG, Manchester United | €159.5m |
| 3 | Romelu Lukaku | Anderlecht, Chelsea, West Brom, Everton, Manchester United | €140.2m |
| 4 | James Rodriguez | Envigado, Banfield, Porto, Monaco, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich | €140.1m |
| 5 | Gonzalo Higuain | River Plate, Real Madrid, Napoli, Juventus | €140m |
| 6 | Nicolas Anelka | PSG, Arsenal, Madrid, PSG, Liverpool, Man City, Fenerbahce, Bolton, Chelsea, Shanghai S', Juventus, West Brom, Mumbai City | €131.4m |
| 7 | Juan Sebastian Veron | Estudiantes, Boca, Sampdoria, Parma, Lazio, Man Utd , Chelsea, Inter, Estudiantes, Brandsen, Estudiantes | €129.7m |
| 8 | David Luiz | Vitoria, Benfica, Chelsea, PSG, Chelsea | €128.1m |
| 9 | Hernan Crespo | River Plate, Parma, Lazio, Inter, Chelsea, Milan, Inter, Genoa, Parma | €120.2m |
| 10 | Luis Suarez | Nacional, Groningen, Ajax, Liverpool, Barcelona | €117m |
Disclaimer: Add-ons, bonuses and incentives have all been included in determining the fee for each transfer
Given his age (35) and, perhaps more importantly, his agent (Mino Raiola), it is hardly surprising that Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic sits second in the standings, thanks in no small part to his whopping - but unsuccessful - €69.5m transfer from Inter to Barcelona in 2009.
The most expensive player, though, in terms of combined transfer fees, is Angel di Maria, the Argentine winger who, in the space of a year, flopped at Manchester United for €74.6m before then linking up with Paris Saint-Germain for €61.6m.
Elsewhere, Gonzalo Higuain's €90m switch from Napoli to Juventus last summer is primarily responsible for the forward's fifth-placed ranking, while it is no surprise to see Nicolas Anelka, Juan Sebastian Veron and Hernan Crespo - three men who enjoyed peripatetic careers - all in the top 10.
Brazil defender David Luiz also features, on account of his back-and-forth between Chelsea and PSG, while Uruguay striker Luis Suarez sneaks in ahead of the likes of Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo thanks to his €82.3m move to Barcelona in 2014, after previously joining Liverpool from Ajax for €26.4m.
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