Al Jazeera selects the top ten transfers of the year, including Ronaldo’s move to Al Nassr and Messi’s move to MLS.
The Premier League may have topped the list of the highest individual prices paid for footballers in 2023, but several of the game’s biggest names relocated from Europe to uncharted territory in the Middle East and North America.
Saudi Arabia’s foray into big-name transfers began with a deal that took Cristiano Ronaldo to the Middle East, paving the way for the rest of the year, while Lionel Messi made a surprise move across the Atlantic to the United States.
Let’s look at the 10 biggest football transfers of 2023.
10. Rasmus Hojlund (Atalanta to Manchester United)
In the midst of speculation over Kane replacing Ronaldo at Old Trafford, it was the young Danish forward who was tipped to fill enormous shoes for United.
A price tag of 64 million pounds ($81.2 million) plus eight million pounds ($10.1 million) in add-ons was not earth-shattering from United, who looked to want a statement signing.
The 19-year-old has had a difficult start to the season and has yet to record his first Premier League goal as we enter the new year.
9. Moises Caicedo (Brighton to Chelsea)
Given that Ronaldo and Messi and their agents would have gotten substantial cash sums for their moves, the most money was exchanged between Chelsea and Brighton.
The two West London teams paid a cost of 100 million pounds ($126.8 million), with add-ons of 15 million pounds ($19 million).
It matched what Liverpool had offered and persuaded the left-back that his future was blue, not red.
Given Chelsea’s problems in the Premier League this season, it’s difficult to call the deal a success, but the Stamford Bridge club will hope that Caicedo is part of a new dawn under Mauricio Pochettino.
8. Declan Rice (West Ham to Arsenal)
Rice was arguably the most valuable and hard-fought trade of the year, with the Premier League’s best lining up to sign the England midfielder.
Manchester United still have a Roy Keane-shaped hole in the middle of the pitch, and manager Erik ten Hag has made no secret of his adoration for Rice.
Liverpool and Manchester City were close on United’s tail, believing Rice was too important to let slip into the hands of a rival.
Mikel Arteta surprised them by paying 100 million pounds ($126.8 million) plus five million pounds ($6.3 million) in add-ons to smash the Gunners’ transfer record and sign Rice from their London rivals.
7. Karim Benzema (Real Madrid to Al Ittihad)
Another big figure to leave Europe for Saudi Arabia was the French striker. Benzema had a great career with Real Madrid, scoring 354 goals in 648 games.
Also Read: Top 10 Most Valuable Free Transfers In 2022/23 Season
His time at the Bernabeu lasted 14 years after joining from Olympique Lyon in 2009. Even at 35, the striker is still considered one of the world’s best marksmen, and his signing was a big coup for the SPL champions.
6. Neymar (PSG to Al Hilal)
PSG, like it did for Messi, never truly worked out for Neymar. The French team aimed for the Champions League when they injected money into their squad, but a lot of top players and managers have failed to produce so far.
Rather than following in the footsteps of his good friend Messi, Neymar followed in the footsteps of Ronaldo and joined the Saudi Pro League heavyweights.
5. Sadio Mane (Bayern Munich to Al Nassr)
Mane was another player at the pinnacle of his abilities. Mane moved to Germany in 2022 after a humiliating loss to Liverpool, where he was part of a three-pronged attack with Mohamad Salah and Roberto Firmino.
His time at Bayern lasted a year before Saudi Arabia approached him, and a partnership with Cristiano Ronaldo followed shortly after.
4. Jude Bellingham (Dortmund to Real Madrid)
Bellingham’s meteoric rise from Birmingham City to Borussia Dortmund drew the attention of England’s biggest clubs, all of which wanted to bring him back to the Premier League in the summer.
But it was the Spanish giants who stepped in, realizing there was a potential Galactico on the way, and it has paid off with 17 goals in 20 games so far.
3. Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur to Bayern Munich)
Kane was always going to be a success no matter where he went, but 10 goals in his first seven competitive games for Bayern have made this a spectacular move across to Germany.
The England captain led Tottenham from the front and guided the north London club to some of their best years since 1961, when they last won the English Premier League. Spurs, who were on the verge of becoming title contenders, have been devastated by Kane’s departure.
It appeared that he would be signed by one of the Manchester clubs or Chelsea. Perhaps as a measure of respect for the Tottenham fans he was leaving behind, Kane chose to leave the nation entirely.
Spurs paid 86.4 million pounds ($109.6 million) for Kane and have a buy-back clause for the striker, who has revealed his family hasn’t settled in Germany, so the love affair with North London may not be over.
2. Lionel Messi (PSG to Inter Miami)
The Argentine legend’s surprise move to Major League Soccer (MLS) side Inter Miami occurred after months of rumours following his dissatisfying time at French club PSG. His 2021 transfer from boyhood club Barcelona to Paris never worked out for either the player or the team.
Rumours of a reunion with former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola of Manchester City or a record move to Saudi Arabia circulated as his planned leave date approached.
However, it was former Real Madrid and Manchester United player David Beckham who signed Messi to his newly-launched club in Miami, in a coup for American football.
1. Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United to Al Nassr)
As his departure from Manchester United became clear during last year’s Qatar World Cup 2022, the Portuguese forward was connected with many of Europe’s elite teams, but when Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr stepped in, the world held its breath.
Ronaldo lit up European football, from Sporting Lisbon to Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus, and the list of clubs lining up to recruit him was a who’s who of the world’s major leagues.
Al Nassr’s decision to bring him to Saudi Arabia opened the way for a lot of prominent personalities to follow as the year continued.
