Every footballer signed for £100m as Wirtz joins Liverpool
Every footballer signed for £100m as Wirtz joins Liverpool
Florian Wirtz has completed his transfer to Liverpool in a deal that could reach a British record fee.
Wirtz arrives at Anfield with a huge reputation, having been named as the Bundesliga's Player of the Season in consecutive campaigns. The 22-year-old inspired Bayer Leverkusen to a first-ever German title in 2023/24 before shining on the Champions League stage last season.
Liverpool have paid Leverkusen an initial £100m for the Germany midfielder, which could rise to £116m with add-ons. It's a club-record fee for Liverpool with Wirtz becoming just the 10th player to cost in excess of £100m.
Advertisement
Jack Grealish was the first Premier League player to cost £100m, after leaving Aston Villa for Manchester City in 2021. Declan Rice (Arsenal), Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo (both Chelsea) have each cost north of the figure.
The Premier League's record sale remains Philippe Coutinho's departure from Liverpool to Barcelona. Coutinho joined the Spanish side for an initial £105m, potentially rising to £142m with add-ons.
Wirtz's transfer still falls significantly behind the £198m world-record deal that took Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017.
Here is every footballer to have cost over £100m, all initial figures before add-ons.
Highest transfer records in football history
Neymar – Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain, 2017 (£198m)
Kylian Mbappe – AS Monaco to Paris Saint-Germain, 2018 (£163m)
Joao Felix – Benfica to Atletico Madrid, 2019 (£113m)
Antoine Griezmann – Atletico Madrid to Barcelona, 2019 (£107m)
Enzo Fernandez – Benfica to Chelsea, 2023 (£106.8m)
Philippe Coutinho – Liverpool to Barcelona, 2018 (£105m, rising to £142m)
Florian Wirtz – Bayer Leverkusen to Liverpool (£100m, rising £116m)
Jack Grealish – Aston Villa to Manchester City (£100m)
Declan Rice – West Ham United to Arsenal (£100m, rising to £105m)
Moises Caicedo – Brighton and Hove Albion to Chelsea (£100m, rising to £115m)
Advertisement
Read – Six players we'd love to see in the Premier League next season
See more – PFA Player of the Year shortlist revealed for 2024/25
Follow The Football Faithful on Social Media:
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | TikTok
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Enzo Maresca says Nicolas Jackson red cards will not impact his Chelsea future
Enzo Maresca insisted that Nicolas Jackson's indiscipline is not putting his Chelsea future at risk after the striker received his second straight red card in his last four appearances for the club in a 3-1 defeat against Flamengo in the FIFA Club World Cup. Jackson was dismissed by referee Ivan Arcides Barton Cisneros in the 68th minute at Lincoln Financial Field — only four minutes after coming off the substitutes bench to replace £30million signing Liam Delap — after raising his studs to the ankle of Flamengo defender Ayrton Lucas. Advertisement Chelsea were already 2-1 down, having conceded twice in three minutes to Bruno Henrique and Danilo after Pedro Neto had given them a first-half lead. Flamengo substitute Wallace Yan then added a third to seal Flamengo's victory and all but ensure that Maresca's team are playing for second place in Group D. Jackson — who issued an apology on social media shortly after full time — will now miss Chelsea's final group match against Esperance de Tunis on Tuesday, but FIFA have the power to review and increase his suspension if they deem a one-match ban insufficient. He will also sit out the first match of the new Premier League season against Crystal Palace on August 17 as he serves the final match of his ban for the red card he was shown against Newcastle United in May after he caught Sven Botman with his elbow. Asked if Jackson's red cards are putting his Chelsea career at risk with Delap now poised to get a sustained run as the team's first-choice striker, Maresca replied: 'No, the red card has nothing to do with Nico's future. He had the first one against Newcastle when Liam was not even here and another one (against Flamengo). 'I'm not sure that it's 100 per cent a red card but the referee decided for that, and Nico knows very well that in both situations (it) was not something good for the team.' Speaking to reporters in the mixed zone, Marc Cucurella revealed that Jackson apologised to his Chelsea teammates in the dressing room after the match. 'He's very sad,' he said of Jackson. 'He tried to win the ball, had the bad luck that he kicked his leg and that's it. He's a young player with a lot of quality but maybe needs to improve a little bit in these things. He has to learn. After the manager spoke, he said sorry, he didn't do it on purpose. He's a very important player for us, we miss him the next game but this is football.' Jackson also apologised publicly with a statement on Instagram. 'Another red card… and honestly, I'm so angry at myself,' he wrote. 'I work hard every day to help the team not to put us in this kind of situation.I still don't fully understand how it happened. But one thing is clear: it wasn't intentional. Just a football moment that went the wrong way. No excuses. I take full responsibility.' Advertisement Flamengo coach Filipe Luis was firm that Jackson's tackle merited a straight red card, but backed the Senegal international to recover and continue to grow in his career. 'He's so good, he's young, he has all the potential, all the quality that the club needs,' Filipe Luis said of Jackson. 'For sure he will surpass this little mistake. It was clear. I saw it in front of me, and for me it was a red. But it's just a small detail for a big player who can be one of the biggest strikers in the world.'
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
British and Irish Lions lose their Australia tour warmup to Argentina
DUBLIN (AP) — First, the good news for the British and Irish Lions: They didn't appear to suffer any tour-ending injuries against Argentina on Friday. The bad news: They lost to Argentina 28-24 in the warmup to their nine-game tour of Australia. The result, humbling for now, will be regarded as a minor setback, maybe even an inspiration, if the Lions go on and win the three-test series against the Wallabies. The Lions led the Pumas for only 12 minutes in the entire match and had two prime attacking chances in the last four minutes. But their lineout maul was stopped in its tracks, then a Lions penalty in front of the posts was overturned due to a neck roll by Tadhg Beirne. 'We weren't as consistent as we would have liked to be. We only showed glimmers of what we can do,' Lions captain Maro Itoje told broadcaster Sky Sports. 'When we were on it, we looked good, we just need to do it more consistently. Argentina showed us where we are lacking. I am happy we had a hard-fought game. We live and learn. This is only match one.' Despite a training camp in Portugal that was meant to help cement combinations, and nine English starters, the Lions still looked less cohesive and determined than Argentina, which was missing a dozen front-liners and had only two proper training runs. The Pumas beat the Lions for the first time in a history between them that goes back to 1910. They also warmed up the 2005 Lions in Cardiff, and suffered heartbreak when Jonny Wilkinson landed a penalty in the 87th minute for a 25-25 draw. No draw this time. The Pumas were ruthless with their chances, and matched the Lions with three tries. Two tries from inside their own 22 were the game's highlights. The Lions enjoyed majority possession, had the better scrum, and gave away only five penalties but they forced too many passes and the Pumas defense was outstanding. 'You can't win a test with that error rate,' Lions coach Andy Farrell said. "We lost enough balls in that game for a full tour, throwing balls that weren't on. They were hungrier than us with the ball on the ground. 'There was good and bad throughout. We were just a little bit off, I take responsibility for that. I hope we are better off for that.' The Lions were nowhere near their test side. Few players from last weekend's finals of the English Premiership and United Rugby Championship were involved, and only six of the 16 Irish players. But the Pumas were understrength, too, for a match outside the test window. Argentina scored the first points, a Tomas Albornoz penalty, and the first try, finished by wing Ignacio Mendy from an Albornoz miss-out pass to fullback Santiago Carreras in a gap. Meanwhile, the Lions had two tries in the first quarter ruled out for knock-ons but Bundee Aki finally got their first touchdown when he busted through three defenders. The second quarter was all Argentina. Albornoz kicked two more penalties and converted his own injury-time try for 21-10. The Lions didn't protect ruck ball in the Argentina 22 and Rodrigo Isgro and Carreras set Albornoz away in an 80-meter counterattack. The Lions rubbed out the deficit thanks to the forwards. A penalty try from a lineout maul also sent Pumas prop Mayco Vivas to the sin-bin, and the Lions used the man advantage to give Beirne a converted try. But moments later, an Isgro aerial catch started a sweeping counterattack involving Albornoz, No. 8 Joaquin Oviedo, debut starter Justo Piccardo and Matias Moroni that was finished by a swan dive from Santiago Cordero. Even with 22 minutes left, the Lions could not find a reply. ___
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
I've ditched HR to free my company from the social-justice police
'I want to be the first company without HR.' It was just a throwaway comment I made this month at a conference called Freedom Fest — but the audience went wild, and the line went viral in an Instagram post with over 5 million views. 'They produce nothing,' I continued. 'They monitor our words. They tell us what we can and cannot say. Advertisement 'They inhibit creativity. It's bad for business.' At my own start-up — XX-XY Athletics, the only brand standing up for the protection of women's sports — I'll be damned if I'm going to let the ladies of 'The View' run around policing my employees' conversations. We started with no Human Resources department a year ago, and we'll continue with no HR as we grow. Advertisement My statement touched a nerve because anyone who has worked in corporate America has been subjected to the censorious 'Head Girl' rule-making emanating from HR departments. And they are tired of it. When I started my business career in the early 1990s, HR was responsible for recruiting, benefits and payroll — that was it. As I moved up the ladder and found myself in executive meetings, the HR leader weighed in last on key business decisions, if at all. Advertisement Thirty years on, HR leaders are calling themselves 'Chief Human Resources Officers,' and they proclaim their power with reckless and off-topic abandon. HR departments today are packed with Tracy Flicks, the way-too-eager high schooler played by Reese Witherspoon in the movie 'Election.' Flick is the archetypal 'Head Girl,' a term derived from the British school system and its tight hierarchy of internal discipline — ambitious and officious with little actual skill or intellect. Hand-raisers like these are not selected to lead for intelligence or ability, but for conscientiousness and a willingness to uphold 'the rules.' Advertisement That was fine when HR had no power. But now, after yearning for a seat at the table, HR's midwit elites have found a way to exert increasing influence in the corporate environment — leveraging social-justice buzzwords to accrue power and (what else?) make more rules. In the 2020s, HR asserts its newly found clout with tyrannical zeal. When I interviewed in 2023 for a CEO job at an $8 billion retailer, I made it all the way to the end of the corporate leadership receiving line, successfully fielding queries on my business acumen and brand-building accomplishments. My last interview was with the HR representative on the board. Her first question: 'Will you apologize for what you've done?' Get opinions and commentary from our columnists Subscribe to our daily Post Opinion newsletter! Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters What I'd 'done' was advocate for opening public schools during the COVID pandemic. By 2023 I'd been proven right. That didn't matter to the HR lady. I'd violated her tightly enforced script. Advertisement I didn't apologize, and I didn't get the job. Over the last two decades, HR has gone from operational support to Operation Head Girl Hall Monitor. They force-feed trainings about acceptable language; they make 'merit' out to be racist; and they set hiring criteria based on risk avoidance rather than excellence. But hiring people who don't offend anyone won't result in employees who take initiative and make things. Advertisement Am I being sexist in calling them Head Girls? In 2023, 76% of HR managers in the United States were female. The shoe fits. (And yes, men can be Head Girl types, too.) British academic Bruce Charlton explains the Head Girl 'can never be a creative genius because she does what other people want by the standard they most value.' That's why the Head Girls of HR made everyone add pronouns to their email signatures starting around 2020: Social standards. Not because it drove the business. Advertisement No, these time-suckers shift focus away from the business. Front-of-house employees — builders, makers and service providers — must spend a significant amount of time thinking about the words they use rather than their actual jobs. Critics of my viral comment pushed back at me: 'You need HR to avoid unnecessary risk!' they chorused. Right. That's the fear HR leverages to maintain its unearned influence. Advertisement Risk avoidance means hiring mediocre people with no opinions who never offend anyone. Those hires won't take my one-year-old start-up to big-brand status. I want big thinkers with creative minds. Sometimes these folks are disruptive. But there are no new products or breakthrough marketing campaigns without them. My company is a walking, talking HR violation. We 'misgender' all day long. In fact, speaking truth (as I call it) is required to work here. We're not in school anymore. We don't need a persnickety Miss Manners etiquette-enforcer telling us to be nice. I'll continue to go it alone without HR. I'll assume the so-called risk so I can lead in my own voice. And I'll succeed, or fail, on my own terms. Jennifer Sey is founder and CEO of XX-XY Athletics.
