Ranking the football transfers with the worst ROI in history

Talent comes with a huge price tag in the football world, but big fees don’t always guarantee success, and some transfers prove to be financial disasters.

Whether due to injuries, poor form, or failure to adapt, we've witnessed a number of high-profile signings that have delivered shockingly low returns on investment (ROI). Here are our top 10. All stats sourced from Transfermarkt.

Tottenham Hotspur acquired Brazilian forward Richarlison from Everton in 2022 for a reported £60 million (€70M / $76M). However, his time at Spurs has been plagued by injuries and inconsistent form. In his first season, he managed only 18 goals in 65 appearances across all competitions since 2022.

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The following season saw limited improvement, with injuries further restricting his contributions. As of January 2025, Richarlison has yet to justify his hefty transfer fee, with speculation rife among fans and journalists that he has one foot out the door at Spurs.

Manchester United spent €85 million on Jadon Sancho after his stellar performances at Borussia Dortmund. However, he never settled at Old Trafford, delivering just 12 goals in two and a half seasons. 

Falling out with Erik ten Hag, he was exiled from the squad and eventually loaned back to Dortmund, before getting moved on to Chelsea. Another costly flop for United.

Speaking of which, Manchester United made Pogba the world’s most expensive player in 2016, bringing him back from Juventus for €105 million (£90M / $113M). While he had moments of brilliance, including becoming the club's highest scorer in 2018/19 with 16 goals, Pogba’s inconsistency, frequent injuries, and off-field distractions meant he never justified his price tag.

After six seasons of underachievement, United let him leave on a free transfer in 2022 – back to Juventus – just to cut their losses on this one, as reported by the BBC.

Chelsea re-signed Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan for €115 million (£98M / $124M) in 2021, believing he was the missing piece to their attack. However, after a strong start, Lukaku publicly criticized Chelsea's tactics and fell out of favor with manager Thomas Tuchel.

He finished the season with just 8 Premier League goals before being loaned back to Inter Milan, and then AS Roma.

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Barcelona signed Dembélé from Borussia Dortmund as Neymar’s replacement for a staggering fee of €105 million (£90M / $113M), plus €40 million (£34M / $43M) in potential add-ons. Unfortunately, persistent injuries and inconsistency meant he never became the superstar they expected.

In six seasons, he played just 185 games, missing over 100 matches due to injuries. Barcelona eventually sold him to PSG – ironically once again to fill a Neymar-shaped hole – for less than half of his initial cost, as reported by the Daily Mail.

Atlético Madrid shattered their transfer record to sign João Félix from Benfica in 2019 for €127 million (£109M / $137M), expecting him to be the next great forward. However, Félix struggled to fit into Diego Simeone’s defensive system, failing to live up to his price tag.

Across four seasons, he scored 34 goals in 131 appearances, a poor return for such a massive investment. He was eventually loaned out to Chelsea and later Barcelona, before being sold to Chelsea for a third of what Atlético paid, per Sky Sports.

Real Madrid secured Belgian winger Eden Hazard from Chelsea in 2019 for a fee that could rise to €146 million (£125M / $157M). However, injuries and fitness issues plagued Hazard's time in Madrid, limiting him to just 76 appearances over four seasons, during which he scored seven goals and provided 12 assists.

His lack of impact and persistent injury problems led to criticism, and he left the club in 2023 by mutual consent, a transfer that promised so much but drastically underdelivered.

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In January 2018, Barcelona signed Brazilian midfielder Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool for a club-record fee of €160 million (£137M / $172M), per Goal. Despite high expectations, Coutinho struggled to find his place in the team, contributing 21 goals and 11 assists in 76 appearances.

His underwhelming performances led to loan spells at Bayern Munich and Aston Villa, with Barcelona eventually selling him to Aston Villa for €20 million (£17.2M /$20,5M). Easily one of the worst transfers of all time.

Manchester United once again! The Red Devils secured Brazilian winger Antony from Ajax in 2022 for a substantial fee of €100 million (£86M / $108M). Despite a promising start, Antony struggled to make a significant impact at Old Trafford. Over two seasons, he made 54 appearances, scoring only five goals and providing minimal assists, while accumulating more yellow cards than goals.

His underwhelming performance led to a loan move to Real Betis, with the Spanish club given an option to buy at the end of the 2025 season. For our money, he has had the worst ROI of any Premier League transfer.

But the footballer with the worst ROI has to go to Neymar and his move to the Saudi Pro League. In August 2023, Neymar made a high-profile move from Paris Saint-Germain to Al-Hilal for a reported €90 million (£77M / $97M), signing a two-year contract worth €150 million per year.

However, his tenure was marred by injuries, including a ruptured ACL in October 2023, as reported by Sporting News, which limited him to just seven appearances, totaling 428 minutes, during which he scored only one goal and provided three assists.

This equates to approximately €12.8 million per appearance, making it one of the most costly transfers in football history. Neymar and Al-Hilal mutually agreed to terminate his contract less than 18 months into the deal.

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