Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar holds the record for being the most expensive football player in the world. He moved from Barcelona to the French capital in the summer of 2017 for a fee that cost PSG a whopping £198 million (�?22 million).

Neymar, who signed for Barcelona in 2013, had a contract until 2021 with the Blaugrana, meaning that the Qatar Sports Investments owned PSG had to meet his release clause of £198 million. 

The unusual transfer had a peculiar route as in Spain, the release clause must be activated by the player himself. This essentially means Neymar, who had won back to back La Liga titles and a UEFA Champions League with the club, was pushing for a move.

On top of that, La Liga regulations say the buyout clause must be deposited with La Liga first and the league then forwards the money to the concerned club. In Neymar’s case, however, the money was directly paid to Barcelona as La Liga refused to accept the attempt by PSG, Neymar and his lawyers. 

Soon after his move was finalized, Barcelona filed a lawsuit against Neymar, demanding him to return the contract renewal bonuses and other claims as part of the damages. The Brazilian was eventually told to pay �?.7 million to the Catalan club.

A year after Neymar’s controversial move, PSG splashed £163 million (�?80 million) to acquire Kylian Mbappe from AS Monaco. The then-teenage forward, who is now the second most expensive football player, joined PSG on a season-long loan ahead of the 2017-18 football season. His deal was eventually made permanent in the subsequent season.

Next on the list is former Liverpool winger Philippe Coutinho who completed his much-awaited Barcelona switch in January 2018 for £142m million (�?60 million).

The top five list for most expensive football players is completed by the likes of Joao Felix and Antoine Griezmann. The former moved from Benfica to Atletico Madrid in 2019 for £113 million (�?26 million) while the latter swapped Atletico for Barcelona in the same year for £107.6 million (�?20 million).

Most expensive football players

Player	To	From	Fee (�?	Fee (£)	Year
Neymar	PSG	Barcelona	�?22 million	£198 million	2017
Kylian Mbappe	PSG	AS Monaco	�?80 million	£163 million	2018
Philippe Coutinho	Barcelona	Liverpool	�?60 million	£142 million	2018
Joao Felix	Atletico Madrid	Benfica	�?26 million	£113 million	2019
Antoine Griezmann	Barcelona	Atletico Madrid	�?20 million	£107.6 million	2019

Featured photo: AFP / Lionel Bonaventure

With the UEFA Champions League looking to conclude its group stages with some blockbuster fixtures in the last match week, qualification for some of the European giants are still at stake.

The 2020-21 UCL season has already seen some of the elite footballing talents making their mark on the biggest stage over the past few months. And with the tournament looking to return with its knockout stages only next February in 2021, fantasy managers would be desperate to make it big before the brief hiatus.

We bring to you the top five fantasy picks that would help you ace it.

Player: Cristiano Ronaldo

Match: Barcelona vs Juventus

With Andre Pirlo placing him either in the centre-forward role or the left-wing, Cristiano Ronaldo has been thriving with every match. Ronaldo has failed to score in just one of the six Serie A matches he has played so far, scoring eight in the remaining five. While his UCL campaign was paused after he was virus-struck in October, the Portuguese international has managed two goals and an assist in the three matches he has played in the European competition. Ronaldo has never needed any motivation to work better, but this will be his first encounter against Lionel Messi since he left Real Madrid �?which will understandably be an added incentive. If his current form isn’t enough, Ronaldo is also UEFA Champions League’s all-time top scorer with 132 goals and a must-have in any fantasy team whatsoever.

Player: Lionel Messi

Match: Barcelona vs Juventus

Lionel Messi might not have been at his absolute best this season, following a controversial transfer saga that almost saw him leave Barcelona, but the Argentine international remains one of the best players to have ever graced the sport. An in-transition Barcelona team has struggled to excel in the domestic league and Messi had to take more responsibility than usual to keep them flowing. Though he has scored four goals and provided two assists in La Liga so far �?which is underwhelming by his standards �?Messi has three goals and two assists in three UCL matches. Barcelona’s first fixture with Juventus away from home had seen Messi score one and assist another in his side’s 2-0 win, and the clash on Tuesday is expected to see him repeat his heroics. Of course, facing Ronaldo should bring out the best of Messi as well.

Player: Kylian Mbappe

Match: Paris Saint-Germain vs Istanbul Basaksehir

If there is any player who could match Ronaldo’s goals and Messi’s footballing acumen, it must be Kylian Mbappe. The 21-year-old French wunderkind scored his 100th goal for the Ligue 1 club last weekend and given how prolific he has been since joining from AS Monaco following a fairytale season, he is always a good bet for a fantasy team. Surprisingly, Mbappe is yet to open his goal tally in UCL this season, despite scoring 10 times in the domestic league and assisting five times. Mbappe’s only goal involvement in UEFA Champions League 2020-21 season has been against Istanbul Basaksehir. Apart from Mbappe facing the same opponent, PSG’s qualification is also at stake as they sit second with nine points alongside Manchester United and RB Leipzig. A Mbappe masterclass is exactly what fans would be hoping today.

Player: Bruno Fernandes

Match: Manchester United vs RB Leipzig

Manchester United have a must-win UCL fixture at their hands and Bruno Fernandes knows he must be their saviour. An away fixture at Leipzig is not the easiest of challenges and Fernandes will have to be Ole Gunnar Solsjkaer’s orchestrator in chief. Fernandes had got an assist in Manchester United 5-0 demolition of Leipzig in the home fixture and although it should give them some confidence, the Red Devils come to the fixture on the back of a 3-1 home defeat to PSG. Fernandes was a used substitute in United’s league fixture last weekend, which rightly reflected Ole’s concern with the UCL fixture. Fernandes has seven goals in the English Premier League, being United’s highest scorer so far this season, which shows how much the team relies on the central midfielder to get the job done for them. If United will have one goalscorer on Tuesday, it is more than likely to be Fernandes.

Player: Joao Felix

Match: RB Salzburg vs Atletico Madrid

With Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona falling from grace this La Liga season, Atletico Madrid have the rare opportunity to get their hands on a La Liga title and Diego Simeone is largely dependent on Joao Felix for the same. Despite having proven goalscorers like Diego Costa and Luiz Suarez in the side, the Portuguese protégé has proven his mettle. Felix has five goals in 10 games for Los Rojiblancos in La Liga and three goals in their UCL campaign. Unlike United and PSG, Atletico are in a better position where a draw would more than suffice for their qualification. And Felix will be raring to go against the Austrian side against whom he had scored a brace in the previous fixture.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Vincenzo Pinto

Two games into the new UEFA Champions League season and we have been duly entertained by some exhilarating performances, especially from an individual front. So, as we approach the third matchweek of the competition, we look at five players you need to add in your fantasy teams in order to ensure a rewarding week.

Player: Joao Felix

Team: Atletico Madrid

Match: Lokomotiv Moscow vs Atletico Madrid

After struggling for fitness in his debut season at Atletico Madrid, 20-year-old Joao Felix has made a grand comeback in the 2020/21 campaign, already scoring half the goals (3) he managed in the entire 2019/20 La Liga season (6). Felix is enjoying a great run of form of late, having bagged four goals in his last two outings and you can expect more of the same from the Portuguese wunderkind.

Lokomotiv Moscow are without a win in their last four games and have conceded two goals in each of those fixtures. So with their defence struggling, punt on Felix to come back home with better points. 

Player: Dusan Tadic

Team: Ajax

Match: Midtjylland vs Ajax

Dusan Tadic has been a real revelation for Ajax since moving from Southampton in 2018. This season, too, the 31-year-old has bagged six goals and two assists in all competitions and is arriving on the back of scoring in three consecutive games. In fact, five of his six goals have come in his last five outings, meaning that the Serbian international will be a potent threat for Midtjylland, who have conceded goals at will. The Danish team has won just one of their last six games in all competitions while conceding a whopping 15 goals during the tenure. 

Player: Cristiano Ronaldo

Team: Juventus

Match: Ferencvaros vs Juventus

Cristiano Ronaldo’s last league action before Sunday’s win over Spezia came against Roma in a 2-2 draw back in late September. The Portugal captain had since missed five games after testing positive for the global virus but it didn’t take long for him to assert his claim. Coming on as a substitute in the 56th minute against Spezia, the 35-year-old scored a brace to announce his comeback in style. With no Champions League appearances to his name so far this season, Ronaldo will be riding high on confidence to finally open his account in the competition, and a game against Ferencvaros is the perfect platform, to say the least. They have lost just one of their last five games but lack of experience on the bigger stage rightly gives Ronaldo a perfect opportunity to strike.

Player: Robert Lewandowski

Team: Bayern Munich

Match: RB Salzburg vs Bayern Munich

Like Ronaldo, striker Robert Lewandowski, too is yet to open his account in the Champions League but it is about time. Salzburg are on the top of the Austrian Bundesliga standings but winless in the Champions League this season. Lewandowksi, on his part, is coming on the back of seven goals and two assists in his last five outings, meaning that Bayern are certain to count on their marksman. 10 goals and three assists in a mere five Bundesliga games tell how vicious he has been this season too, and you can rightly expect a goal or two from him on Tuesday night.

Player: Ansu Fati

Team: Barcelona

Match: Barcelona vs Dynamo Kyiv

“I would advise him to keep working and improving. Yesterday I spoke with him to improve the concentration issue. His turnovers are due to lack of concentration, not quality�?Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman recently said of Ansu Fati. When you think about it, it is exactly what it is. At 18, Ansu Fati is a raw talent and can be a real threat for any big team on a given day. So when Barcelona take on Dynamo Kyiv, Fati will be the one to keep an eye. He has already notched five goals and an assist this season and is certain to keep the Ukrainian team on their toes.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Vincenzo Pinto

Portugal youngster Joao Felix scored twice as Atletico Madrid moved into the Champions League places with a 5-0 La Liga thrashing of Osasuna on Wednesday.

Felix, 20, was making his first appearance since the Spanish top-flight returned from its pandemic hiatus having been suspended for the weekend's draw at Athletic Bilbao and had been suffering from an ankle sprain since May.

"I felt good, coming back from injury after three months without playing and scoring two goals is very good for me," Felix told broadcaster Movistar.

The northerners remain in 11th after the defeat with an outside chance of making the Europa League but are also 10 points away from the relegation zone.

The hosts' coach Jagoba Arrasate was without captain Oier and Adrian Lopez who scored the equaliser at high-flying Real Sociedad, who can go back above Atletico on Thursday with a win at Alaves.

The visitors' coach Diego Simeone made four changes from Sunday's match in Bilbao including handing Felix, who joined the side from Benfica for 126 million euros ($141 million) last summer, a start alongside Diego Costa in the attack.

Felix will return to the Portuguese capital in August as UEFA announced the Champions League will be completed in Lisbon with a 'final eight' format after Atleti knocked holders Liverpool out of the competition in March.

Left-back Renan Lodi had the best of the early chances as his whipped effort in the eighth minute was straight at goalkeeper Ruben Martinez.

Costa's claims for a penalty were ignored despite the former Chelsea striker complaining he had been held back in attempting to reach Lodi's effort.

Felix opened the scoring 20 minutes later after Lodi found space again down the left flank.

Lodi played the ball back to Saul Niguez in the box, his shot was deflected to Felix's path who smashed the ball to the top corner.

The hosts' best chance of an equaliser came six minutes before the break but David Garcia's long-range shot could only hit the advertising boards.

Felix doubled his account 10 minutes into the second half.

Costa was fed the ball in the area and he squared it to Felix who side-footed home with ease for his eighth goal of the campaign in all competitions.

Felix was substituted on the 69-minute mark as Simeone sent on holding midfielder Thomas Partey, who has been linked with a move to Arsenal.

Despite Felix leaving the field, his side made sure of three points as Marcos Llorente, Alvaro Morata and Yannick Carrasco scored in the final 11 minutes.

The away side's Slovenia goalkeeper Jan Oblak became the first non-Spaniard to reach 100 La Liga clean sheets with his performance.

Atleti host Real Valladolid on Saturday and Osasuna travel to Valencia on Sunday.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Ander Gillenea

The onset of the 2019-20 La Liga season has also brought new player to its shores. While some switched fulfilling their childhood dreams of playing under their idols, for some it was the beginning of a completely new tangent in their lives. All in all, the summer transfer window was exciting, to say the least as we saw some big names making the moves to some of the biggest clubs in the world.

Here we look at the top signings in the summer transfer window that are tipped to surpass the expectations of their managers and fans alike in Spain.

Joao Felix

(Benfica to Atletico Madrid)

The teen prodigy from Portugal, Joao Felix has made his move from Benfica to Atletico Madrid and will be now playing under the supervision of Argentinian coach Diego Simeone. Felix rose through Porto’s youth ranks and has the goods to play as a winger or an attacking midfielder.

He has the speed and the age to outrun some of the world’s best defenders which were evident on his debut for Atletico in La Liga. Patience is the key with Felix as the �?26 million wonder might just come through.

Antoine Griezmann

(Atletico Madrid to Barcelona)

World Cup winner in 2018 and the leading man for Simeone in Spain’s La Liga, Antoine Griezmann’s move to Barcelona didn’t sit well with Atletico’s fans. Although swaying towards the Catalan giants, Griezmann has been brought in to fill in for the faltering pace of Luis Suarez.

The Frenchman has made a strong start with the Blaugrana in the domestic campaign and might just be the key to help them propel towards a sixth European title. To procure his services, Barcelona shelled out �?20 million to drive him to Camp Nou.

Eden Hazard

(Chelsea to Real Madrid)

Eden Hazard to Real Madrid had been speculated for a long time with Zinedine Zidane showering praise for the Belgian at every given instance. Chelsea were reluctant at first but finally gave in after receiving �?00 million from the Spanish giants.

Hazard will fit perfectly at the Santiago Bernabeu as he can take the role on an offensive front which the Los Blancos have been lacking since the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo. Also, it was time for Real’s president Florentino Perez to bring back the Galactico era back to the Bernabeu.

Frenkie De Jong

(Ajax to Barcelona)

The Catalonians paid �?5 million to get one of the hottest properties in world football at present to bring him to Camp Nou. Despite a stellar season with Ajax in the Netherlands, his notable performance against Barcelona’s arch-nemesis Real Madrid was the highlight of what was about to come.

Ernesto Valverde was pleased that the versatile midfielder will don the colours of the Blaugrana in the 2019-20 campaign.

Nabil Fekir (Lyon to Real Betis)

Real Betis swooped just in time to bring Lyon’s Nabil Fekir to Spain, otherwise, Liverpool were up and running to get the French international to Anfield. Fekir possesses the ability to play both as a forward or an attacking midfielder, switching roles at ease.

Betis had to offer �?9.75 million and the Frenchman is already up and running, having scored two goals in his first three domestic appearances in the league. 

Feature image courtesy: AFP/ Gabriel Bouys

The wunderkind from Portugal, Joao Felix has taken the football world by storm after Atletico Madrid triggered his release clause and brought him to Spain for a reported fee of �?26 million from Benfica. The 19-year-old received a raucous reception from the fans after his splendid performance in the pre-season matches.

During his five outings in the pre-season encounters, he notched up three goals with two of them coming against European giants - Real Madrid and Juventus. After witnessing his performance against two top teams in the continent, Atletico’s manager Diego Simeone was all praise for the Portuguese. "He has a vision that allows him to adapt to many positions and is in a process of adaptation and the best thing he has is - I said from the first day - his desire to learn.�?/p>

Joao Felix has scored his first goal for Atletico Madrid in LaLiga against Eibar.

A special moment for the 19-year old. pic.twitter.com/0iIazi1gHi

�?Squawka Football (@Squawka) September 1, 2019

Felix has already started working his magic in La Liga. In his first three appearances for the Los Rojiblancos, he has netted a goal and provided an invaluable assist for his team. His runs along the flank and high paced dribbles are reminiscent of Cristiano Ronaldo’s early days with Manchester United.

Even during his stint with Benfica in the 2018-19 season, the teen prodigy was utterly ruthless, netting, 20 goals in 43 appearances across all competitions, which forced Atletico to sign him without any hesitation. Felix arrived at the club when the regulars like Antoine Griezmann, Diego Godin, Juanfran and Felipe Luis had decided to move on to their next adventures.

Diego Simeone is someone who usually demands brutal physicality, incredible pressing and work rate, and an overemphasis on defending and counter-attacking from his players. These players imbibed and inherited Simeone’s system and laid the foundation of a resilient Atletico Madrid which took the victory lap in 2014 by lifting the La Liga title despite Barcelona’s and Real Madrid’s European dominance.

Since then, Atletico have endured a trophy drought in Spain and have failed to lift a Champions League trophy despite reaching two finals. Felix’s arrival is a clear sign that Atletico are working hard on rebuilding their squad. They have brought in Kieran Trippier and Marcos Llorente along with the wonder kid from Portugal.

In bringing his new vision to play, Simeone can rely on Felix’s scoring and creative abilities, allowing him to link up with his teammates to make him a better prospect for the club.

He also made his international debut for Portugal this year in the UEFA Nations League but was kept silent by the opponent defenders.

This clearly paints a picture that Felix still needs to be backed by his rather experienced teammates. However, the early highlights suggest that the Portuguese is tipped to shine under his new manager and might just follow in the footsteps of his idol Ronaldo. But is it all too early to speculate?

Maybe, but given the history of other teen prodigies such as Martin Odegaard and Alen Halilovic, one might hope that Felix’s graph is always on the up.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Oscar Del Pozo