PSG is one of the biggest clubs in France. Founded in 1970, it has a storied history. Yet, it wasn’t seen as the aristocracy of European football until it received Qatari owners in 2011. Since Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) took over, PSG has become the powerhouse of football on the Old Continent.
Back then, they had legendary players such as Bernard Lama, Luis Fernandez, David Ginola, George Weah, Pedro Pauleta, Ronaldinho, and Jay-Jay Okocha. Still, their transformation started in the last decade or so regarding player transactions. While players such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva won’t be talked about in this article due to the low transfer fees involved in their purchases, they deserve an honorable mention for making the PSG the powerhouse it is today. Below you’ll find the biggest transfers PSG made in the last 13 years since QSI took over.
Mauro Icardi
The once-Inter talisman was meant to be the second coming of Zlatan Ibrahimovic upon his arrival. Icardi was a synonym for goals in Italy but he failed to replicate the form he had for Inter in France. With €50 million fee associated with this transfer big things were expected from Mauro. Yet, his personal life, marred with controversies regarding his partner Wanda Nara made him unable to score at will with PSG. After a couple of years in PSG, Mauro found his form in Turkey playing for Galatasaray, but in terms of PSG’s success, he was one of the biggest transactions but not so much on the filed product.
Ousmane Dembele
One of the biggest Barcelona flops in recent memory made a name for himself in France and Germany before becoming a PSG footballer. Able to play with both legs, Dembele is a menace for all defenders on his good day. In today’s inflated market, you can argue that he was a bargain for PSG with only €50.4 million spent on him due to the contract dispute he had with Barcelona, who paid more than double that for his transfer. Ousmane will be looking to resurrect his career in France where he’s now one of the talismans of the new PSG project that lost some of its biggest names in recent years. If you’re a man who enjoys online sports betting, you have more chances of winning by betting that Dembele is going to miss time playing with an injury and that he’s going to score more than ten goals in League 1.
Manuel Ugarte
PSG is not shy of spending millions on players they believe will improve the team. What you will notice is that many of the names from this list are no longer associated with Paris. The reasons are simple. They pay the transfer fee and the wages, but the constant carousel at the manager position makes some of these players unnecessary after only a year or two. €60 million paid for Manuel Ugarte was recouped this summer when the player moved to Manchester United, no longer being in the plans of Luis Enrique after only a year in PSG. Former Sporting CP standout is a good midfielder, and despite a high fee, he was not able to cement a place for himself in the annals of Paris history.
Angel Di Maria
The creative attacking midfielder is one of the most talented Argentinean footballers of his generation. The man who won it all and played a pivotal role in the recent Argentina national team success is one of the most gifted players wearing the famed PSG shirt. Yet, the ear-y trophy of the Champions League evaded him in Paris, which is the ultimate goal for the Parisian team. PSG paid €63 million to save Angel from Man UTD and allowed him to have a resurgence. Di Maria returned the favor to his new Paris home with many nice performances over the years. He played almost 300 games for the club making himself one of the household names in recent history.
Edinson Cavani
Cavani was the signing that showed the world that PSG means business. The prolific Uruguayan attacker was the record fee for PSG at the moment of his signing with a €64.5 million fee. In Italy, Edinson was one of the best strikers for years playing for Palermo and Napoli. Despite the fact he was playing second fiddle to Zlatan during his tenure in Paris, Cavani never failed to impress. In his 301 appearances in Paris, he scored a staggering 200 goals. During the 2016-17 campaign, he scored 49 times in 50 matches, showing his unique skillset and top-end quality. He left for free in 2020 joining Man UTD before ending up in Argentina with Boca Juniors, but his time in France and Italy will be long remembered by football fans in Europe.
Achraf Hakimi
PSG started their resurrection with a simple motto – buy the best, be the best. Hakimi is, without a doubt, one of the best right-backs in the world. After spells with BVB, Real Madrid, and Inter, he was purchased by PSG for €68 million. The Moroccan standout is seen as one of the best players in his position to this day, and he only gets better with time. Today, after some of the biggest names from Paris, such as Mbappe, Neymar, and Zlatan, are no longer present, Achraf is seen as one of the leaders of this team. His best season was the one he had with Inter where he scored seven goals and provided eight assists. He has yet to replicate this form in Paris, but with his attacking prowess and runs in behind from the right flank, it is only a matter of time before this happens. All of us into sport betting believed this was the cog that would give the PSG team a cutting edge, but it wasn’t like that.
João Neves
The purchase of João Neves showed that PSG is ready to make a generational shift in their playing squad. In recent years we saw some of their talismans growing old and unable to carry the weight of this great club no more. Buying young and talented footballers is the norm for PSG and €70 million paid for Joao shows their intent. At only 19 years of age, Neves is one of the most talented players in Europe. After two years of sensational football in Benfica, he was prepared for greener pastures. The deep-lying playmaker is a player that suits Luis Enrique’s style of football, and despite his tender age, he is already showing signs of being one of the best passers in the league. With time, it is expected that Neves is going to be only better and better. PSG is focusing on the future and dominance in the new format of the Champions League and an even stronger grip on their domestic competitions.
Randal Kolo Muani
Now, here’s a random addition to the list of PSG superstars. When you look at the fee paid for Randal Kolo Muani, you’d think that someone is joking with you, considering that he doesn’t hold the same star power as other names from this list. Muani was a solid player at Nantes which brought him the transfer to Eintracht Frankfurt. During his last season in Germany Randal scored 15 goals and added 11 assists. He is yet to come anywhere close to those numbers in Paris. PSG needs his goals, especially now that they do not have a big name or producers upfront. When you know that it cost PSG €95 million to have Kolo Muani over he needs to step up his game. Yes, Randal is only 25 years of age, but the leash is short in Paris and if he doesn’t start to perform these days, he will fall down the pecking order sooner than later.
Kylian Mbappe
The best player PSG ever had, but also the most painful experience for the club. In 2016/17, the world was in awe of Monaco winning the League 1 title carried by a teenage superstar, Kylian Mbappe. The Frenchmen soon became the most sought-after commodity in the world of football, and PSG cashed out €180 million to have the best French striker since Thierry Henry in Paris. At the tender age of 18, Mbappe was the best player in France, and while still in Monaco, he scored 26 goals in 44 games. PSG took him on loan with an obligation to pay €180 million and the rest is history. Mbappe stayed in Paris for seven years but failed to bring the team the coveted Champions League. In the meantime he had major domestic success and played and won the World Cup with France. Yet, the emotions in Paris veined, and no money could keep Kylian in place. Only a few months ago he went on a free transfer to Real Madrid. The only consolation the fans of PSG could have regarding Mbappe and the way he left the club is that he is playing badly for Real and that he so far hasn’t found his form. Despite the painful breakup, Kylian left PSG as their best scorer with 256 goals in 308 appearances. Despite being French and the biggest talent in Europe in the last decade, he was still not the most expensive acquisition in the history of PSG. That title belongs to:
Neymar
Go to Brazil. It is only there that you can understand just how massive of a football superstar Neymar is. PSG paid €222 million for the Brazilian magician. Neymar was Paris’ statement signing. There was no negotiation for his transfer. PSG paid his release clause outright. He was on a path of becoming a Barcelona legend playing with Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. Yet, he wanted out of Leo’s shadow. In Paris, he received that. His fee still stands today as the biggest fee any club paid for any player. During those days many people at Stake started seeing PSG as favorites to win it all every year. Yet, they failed, but no one even came close to Neymar’s fee. Despite the massive fee and the mark Neymar left in Paris, plenty remains to be desired from his time in Paris. His seven-year stint was plagued by injuries. It is believed, despite all of his accomplishments, that Neymar hasn’t reached his peak. It will be remembered that he played more than 20 league games in France only once in his career, and the only CL final that the team reached during his stint was a loss. In the end, PSG managed to bank in on him, selling the injury-plagued Brazilian for €90 million to Al Hilal. When it’s all said and done, Neymar’s 118 goals in 173 games will be well remembered in France. In his day, he was the best player in the world. It is a shame that injuries robbed him from us.
Lionel Messi
PSG didn’t pay a transfer fee for Lionel Messi. The best player of all time came to France on a free transfer. His time in Barcelona came to an abrupt end, and PSG was the only team in the world that could afford Messi’s wages. It was a good move for both parties regarding finances and marketing. On-field product was not what anyone was hoping for. Yet, despite frequent whistles from the home crowd, Messi played 75 games for PSG, scoring 32 goals in the process and adding 34 assists. It is a far cry from his Barca days. As far as Messi is concerned, the World Cup he took home as a PSG player is the only thing that matters. Today, he is bringing his illustrious career to a halt by playing for Inter Miami.
Summary
PSG is a powerhouse of European football today. Yes, the coveted Champions League is still missing from their trophy cabinet, but it is only a matter of time before they add it. In the meantime they’ve conquered French football, and it appears this is their year too in that domain. It was all made possible by making the transactions we listed above.
