Most expensive MLS transfers of all time

The Major League Soccer (MLS) has garnered plenty of attraction over the last year due to the arrival of Lionel Messi. He joined the David Beckham co-owned club, Inter Miami after leaving PSG last summer and the world has now started paying attention to MLS.

The league wasn’t completely obscure previously either. Some legends such as David Beckham himself, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Gareth Bale, and many more played for different teams in the MLS. However, it was always seen as a final retirement place for many big superstars in football.

Some big names like Sergio Busquets and Luis Suarez also moved to Inter Miami to join Messi in the last year. Hence, the league has become even more attractive and the MLS transfer window is expected to see many big names and big money being spent on players.

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Most of the aforementioned superstars joined their respective clubs on free transfers. Hence, they won’t feature on this list, but let’s take a look at the top 10 most expensive MLS transfers of all time:

10. Cucho Hernandez – $10 million

Columbus Crew signed Colombian centre-forward Cucho Hernandez from Watford for $10 million in the summer of 2022. He helped them win the MLS Cup in his debut season, scoring five goals and providing one assist in six MLS Cup Playoffs games. This includes his goal in their 2-1 win over LAFC in the final.

Overall, Hernandez has made 75 appearances for Columbus Crew at the time of writing, scoring 47 goals and providing 18 assists.

9. Brian Rodriguez – $11.4 million

Brian Rodriguez joined LAFC from Uruguayan side Penarol for $11.4 million in 2019. He helped them win the MLS Supporters’ Shield in his first season.

The Uruguayan winger registered nine goals and 14 assists in 65 appearances for LAFC. He also had a six-month loan spell at Almeria before moving to Mexican club CF America in 2022. The 24-year-old forward has been with the club since then.

8. Rodolfo Pizarro – $11.9 million

The Mexican attacking midfielder already had huge success with the likes of CF Monterrey and CF Pachuca in Mexico before he moved to the MLS. He joined Inter Miami for $11.9 million in 2020 and spent three years at the club, including a loan spell at Monterrey.

Pizarro made 62 appearances for the Herons, contributing seven goals and 10 assists before he moved on to AEK Athens in 2023.

7. Hirving Lozano -$12 million

Hirving Lozano, who is also known as Chucky Lozano, is the seventh most expensive MLS transfer of all time. The Mexican winger has seen huge success with the likes of Napoli and PSV Eindhoven.

Lozano joined PSV from CF Pachuca in 2017 and won the Eredivisie title before joining Napoli in 2019. He then won the Serie A title with them before returning to PSV in 2023. He won another Eredivisie title, but is now set to join San Diego FC for $12 million in January 2025.

6. Hugo Cuypers – $12 million

The Belgian centre-forward arrived in the MLS, becoming Chicago Fire’s club-record signing for $12 million from KAA Gent in February 2024. At the time of writing, Hugo Cuypers had scored nine goals and provided two assists in 24 MLS games.

The 27-year-old has also played for the likes of Standard Liege, Olympiacos, and AC Ajaccio.

5. Luiz Araujo – $12.3 million

The Brazilian winger won the Ligue 1 with LOSC Lille in the 2020-21 season, before moving to Atlanta United for $12.3 million in August 2021. Luiz Araujo scored 13 goals and contributed 11 assists in 63 games for the MLS side.

He eventually left the club in the summer of 2023 to return to Brazil with Flamengo.

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4. Brenner – $12.6 million

Brenner came through Brazilian side Sao Paulo’s academy and made 73 senior appearances for them before leaving in February 2021. He was also linked with a move to Dutch giants Ajax, but FC Cincinnati managed to sign him for $12.6 million.

The centre-forward also made 73 appearances for the MLS side, scoring 27 goals and providing seven assists. He then joined Serie A side Udinese in the summer of 2023.

3. Ezequiel Barco – $13 million

The Argentine attacking midfielder helped Independiente win the Copa Sudamericana trophy in the 2016-17 season. This saw him garner plenty of attraction and Atlanta United signed him for $13 million in January 2018.

Ezequiel scored 19 goals and provided 18 assists in 107 games for Atlanta. He helped them win the MLS Cup in the 2017-18 season and the US Open Cup the following season. The Argentine then joined River Plate in January 2024.

2. Pity Martinez – $15.5 million

Atlanta United signed Pity Martinez from River Plate in January 2019 for a then MLS record fee of $15.5 million. He had won the South American Footballer of the Year award in 2018 after he helped River Plate win the Supercopa Argentina.

Martinez scored 11 goals and provided 14 assists in 54 games for Atlanta United, helping them win the US Open Cup in the 2018-19 season. The attacking midfielder then joined Al-Nassr in the summer of 2020 and then returned to River Plate in 2023.

1. Thiago Almada – $16 million

Another Atlanta United signing on the list is Thiago Almada, and he is the most expensive MLS transfer of all time so far. The Five Stripes signed the Argentine attacking midfielder from Velez Sarsfield in February 2022 for $16 million. He went on to win the FIFA World Cup with Argentina in Qatar later that year.

Almada made 83 appearances for Atlanta United, scoring 26 goals and providing 24 assists before joining Brazilian side Botafogo in July 2024.

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