Football clubs worldwide splashed out $48.5 billion (41.1 billion euros) on international transfer fees over the past decade, almost half of which was spent by the top 30 clubs, FIFA revealed in a report published Monday.
The report charted the number of international transfers and loans concluded between FIFA’s 200 member associations, totalling 133,225 such moves over the period from 2011 to 2020.
Transfer market activity rose steadily from 11,890 in 2011 to a peak of 18,079 in 2019, with Brazilian nationals (15,128) the most frequent movers to foreign clubs.
The number of clubs conducting international transfers increased by more than 30 percent over the past decade, from 3,167 in 2011 to a high of 4,139 in 2019.