Mateo Retegui is now the most expensive Italian in football history. © ANSA / MICHELE MARAVIGLIA

New record: Italy's most expensive footballer in history

On Monday, Mateo Retegui's transfer to Al-Qadsiah in Saudi Arabia was officially announced. The transfer fee made the 26-year-old the most expensive footballer from the country – here's an overview.

July 22, 2025

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Mateo Retegui has had an eventful season: The Italian international was crowned Serie A top scorer (25 goals), gained his first UEFA Champions League experience with Atalanta, and qualified for the Champions League again with "La Dea" thanks to a strong third-place finish in the league. However, about a year after his move from Genoa to Bergamo, the fairytale is already over. As Atalanta announced on Monday, the striker is joining Saudi Arabian club Al-Qadsiah.

According to Italian media reports, the sale of Retegui will bring €68,25 million into the club's coffers – setting an Italian transfer record. No other player in history has received a higher transfer fee than the 26-year-old striker, who will now enjoy an annual salary of approximately €20 million.

Chiesa, Jorginho and a certain Buffon

Ever since the summer of 2017, when Neymar Jr. moved from FC Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain for €222 million, astronomical transfer fees have been the order of the day in football. It's therefore not surprising that the ranking of the most expensive Italian transfers primarily features deals from the past eight years. However, the top five still includes two prominent names whose transfers were completed almost 5 years ago.

Gianluigi Buffon is among the top players in the rankings. © ANSA / Roland Weihrauch

In the summer of 2001, Juventus paid Parma €52,88 million for goalkeeper icon Gianluigi Buffon. Two years earlier, Inter set a world record with the signing of legendary striker Christian Vieri: The €46,48 million transfer fee paid to Lazio at the time was unprecedented. A year later, the record was surpassed with the acquisitions of Hernán Crespo (€56,81 million/Lazio) and Luís Figo (€60 million/Real Madrid).



Ranking: The most expensive Italians in football