Who is the most expensive Italian player of all time?

Back in the eighties and early nineties Italian clubs dominated the transfer market.

With huge spending power, the best players in the world flocked to Serie A during this time - Napoli were even able to break the world record fee for Diego Maradona. That has since changed due to the rise of the Premier League.

And with Italians often preferring to stay in Serie A, they don't command the huge fees associated with Brazilian or English players. However, there are still some big money deals making this list, let's check out the top ten.

Who is the most expensive Italian player of all time?

Sandro Tonali is the most expensive Italian player in history, courtesy of his £55million pound move from AC Milan to Newcastle United in 2023.

Due to his suspension for most of the 2023-24 campaign, the Toon Army are still waiting for Tonali to recoup most of his fee, although the signs since his return to action are promising.

Another Premier League midfielder narrowly has to settle for second spot in the list, with Jorginho just behind thanks to his £50m move from Napoli to Chelsea.

Who held the all-time record transfer fee for an Italian player before Tonali?

The longstanding holder of this record was Gianluigi Buffon from way back in 2001. That year the legendary Italian goalkeeper moved from Parma to Juventus for just over £45milllion.

Buffon's transfer nudged out Christian Vieri from top spot, who was also the holder of the world record transfer fee for a while, having joined Inter Milan from Lazio in an all-Serie A deal for £32million.

And make no mistake kids of today - this was major, major, money for a footballer back in 1999.

The full list of the top 10 most expensive Italian footballers of all time