January 23 – Football clubs worldwide splashed out a record $7.35 billion (€6.63 million) on transfers in the men’s game in 2019, according to the latest FIFA report.
The amount represents a 5.8% increase on 2018, with English clubs accounting for the largest single total outlay at just over $1.5 billion even though that was 22% down on the previous year.
A total of 18,042 international transfers were made, another record. They involved 15,463 players of 178 different nationalities, said FIFA’s Global Transfer Market Reports
Interestingly, 80% of all spending came from just 100 clubs, while those in England, which supposedly houses the best league in the world, produced the largest negative net balance of $549.9 million.
There was also a 16.3% increase in spending in women’s football according to the data, compiled from the FIFA Transfer Matching System.
The most common type of transfer was that of players out of contract, which accounted for 64.3% of moves, a notable statistic given the trend of players switching clubs for nothing when their deals run out.
“It is remarkable to see a new record number of transfers in the men’s market,” said FIFA’s chief legal and compliance officer Dr Emilio García Silvero (pictured).
“We observe as well increasing all-round figures in the women’s market, which is a sign of the positive overall development of women’s football over the last year which we trust will continue in 2020.”
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