The 10 most expensive Belgian players of all time

3 Jul 2026 11:25 BST |
5 min read

Cameron Smith
|
Digital Content Producer

Accredited sports journalist covering football since 2020

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Belgium’s ‘Golden Generation’ may have failed to live up to their potential, but they have produced some of the best players in European football over the last two decades.

Some of these players are the most expensive in football history, with eye-watering fees racked up between them.

Below, FootballTransfers runs through the 10 most expensive Belgian players of all time.

READ MORE: The 10 most expensive English players of all time

10. Youri Tielemans – €45m (Monaco to Leicester, 2019)

Youri Tielemans was a wonderkid at Anderlecht and so therefore his move to AS Monaco was slightly surprising.

After years of speculation, the midfielder finally moved to the Premier League however in 2019. He initially joined Leicester City on loan before the transfer became permanent for €45m.

Tielemans spent four years at the King Power Stadium, scoring the winner in the 2021 FA Cup final, before joining Aston Villa on a free transfer.

READ MORE: The 10 most expensive Brazilian players of all time

9. Christian Benteke – €46.5m (Aston Villa to Liverpool, 2015)

After scoring 49 goals in 101 games for Aston Villa, Christian Benteke earned a big-money move to Liverpool in July 2015.

The Reds forked out €46.5m for the striker but after netting just 10 times in 42 games, he was sold to Crystal Palace after just one season at Anfield.

8. Amadou Onana – €59.4m (Everton to Aston Villa, 2024)

The most recent transfer on this list, Amadou Onana joined Aston Villa from Premier League counterparts Everton for €59.4m in July 2024.

Searching for midfield reinforcements at the time following Douglas Luiz’s move to Juventus, Villa moved quickly to secure Onana’s services and he helped them win the 2026 Europa League.

7. Jeremy Doku – €60m (Rennes to Man City, 2023)

Following Riyad Mahrez’s move to the Saudi Pro League, Manchester City opted to sign Stade Rennais’ Jeremy Doku as his replacement.

While the winger was injury prone during his time in Ligue 1, he has since become an increasingly important cog in the Man City machine, helping them win five honours in three seasons.

6. Romeo Lavia – €62.1m (Southampton to Chelsea, 2023)

Romeo Lavia is the sixth-most expensive Belgian player in history after Chelsea fought off competition from Liverpool to secure his services in August 2023.

A press-resistant, deep-lying playmaker, Lavia is still looking to truly announce himself at Stamford Bridge having been plagued by injury.

5. Romelu Lukaku – €74m (Man Utd to Inter, 2019)

After eight seasons in England with Chelsea, Everton and Manchester United, Romelu Lukaku made the move to Italy by joining Inter Milan in August 2019.

Linking up with Antonio Conte at the San Siro, Lukaku was magnificent for the Nerazzurri, scoring 64 goals in 95 appearances for the club.

4. Kevin de Bruyne – €76m (Wolfsburg to Man City, 2015)

Kevin de Bruyne’s reputation in England was somewhat tainted following an uneventful spell at Chelsea, so his €76m move to Man City raised a few eyebrows.

However, the midfielder became arguably the greatest midfielder in Premier League history at the Etihad Stadium, recording the second-most assists (118) in top-flight history.

3. Romelu Lukaku – €84.7m (Everton to Man Utd, 2017)

Before joining Inter in 2019, Lukaku was the subject of a €84.7m transfer to Man Utd from Everton in July 2017.

However, while Lukaku was irresistible at Everton, he was mocked for the majority of his time at Old Trafford, despite scoring 42 goals in 96 games.

2. Romelu Lukaku – €113m (Inter to Chelsea, 2021)

Lukaku’s final entry in this list, the powerful centre forward returned to Chelsea in August 2021 following his heroics with Serie A giants Inter.

However, after losing his early-season form, Lukaku gave an explosive interview just four months later, revealing he was “not happy” at Chelsea.

Following the 2021-22 season, Lukaku never played for Chelsea again, spending the next two seasons on loan with Inter and Roma respectively before joining Napoli permanently in August 2024.

1. Eden Hazard – €115m (Chelsea to Real Madrid, 2019)

Eden Hazard remains the most expensive Belgian footballer in history, thanks to his €115m move from Chelsea to Real Madrid in 2019.

Hazard became a legend at Chelsea after scoring 110 goals between 2012 and 2019, lifting six honours including the 2019 Europa League in his final game for the club.

Injuries curtailed his dream move to La Liga heavyweights Real, however, and he retired from professional football at the age of just 32 in 2023.

The 10 most expensive Belgian soccer players of all time

Cameron Smith is a Digital Content Producer for FootballTransfers, having joined the team upon its inception in November 2020.

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