By excellence, River It was always a training club and later an exporter of players. The inferiors of the Millionaire are a cradle of talents that later end up leaving a lot of money to the club that formed them and saw them born. At the beginning of 2022 it was confirmed the sale of Julián Álvarez to Manchester Cityone of the most important in the history of River, and At this time, the one from Enzo Fernández to Chelsea is made official, which broke with all parameters. Zero like the Spider there are a few more and many of them to teams of the European elite, who every year set their sights on Millionaire players.
From Javier Saviola to Lucas Alario. From Erik Lamela to exequiel palacios. From Ramiro Funes Mori to Lucas Martinez Quarta. Back in time and in the present, almost every season the Greatest makes a succulent sale to the Old Continent, with the peculiar fact that he trains players in all lines, because in recent times he has known how to sell forwards, midfielders and defenders. This is the ranking of the most expensive passes in the history of the Nuñez club.
15- Gonzalo Martinez (Atlanta United)
After conquering glory in Madrid, at the end of 2018 the sale of the author of the eternal third goal to Atlanta United of Major League Soccer was finalized in 12.570.000 dollars, which deducted the expenses (u$s 2,570,000) left River 10,000,000 clean. The Pity did not leave due to the termination clause and resigned to collect 15% from him and his agent also resigned 10% of which he owned.
In addition, River received two bonuses of 1,500,000 dollars when the left-hander played 10 games as a starter in the MLS and also when he was sold to Saudi Arabia in September 2020. Although at the time there were some complaints and reproaches for having obtained “little money” by one of the best players on the continent in 2018, the departure of Pity left fresh money in Millo.
14- Juan Pablo Angel (Aston Villa)
The sale of the Colombian to English football was somewhat controversial because River ended up with very little money left for a race scorer. Aston Villa paid almost 13.000.000 gross dollars for 100% of his pass and the Millionaire had only 50%. Discounting taxes and a debt of 1,250,000 that the club maintained with the player, the coffers of the Greatest only received a little more than 3,000,000 clean.
The Colombian arrived in Núñez in January 1998 from Atlético Nacional. River paid $500,000 for the one-year loan. Later, and despite the fact that various leaders opposed it, he bought half the pass for 2,500,000 at the express request of Ramón Díaz. That is, the profit was zero.
13- Javier Mascherano (Corinthians)
After several months of negotiations, in May 2005 Masche’s move to Corinthians in Brazil was finalized. The operation was done in 15 million of dollars, of which 11 million remained in River for having 75% of the pass (the rest was from the Renato Cesarini club).
At that time, Masche was only 20 years old and had become one of the most expensive passes in the history of River. In fact, the agreement included that he first end his participation in the Libertadores with River and then join the Brazilian team, where he stayed for only one season since he was later sold for almost 17 million euros to West Ham in England.
12- Lucas Martinez Quarta (Fiorentina)
The move from Chino to Fiorentina of Italy materialized in 15.500.000 of dollars, of which River received 90% since the remaining 10% was owned by the Kimberley club of Mar del Plata. In addition, the Millionaire reserved a capital gain of 10% for a future sale that exceeds the value of the original transfer.
On the other hand, in February 2021, just five months after his departure, River received an additional 3 million dollars as one of the objectives stipulated in the defender’s contract with the Italian team had been met: to play 10 games in Serie A. Round numbers and there are still more goals to be met.
11- Gonzalo Higuaín (Real Madrid)
Pipa’s move to Real Madrid in Spain was one of the most important in River’s history due to the importance of the destination club, but he left very little money in the treasury. The Millionaire sold it in 18.000.000 dollars in 2008 but only saw 4,500,000, a quarter of the total.
What happened? Months earlier, he had sold half of his pass for US$ 6M to Locarno of Switzerland (which functioned as a front for a capital fund), an operation that later brought about one of the biggest scandals of the José María presidency. Aguilar. In total, Millo ended up receiving 10,500,000 for the forward (4.5 when selling it to Madrid and 6 when selling it to Locarno).
10- Sebastián Driussi (Zenit)
The transfer of the striker to Zenit of Russia took place in 17.700.000 dollars, after the Russian club executed the termination clause contained in the contract. Officially it was 20 million euros, which when converted to dollars gives the number mentioned above.
Driussi was another of the many talents that emerged in River, he was formed, he broke it in the First Division and he left a lot of money to the club that saw him born. In fact, when the transfer was finalized in 2017, he had positioned himself as the second most expensive transfer from the Nuñez institution.
9- Erik Lamela (Rome)
The global operation of Coco to Italy’s Roma was signed in July 2011 and totaled 18 million of dollars, of which River had approximately 14,800,000 net. It turns out that Roma, on its balance sheet, recorded that it had to pay an onerous commission to the Dutch agent Martjins Odems.
At the time of the sale, River was going through the worst moment in its history and had to let go of the 19-year-old jewel to clean up its accounts. Some time later, after completing 20 games in the Italian team, Millo received two million euros as a goal achieved and years later he continued to receive money for training rights.
8- Lucas Ocampos (Monaco)
After returning to the place from which he should never have left in August 2012, the Millionaire leaders closed the sale of Ocampos to Monaco of France for the significant sum of 18.750.000 dollars, of which 10 million entered Nuñez clean.
Although Daniel Pasarella wanted more money, he ended up agreeing to the sale that gave the club a breather. The other half of the transfer was 15% in the hands of Quilmes and the remaining 35% was received by the Brazilian company Traffic. Beyond only having seen half, it was a total win for River: he had acquired Ocampos for only $350,000.
7- Pablo Aimar (Valencia)
In 2001, River achieved the sale of Payasito to Valencia of Spain. He got rid of 90% of his pass and received 18 million clean dollars, in addition to having kept 10% of his token for a future sale. The total of the operation reached 22 million of dollars.
At that time, it was the fifth most expensive sale in Argentine soccer and it was also the sixth most expensive signing in the history of Valencia. In the Spanish team, Pablito Aimar, one of the greatest talents to emerge from the seedbed, played a total of 216 games, in which he scored 34 goals and made 46 assists.
6- Exequiel Palacios (Bayer Leverkusen)
The midfielder left in December 2019 after superlative performances in the Copa Libertadores and the local tournament. Bayer Leverkusen executed the clause and the operation with the German club was made for a total amount of 17,086,250 euros, that is to say 20.100.000 of dollars.
Of that amount, River received 15 million dollars net for having 75% of the token, in addition to the fact that Palacios resigned the 15% that corresponded to him and that left more money for the club. In addition, if the German club sells it for an amount greater than the original, 10% of that sale will correspond to the Largest as capital gains.
5- Marcelo Salas (Lazio)
In February 1998, River signed the papers with Lazio to sell the Chilean, who ended up leaving three months later for Serie A for a total amount of 20.414.000 dollars, of which $17,250,000 remained in the River Plate treasury. It continues to be among the most expensive passes in the history of Italian football.
Counting the seven-year contract that Lazio signed him, 55 million dollars surrounded the operation of the trans-Andean attacker. How much did River pay for it? Only 3 million dollars to the University of Chile, the club in which he emerged and where he broke it. Then he scored 28 goals in a year and a half with the Sacred Mantle and made the leap to Europe.
4- Lucas Alario (Bayer Leverkusen)
In August 2017, Bayer Leverkusen deposited 24 million dollars in an Argentine bank account to take Lucas Alario for the termination clause and in the middle of the official competition. It was the fourth most expensive sale in Argentine soccer at the time.
Another business that was optimal for River, who had bought 60% of Pipa’s pass for $2,450,000 (first he bought 30% and then another 30%), the striker paid with goals and international titles and ended up leaving him a mountain of money to the club that put him in the eye of Europe.
3- Julian Alvarez (Manchester City)
Although it is not yet signed, it is a fact that the Spider will become the second most expensive transfer in the history of the Nuñez club. Manchester City, commanded by the City Group, will pay 27 million dollars in all respects and, deducting taxes and the million that corresponds to Club Atalaya de Córdoba, River will have 20 million net left.
An exorbitant figure for the current economic situation in the country and that will allow River to cancel the debts that remain pending with other clubs and also allocate part of the money to infrastructure works and others. The rough diamond of the Biggest will continue to shine in European football.
2- Javier Saviola (Barcelona)
On July 20, 2001, the Rabbit landed in Barcelona without knowing that 21 years later, his ticket would still be the most expensive in the history of the Biggest. Although years later the Spanish media echoed a version that indicated that the operation had been around 35 million dollars, the truth is that the Blaugrana paid approximately 28 million by Saviola.
It was never clear how much money River received for that sale either, since a significant amount remained on the road as “commissions”. In principle, it would have been 20 million of the US currency that the Greatest received in a net way to write another chapter in the golden pages of the institution.
1- Enzo Fernandez (Chelsea)
After long negotiations in different cities, Enzo Fernandez he was transferred to one of the biggest clubs in England for 120 million euros. That is the money that Chelsea pays to Benfica as a termination clause. Between the 18 million euros of the initial sale and the percentage that corresponds to him for having 25% of the pass, River receives around 50 million euros for the midfielder.