According to a report from FIFA, in 2020 there were 17,077 transfers, a decrease of 5.4 percent in relation to 2019 (18,047), a fact that is attributed to the covid-19 pandemic.

Despite being the first decline in the last 10 years, the 2020 values are still higher than those recorded in 2018 (16,547), according to Lusa News Agency.

FIFA explains that 14,432 players were involved in registered transfers, which means that several were transferred more than once, involving 180 different nationalities.

Portuguese players close the ‘top 10’ in the number of transfers in 2020, with a total of 365, in a table comfortably led by Brazil, with more than 2,000. Regarding the amounts involved, the Portuguese are in fourth place, with around €325 million spent on Portuguese players.

Regarding the 10 most expensive transfers of 2020, two of them involve Portuguese clubs and players.

FIFA, which does not reveal any values, says that Bruno Fernandes’ transfer from Sporting to Manchester United, which took place in January, was the fourth most expensive of the year, while that of Rúben Dias from Benfica to Manchester City comes in fifth place, on a list led by the exchange of Kai Havertz from Bayer Leverkusen to Chelsea.

Regarding the amounts spent by the clubs, they registered a sharp decrease compared to 2019.

FIFA points out that in Europe, Benfica was the eighth club that spent the most in transfers in 2020 and is the only Portuguese in the ‘top 20’, led by Chelsea, with no figures being given.

In the list of European clubs that most players transferred, Portugal has three clubs in the first 10: Benfica, FC Porto and Sporting de Braga.

Regarding women’s football, 1,035 international transfers occurred in 2020, an increase of 23.7 percent over the previous year (837).