Neymar in the context of "Saudi Pro League"

The following is a list of most expensive association football transfers, which details the highest transfer fees ever paid for players, as well as transfers which set new world transfer records. The first confirmed record transfer was of Willie Groves from West Bromwich Albion to Aston Villa for £100 in 1893 (equivalent to £14,000 in 2023), made just eight years after the introduction of professionalism by the Football Association in 1885.

The current transfer record was set by the transfer of Neymar from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain for €222 million (£200 million) in August 2017. While the current record for women was set by the transfer of Olivia Smith from Liverpool to Arsenal for €1.157 million (£1 million) in July 2025.

Lionel Messi is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for and captains both Major League Soccer club Inter Miami and the Argentina national team. His individual achievements include eight Ballon d'Or awards, the most for any footballer. Having won 46 team trophies, he is the most decorated player in the history of professional football. Messi is often hailed as a genius, with his prolific goalscoring ability and high level dribbling, passing and playmaking earning him recognition as one of the greatest and most iconic players in football history. In 2024, US-based sports company ESPN named Messi the greatest player of the 21st-century.

Messi's club career began with Barcelona, where he rose through the youth ranks, making his first-team debut in 2004. Over the next years, Messi became the club's all-time top scorer, amassing numerous domestic and international accolades. During his tenure, Barcelona secured ten La Liga titles, seven Copa del Reys, four UEFA Champions Leagues, seven Supercopa de Españas, three UEFA Super Cups, and three FIFA Club World Cups. In August 2021, due to financial constraints faced by Barcelona, Messi signed for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). Joining forces with fellow superstars Neymar and Kylian Mbappé, he won two Ligue 1 titles and one Trophée des Champions. In July 2023, Messi joined Inter Miami, leading the team to win their first-ever trophies with the Leagues Cup and the Supporters' Shield.

The 2014–15 season was Futbol Club Barcelona's 116th in existence and the club's 84th consecutive season in the top flight of Spanish football. This was the first of the three seasons under head coach Luis Enrique.

The season was one of the most successful ones in the club's history, as Barcelona clinched its second continental treble after winning La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League. The league title was won in a closely fought title race with Real Madrid, while the Copa victory was achieved with a brilliant 3–1 victory over Athletic Bilbao at Camp Nou in the final. In the Champions League, Barcelona overcame Bayern Munich (3–0 home, 2–3 away) to set up the final against Juventus in Berlin, where Barça triumphed 3–1. Barcelona's success may be in large part attributed to their formidable attacking trio composed of Lionel Messi, Neymar, and summer signing Luis Suárez, who scored a record 122 goals in all competitions to become the trio with most goals in a single season in Spanish football history.

The Brazil versus Germany football match (also known by its score as 7–1, or Mineiraço in Brazil) was the first of two semi-final matches of the 2014 FIFA World Cup that took place on 8 July 2014 at the Mineirão stadium in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Both Brazil and Germany reached the semi-finals with an undefeated record in the competition, with the Brazilians' quarter-final with Colombia causing them to lose forward Neymar to injury, and defender and captain Thiago Silva to accumulation of yellow cards. Despite the absence of these players, a close match was expected, given both teams performed comparably well throughout the tournament. Also, both were regarded as two of the biggest traditional FIFA World Cup forces, sharing eight tournaments won (5 for Brazil and 3 for Germany) and having previously met in the 2002 FIFA World Cup final, where Brazil won 2–0 and earned their fifth title.

This match, however, ended in a historic loss for Brazil; in a massive show of dominance, Germany led 5–0 within 29 minutes, with four goals being scored inside a six-minute span, and brought the score up to 7–0 in the second half. Brazil scored a consolation goal through Oscar in the last minute, ending the match 7–1. Germany's Toni Kroos was selected as the man of the match.