FIFA TMS: 18,068 international transfers (+5.1%) for a total of $4.86bn (-13.7%) in 2021

Men's professional football clubs spent $4.86bn (€4.29bn as of 31/12/2021) on international transfer fees in 2021, a 13.7% decrease compared to 2020, according to the Global Transfer Report 2021 published by FIFA on 14/01/2022 (document available to download).

"With an increase of 5.1% compared to 2020, a total of 18,068 international transfers were recorded in 2021, just slightly below the pre-pandemic levels in 2019 (18,080). A total of 185 of FIFA's 211 member associations were involved in transfers in 2021, two fewer than in 2020, but the number of clubs involved in international transfers increased by 9.2% to 4,544, a new high (4,162 in 2020). There were 15,617 different players involved in transfers, representing 179 nationalities, with 2,115 of them moving more than once during the course of the year (e.g. going out on loan and then returning from that loan within the same year)," explains the report by FIFA TMS, the body's online platform for Member's Associations to record transfers.

This new edition of the Global Transfer Report also includes, for the third consecutive…