15. Emile Mpenza—$9.35m
Emile Mpenza was a member of the Schalke outfit that oh-so-nearly saw the Royal Blues take home the German title in 2005, but the team fell just short, thus beginning the demise of the trifecta of Mpenza, Ebbe Sands, and Marc Wilmots, all of whom combined to form a terrifying attacking force that modern Schalke would practically kill for.
Mpenza’s tenure in Gelsenkirchen was a beautiful one, but it was too short. Then again, just about everywhere Mpenza went ended up being “too short.” The most appearances he ever made at a single club was with the Royal Blues, but only 79 appearances across three seasons.
In that time, however, the Belgian striker scored 28 goals and was an early predecessor to the Belgian attacking force that has hit a golden age in the modern era.
Despite that tremendous record with Die Knappen, they were still yet unable to secure a profit when he finally met his exit, as they sold him to Standard Liege for just $2.2m.
On to No. 14.