Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe has been named as the most valuable footballer in the world by the CIES Football Observatory.
The Frenchman has been valued at £175million, putting him clearly ahead of Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr. and new Manchester City signing Erling Haaland.
The Norwegian is the Premier League’s most prized star, with his estimated value of £130m more than double the fee that City paid Borussia Dortmund for the 21-year-old striker.
His new teammates Phil Foden and Ruben Dias, as well as Liverpool’s Luis Diaz, were the only other names from England’s top-flight to make the top 10, while Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham was ranked as the highest Englishman on the list at £114m.
It is no surprise to see these names at the top of the list as they are among the best young talents in world football, although Mbappe would possibly not have placed at number had he not signed his new three-year deal with PSG back in May.
The Premier League has dominated the list occupying 41 of the 100 spots, with Manchester United’s Jadon Sancho and Bruno Fernandes, Chelsea’s Mason Mount and Kai Havertz, Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka and Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold all in the top 25.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, of the 41 names, only three play at non ‘big-six’ clubs, specifically West Ham defensive midfielder Declan Rice, Everton forward Richarlison and Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi.
As the age of the players plays a big part in estimating the valuations there is no room for GOAT contenders like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, with 30-year-old Kevin de Bruyne of City the oldest player included, while Barcelona starlet Pablo Gavi is the youngest at just 17.
While the list is just a rough guide, it does make for interesting reading and it will be curious to see if some of the players heavily linked with a transfer this summer move for more or less than their estimated price.
Manchester United targets Darwin Nunez and Frenkie de Jong have been valued at £59m and £96m respectively, and while Nunez’s price matches what Benfica reportedly want for the player, Barcelona are said to be holding out for just £70m for De Jong, although United will still want to negotiate that fee down significantly.
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