According to a new list from the CIES Football Observatory, Barcelona striker Neymar is the most valuable player in the world, with a value of €246.8m, £141.8m more than the current world record, the €105 million paid by Manchester United for Paul Pogba.
Neymar’s teammate Lionel Messi comes in second €170.5m, whilst Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba is third at €155.3m
The statistical model that CIES Football uses includes multiple variables on player performance (minutes, goals, etc.) and characteristics (age, contract, etc.), as well as data on employer clubs and potential recruiting ones.
As a result some older players rank lower than might be expected, such as 31-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo, winner of his fourth Ballon D’Or after an brilliant 2016, who is seventh on the list,
There are ten players have an estimated value of more than €100m, and the Premier League is most represented with 42 players out the 100.
There are some surprises when you break down the highest values by position. Does anyone really think that Arsenal defender Héctor Bellerín is the best fullback in the world with a valuation of €70.3m? Or that Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Dele Alli is the best attacking midfielder in Europe?
Top Valuations by Position
- Goalkeeper: Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid) – €59.8m
- Fullback: Héctor Bellerín (Arsenal) – €70.3m
- Central Defender: Raphaël Varane (Real Madrid) – €64m
- Central Midfielders: Paul Pogba (Manchester United) – €155.3m
- Attacking Midfielders: Dele Alli (Spurs) – €110.5m
- Forwards: Neymar (Barcelona) – €246.8m
Top 20 Most Valuable Footballers In The World
- Neymar (Barcelona and Brazil) – £217m
- Lionel Messi (Barcelona and Argentina) – £150m
- Paul Pogba (Manchester United and France) – £136.5m
- Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid and France) – £132.2m
- Luis Suarez (Barcelona and Uruguay) – £127.7m
- Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur and England) – £122.4m
- Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid and Portugal) – £111.2m
- Paulo Dybala (Juventus and Argentina) – £100m
- Dele Alli (Tottenham Hotspur and England) – £97m
- Eden Hazard (Chelsea and Belguim) – £89m
- Gonzalo Higuain (Juventus and Argentina) – £86m
- Anthony Martial (Manchester United and France) – £81.3m
- Raheem Sterling (Manchester City and England) – £75.2m
- Gareth Bale (Real Madrid and Wales) – £73.8m
- Yannick Ferreira Carrasco (Atletico Madrid and Belguim) – £73m
- Sergio Aguero (Manchester City and Argentina) – £70m
- Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City and Algeria) – £68.7m
- Mauro Icardi (Inter Milan and Argentina) – £68.3m
- Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City and Belguim) – £67.5m
- Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal and Chile) – £67.1m