A new report by the Football Observatory ranks the top 30 players in Europe based on transfer value.
Footballers with the highest transfer values generally play in competitive teams, are active full internationals, play in attacking positions, have long-term contracts and are under 27 years of age. The 100 footballers listed below3 do not only differentiate themselves from the point of view of the transfer value, but also from that of transfer probability.
Unsurprisingly, Lionel Messi tops the ranking. For the first time, in second place is Chelsea star Eden Hazard, ahead of Christian Ronaldo. Aside from the Portuguese, only six other players having already celebrated their 30th birthday figure on the top 100 places: Yaya Touré, Santi Cazorla, Andrés Iniesta, Carlos Tévez, Thiago Silva and Luiz Fernandinho.
Chelsea and Real Madrid are tied with six players each on the list, while Barcelona have four. Surprisingly, Bayern Munich and PSG both have only one player each valued in the top 30. Despite spending close to £200m on new players last summer, not one Manchester United player cracks the top 30. Angel Di Maria is 31st with a valuation of €36.9-40.6 and Wayne Rooney is ranked 33rd with a valuation of €35.9-39.5.
