Top 10 most valuable players in world football
The CIES recently released its 299th edition of its weekly paper including the semi-annual report with the estimated transfer values of the players that are part of the Major 5 leagues namely LaLiga, Premier League, Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and Serie A.
The Blaugranian skipper Lionel Messi, about to turn 33 this month, has dropped from the 8th spot to the 22nd spot in the standings. Though his transfer value is still 60% higher than his rival Cristiano Ronaldo. Meanwhile, Neymar Jr has dropped from the 19th position to the 37th position in the recently updated standings.
We will take a look at the top ten players that have made their way into the semi-annual report.
#10 Harry Kane | Tottenham Hotspur | €118.7 Million
Harry Kane is one of the best strikers in Europe. The English skipper has been one of the most crucial players for Tottenham Hotspur ever since 2014, when he consolidated his place in the first team with an consistent performance. Kane scored 31 goals in his 51 appearances for the Lilywhites in the 2014/15 season.
Since 2014, Harry Kane has emerged as one of the top strikers in the world and is well known for bringing his teammates into the game as well as his stunning goal-scoring ability. CIES has ranked him on the tenth position with an estimated transfer value of €118.7 Million.
#09 Alphonso Davies | Bayern Munich | €133.5 Million
Alphonso Davies is the youngest footballer who has made into the CIES List. The 20-year-old defender has been one of the brightest discoveries for Bayern Munich in recent years and has established himself as one of the best emerging players in the game. Davies takes up the ninth spot in the semi-annual list with an estimated transfer value of €133.5 Million.
#08 Antoine Griezmann | FC Barcelona | €136.4 million
Antoine Griezmann was brought to FC Barcelona from Atletico Madrid to fill in the shoes that were left empty when Neymar Jr left for Paris Saint-Germain. The Frenchmen had an amazing season at Atletico and his move to Barcelona was seen as the next big thing in his career. Despite high expectations of the world cup winner, Griezmann has struggled to produce quality performances for Barcelona on a consistent basis this season.
Antoine Griezmann finished at the third place in Ballon d’Or 2016 ranking and also in the Best FIFA Men’s player 2016. He was awarded the Best player award for La Liga 2016. Also, he was the French Player of the year in 2016. Though his biggest achievement is lifting the World cUP with France in 2018. The Barcelona striker is valued at €136.4 million by CIES and that takes him to the eight position in the list.
#07 Sadio Mane | Liverpool | €139.2 million
Sadio Mane is perhaps the best player at his position in the Premier League. The left-winger has scored fourteen goals and made nine assists in his twenty-six appearances for the Reds this season. Mane has been in red hot form since 2018/19 campaign where he scored 22 goals in his 36 appearances for Liverpool in the Premier League.
Mane has been a transfer target for multiple clubs across. CIES has ranked him 7th on their list with an estimated value of €139.2 million.
#06 Mohammed Salah | Liverpool | €144.9 million
Mohammed Salah has arguably been Liverpool's best player over the past couple of years. The Egyptian maestro is a fan favorite, liked across the world for his humble personality. Despite being a silent person off the field, Mohammed Salah is perhaps one of the most deadly strikers in Europe. The Egyptian has scored sixteen goals in his twenty-six appearances in the Premier League this season.
Salah was perhaps one of the most crucial factors of Liverpool's Champions League campaing last season. CIES has ranked him in the sixth position with an estimated transfer value of €144.9 million.
#05 Marcus Rashford | Manchester United | €152.3 million
Marcus Rashford made his club career debut with Manchester United in the year 2016 and scored twice in the second half to mark his presence. He became the youngest player to score for the club at the age of nineteen. The striker hasn't looked back since.
Marcus Rashford also became the youngest English footballer to score on his International debut beating the previous record held by Tommy Lawton. The Englishman has a lot of feats to his name and is ranked at number five on the CIES list with a hefty estimated transfer value of €152.3 million.
#04 Trent Alexander-Arnold | Liverpool | €171.1 million
Trent Alexander-Arnold is one of the finest right-backs in the premier league. He made his first-team debut in the fourth round of the EFL Cup, starting in the 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur and was quick to earn the adulation of the Anfield faithful. He hasn’t looked back since. Arnold's crossing ability is well know by now and that makes him a highly valuable player not only on the defensive side but also on the offensive side.
His first Premier League performance came against Manchester United at Old Trafford. With Liverpool’s first-choice right-back Nathaniel Clyne out with a rib injury before the match, Klopp had to bank on boy wonder Trent Alexander-Arnold to bail him out. The youngster stood up to the challenge.. He is ranked at number four on the CIES list with a transfer value of €171.1 million.
#03 Jadon Sancho | Borussia Dortmund | €179.1 million
Jadon Sancho is showing the world just why he is one of the most talked-about and highly-rated young players on the planet, and the consistency of his performances shows a maturity that has been developing within him throughout the formative years of his career. The player has shown some classic performances at Iduna Park and is one of the finest young talent to have put on the yellow and black jersey.
Sancho has been receiving a lot of interest from Premier League giants Manchester United and it will be interesting to see the Englishman make a return to the Premier League. CIES has valued him at €179.1 million and which puts him at the third position on the list.
#02 Raheem Sterling | Manchester City | €194.7 million
Raheem Sterling is often regarded as the next big thing in English football but the player has gone through a lot of ups and downs throughout his career. The winger has been often targeted by his critics for his inconsistent performances in the Premier League, though the English international has never lost heart and usually comes back strong.
Sterling’s meteoric rise began after his move to Liverpool. He joined the youth team in 2010 and by 2012, he had his senior team debut. He is the third-youngest player to play for the Reds. After his move to Manchester City, the player has become one of the most important players in Pep Guardiola's squad. CIES has ranked him at number two on the list with an estimated transfer value of €194.7 million.
#01 Kylian Mbappe | Paris Saint-Germain | €259.2 million
Kylian Mbappe moved to PSG in 2017. He was signed first on loan from Monaco and turned out to be the second most expensive transfer in the game after Neymar. He scored a goal on his debut for PSG, in a 5–1 Ligue 1 win at Metz. Ever since his move to the French titans, Kylian Mbappe has become one of the biggest prospects in world football.
The Frenchman now has a world cup title to his name at the age of twenty and has won four back to back Ligue 1 titles with Paris Saint-Germain. Mbappe has formed a great deadly combination with teammate Neymar Jr at PSG and the two have been dominating the French League for the last couple fo years. According to the report from CIES, Kylian Mbappe is the most valuable player in the world with the estimated transfer value of €259.2 million.