With the summer transfer window closing soon, it isn’t surprising that the most valuable football players have remained the same. As the CIES Football Observatory ranked the top ten football players in the world, read on to find out where your favorites were placed.
Top 10 Most Valuable Football Players
Every year there are two transfer windows for Champions League football. As it is a seasonal sport, the transfer windows are also directed through the seasons, with one taking place in the summer season and the other in the winter.
Currently, the summer transfer window is still open, awaiting closure in early September, with the Premier League marking the last of the leagues to close. However, other leagues like LaLiga, Bundesliga, and MLS transfer windows have been closed apart from the Premier League.
Hence, this was the perfect time for the CIES Football Observatory to step ahead and release a list of the world’s top 100 football player values. A wide range of variables has gone into figuring out the exact rankings. So let’s take a look at who aced the top ten.
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Kylian Mbappé
He might only be 23, but the man had already won a Fifa World Cup when he was only 19 years old in 2018, back in his homeland France. The young center forward of the coveted Paris Saint Germain is valued at a whopping €160 million. Naturally, the recent deal he signed has bumped his spot on the list of most expensive football players with a contract worth €250 million. But while it is challenging to maintain this rank, Mbappé is certainly not slowing down, and he plans to repeat his World Cup win later this year in Qatar.
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Erling Haaland
It is quite a pleasant surprise that most of the top rankers on the list for highest valued football players are currently very young. So next up, we have another young center-forward, who is only 22 years old and proudly plays for Manchester City. The English-Norwegian player is valued at €150 million, making him a conscious choice for Pep Guardiola in hopes of taking Manchester City to the Champions League final. He is known among the football clubs as the only player to be considered a replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo.
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Vinicius Junior
Vinicius Junior’s place among the most expensive football players in the world has to be credited to the humongous win at the Champions League final with 40 goals and assists. The Real Madrid left winger is only 22 as he aces the €100 million valuation mark on the list. The Brazilian star also holds a record to his name by scoring 17 goals in Spain’s LaLiga and taking the title home. This was enough proof for football fans around the world to believe in this young man’s talents. He is all set to sign a deal with Los Blancos.
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Mohamed Salah
Mohamed Salah, popularly known as Mo Salah, is an Egyptian-born footballer who rose to fame as a right winger for Liverpool. Captain to the Egypt National Team, the man has made a mark for himself in global football thanks to his incredible speed, finishing, and dribbling skills. Valued at €90 million, Salah is currently sitting tight on his spot as he ties with two other players with the same valuation. However, he had a record transfer even when it was his first. So it won’t be shocking if he takes the lead over others in the following seasons.
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Harry Kane
The hurricane of Tottenham Hotspur, the 29-year-old Harry Kane, has both the name and the stature to have built this stunning reputation as one of the world’s most expensive footballers. The tall hunk has captained the England National Team and is known for being among the best strikers in the world globally. Tying in valuation with Salah, his ability of prolific link play and goal-scoring technique has earned him the tight spot. The recent transfer deals can easily be a deciding factor if he plans to expand his profile.
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Phil Foden
Give it to Manchester City for acquiring some of the most expensive football players and keep them acing the wins. Phil Foden is another ManCity find tying in valuation with the greatest Salah and Harry Kane but much younger. The under 17 campaign brought by Fifa won him a Golden Ball, finalizing his value among the world’s best players. Apart from being among the best young players in the world, Foden is the only English center midfielder to have gained such momentum and recognition in the game at such a young age.
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Bruno Fernandes
Attacking midfield has to be the most challenging position in a game, and one has to give it to Bruno Fernandes for taking it as it comes. The Portuguese hunk is 27 years old with a valuation marking €85 million in his club Manchester United. Known for his penalty-taking skills, leadership, and goal-scoring techniques, Fernandes has made his place on the global football stage and at the national level back home while playing for the Portugal National Team. His international start might have been slow, but over the course, he isn’t slowing down or going anywhere.
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Kevin De Bruyne
Kevin is the oldest on the list, a Belgian football player with much to his experience in football, playing as an attacking midfielder almost ever since he started playing. He, too, is a Manchester City boy with the club doing him good and describing him as a complete footballer in his gameplay. Considered the best midfielder in the world, he is highly coveted in Bundesliga. A four-time winner of Manchester City’s Player of the Year award, it is safe to say he isn’t considering moving any time soon.
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Neymar
Neymar de Silva Santos Junior, who is professionally known as Neymar, is one of the best football players in the world. However, one can write a whole book about the downfall of Neymar. The events that severely affected his place among the most valuable football players are worthy of a documentary or movie to be put out in sequence for the world to see. Nonetheless, the Brazilian left winger has managed to stay out of the limelight and focus on his game attributed to his club, PSG.
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Dusan Vlahovic
The young Serbian center-forward is the only Juventus player to have marked a top 10 spot on this list with a valuation of €85 million. He also plays for the Serbia National Team and has aced his way up for being a valued footballer since he helped Serbia qualify for the Fifa World Cup 2022. He is considered an all-rounder footballer with skills in striking and leadership. Juventus signed him for €70 million in 2022, coming close to his valuation and making him the only player to have gained such a close deal.
Conclusion
One of the most watched sports has to have players valued in millions, given their demand in the game. However, the appropriately fast rise of Mbappé has cleared all doubts that leagues are only interested in the glamor quotient and not the actual value of the player.
It is safe to say that being the most valuable football player in the game comes with its challenges, including the responsibility to maintain and carry the title. The fast-paced game takes only minutes to prove if you are worth it, and Mbappé has yet to disappoint his fans.