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Who's worth the most?
Philippe Coutinho sealed his dream move to Barcelona at the weekend, joining the Catalan club from Liverpool for a reported fee of €160m. That makes the Brazilian the second most expensive footballer of all time, but did Barça pick up a bargain or pay over the odds?
In this slideshow, we use data from the CIES Football Observatory to reveal the 20 players with the highest market value from Europe’s top five leagues. All figures are calculated by assessing criteria such as age, position, contract duration, performance and international status.
20. Alvaro Morata, Chelsea (€108m)
Chelsea signed Morata for €65.6m last summer, but he’s now valued at €108m by the CIES Football Observatory. The Spanish striker has scored 12 goals in 28 appearances for the Blues so far, including winners against Atletico Madrid, Manchester United and Bournemouth in three different competitions, although some profligate finishing proved costly in Chelsea’s recent Premier League draw with Arsenal.
Still only 25 years of age and signed up at Stamford Bridge until 2022, Morata could boost his value further if he performs well in the knockout stage of the Champions League and at this summer’s World Cup.
19. Gonzalo Higuain, Juventus (€113m)
Higuain turned 30 last month, but he’s still deemed to be worth more than €100m. Juventus splashed out €90m on his signature in summer 2016, forcing Napoli’s hand by meeting the Argentinian’s buyout clause, and the striker has repaid the club’s faith by scoring 44 goals in 83 matches since then.
18. Eden Hazard, Chelsea (€119.6m)
Hazard was the Premier League’s outstanding attacker as Chelsea marched to the title last season, and at 27 he’s currently at the peak of his powers. The reason the Belgian forward isn’t valued higher relates to his contract situation: the English champions are hopeful of agreeing fresh terms with their star man, with Hazard’s present deal set to expire in two-and-a-half years.
17. Gabriel Jesus, Man City (€122.6m)
Not many Manchester City fans would have been familiar with Jesus’ work before his arrival at the Etihad Stadium in January 2017, but he’s now among the most highly-rated strikers in world football.
The Brazil international has scored 17 goals in his first 12 months in a City shirt, eight of which have helped Pep Guardiola’s side establish a 15-point lead at the top of the Premier League this season. Tied down at the Etihad Stadium until summer 2021, Jesus is valued at €122.6m.
16. Philippe Coutinho, Barcelona (€123m)
The CIES Football Observatory ranking was released before Coutinho’s move to Barcelona, which set the La Liga leaders back €160m. The Swiss research group valued the Brazil international at €123m for this list and tweeted after the transfer that Coutinho is worth "€132m now, with further growth planned after debut." (Read on to see how much higher that valuation would place him.)
Either way, it suggests Liverpool supporters should be happy with the fee they received for the 25-year-old’s services. Coutinho signed a five-and-a-half year contract at the Camp Nou and looks set to win his first ever top-flight title this term. It will be interesting to see whether his market value has risen – and by how much – this time next year.
15. Marcus Rashford, Man United (€126.8m)
Rashford’s remarkable rise has continued this season, with the Manchester United academy graduate having featured in all 22 of his boyhood club’s Premier League games in 2017/18.
Still only 20 years old, the forward has already made over 100 appearances for the Red Devils in all competitions, and will be looking to add to his 15 England caps both before and during the World Cup in Russia. If United were to sell him in the January transfer window, they could expect to receive around €126.8m.
14. Luis Suarez, Barcelona (€128.7m)
Suarez endured a difficult start to the season, but there were signs that the Uruguayan was getting back to his best in Barcelona’s final few outings of 2017. The Blaugrana paid around €82m to bring the ex-Liverpool striker to the Camp Nou back in summer 2014, and his value has only risen in the three-and-a-half years since then.
It will be interesting to see whether Suarez is still in the top 20 next January; the centre-forward turns 31 later this month, although he’s contracted to Barcelona until 2021.
13. Raheem Sterling, Man City (€138.2m)
The last few months have been fantastic for Sterling, whose 18 goals and four assists have been integral to Manchester City’s rise to the top of the Premier League and progression to the last 16 of the Champions League.
The England wide man has certainly made great strides under the guidance of Pep Guardiola, who laughed off rumours that the former Liverpool man could join Arsenal last summer. Currently valued at €138.2m, the 23-year-old will reportedly hold contract talks – his current deal runs out in 2020 – with City after the World Cup.
12. Mohamed Salah, Liverpool (€140.5m)
Salah has been a revelation in the Premier League this term, scoring 17 goals and providing four assists following his transfer from Roma last summer. Liverpool paid just €42m for the forward in June, which looked like a bargain at the time but now resembles the steal of the century.
Indeed, the Egypt international – Salah scored the decisive goal to book his country’s place at this summer’s World Cup – is now considered to be worth over €140m. Chelsea must still rue the day they allowed the ex-Basel man to depart Stamford Bridge for just €15m.
11. Leroy Sane, Man City (€140.6m)
Germany may be the reigning world champions and one of the favourites to lift the trophy in Russia this summer, but Sane is his country’s sole representative in the planet’s top 20 most valuable footballers.
The winger has already played 119 games at senior level, but he’s only 21 and is therefore still a long way from his peak. His age, ability and contract length – Sane has three-and-a-half years to run on his City deal – are enough for the ex-Schalke attacker to take 11th place.
10. Paul Pogba, Man United (€147.5m)
Pogba became the most expensive footballer in history when Manchester United paid €105m to re-sign him from Juventus in 2016, although the midfielder’s transfer fee has subsequently been surpassed on two separate occasions.
The France international’s value has also risen further in the last 18 months, though, with his market rate today just short of the €150m mark. Given Pogba is yet to celebrate his 25th birthday, it’s probable he’ll be worth even more in a year’s time.
9. Antoine Griezmann, Atletico Madrid (€150.2m)
Griezmann was heavily linked with a move to Manchester United in summer 2017, but the Frenchman decided to stay put after Atletico Madrid were hit with a transfer ban. The forward looks set to seek pastures new ahead of the 2018/19 campaign, though, but any suitors will probably have to pay around €150m to capture the 26-year-old.
It’s not beyond the realms of possibility that the Colchoneros could retain Griezmann for another season, with the ex-Real Sociedad man signed up at the Wanda Metropolitano until 2022.
8. Romelu Lukaku, Man United (€164.8m)
The Belgian striker swapped Goodison Park for Old Trafford last summer, with Manchester United sending €85m to Everton in return. Lukaku is now worth almost double that according to the CIES Football Observatory, with the 24-year-old at one of Europe’s biggest clubs and tied down to a lucrative contract which still has four-and-a-half years to run.
Lukaku’s market value could continue to increase in the next couple of seasons, particularly if he’s able to make an impact at the World Cup or in the Champions League knockout stage.
7. Kevin De Bruyne, Man City (€167.8m)
De Bruyne has probably been the Premier League’s outstanding player so far this season, so it’s no surprise to see him rank among the footballers with the highest market value. Manchester City spent €75m to bring the Belgian playmaker to the Etihad Stadium in August 2015, which made De Bruyne the second most expensive player in British football history at the time.
He’s worth a great deal more in today’s market, though, with the 26-year-old delivering superb performances week after week. Currently contracted until June 2021, there’s talk of De Bruyne signing a new deal at City in the coming months.
6. Dele Alli, Tottenham (€171.3m)
Alli struggled to hit his best form in the opening months of the season, but his performances have been much improved in recent weeks. The Tottenham midfielder was a key part of a title-challenging side in 2015/16 and 2016/17, but he’s still just 21 years old and has the potential to be one of the world’s best players in the future.
Although Alli has been linked with a move away from north London at various times in the last couple of campaigns, it’s hard to see him leaving any time soon, particularly as the ex-MK Dons man is contracted until 2022.
5. Paulo Dybala, Juventus (€174.6m)
Dybala has had a mixed season so far, scoring 17 goals in all competition but also spending a fair amount of time on the substitutes’ bench. As the old adage goes, form is temporary and class is permanent, and there’s no doubt the Argentina international remains one of the Italian champions’ most important players.
Dybala is valued at €174.6m by the CIES Football Observatory, with the 24-year-old signed up at the Allianz Stadium until 2022. Barcelona have been linked with the forward in the past, and he's been touted to link up with his old mate Pogba in Manchester, but he’s likely to stay at Juventus for at least another 18 months.
4. Kylian Mbappe, PSG (€192.5m)
At the start of last summer, it seemed unlikely that Mbappe would spend the season anywhere other than Monaco. Real Madrid and PSG soon made their interest known, however, with the latter ultimately landing the teenager on an initial loan deal which will become a €180m permanent transfer at the end of the campaign.
It’s therefore no surprise that Mbappe ranks so highly on this list, with the teenage Frenchman possessing an extraordinary amount of potential. Tipped to win the Ballon d’Or in the future, the Paris-born forward could feasibly spend more than a decade at the Parc des Princes.
3. Harry Kane, Tottenham (€194.7m)
The England striker was once written off as a one-season wonder, but he’s now considered one of the three most valuable footballers on the planet. Kane has now scored 96 goals in 134 Premier League outings for Tottenham, the club he first joined as an 11-year-old back in 2004.
2. Lionel Messi, Barcelona (€202.2m)
Messi may be widely considered the world’s best player, but he’s not quite the most valuable at €202.2m. It’s difficult to imaging the Argentinian ever leaving Barcelona – at least not for another European club – and the fact he recently signed a new contract at the Camp Nou shows he has no intention of moving on any time soon.
Messi will be 31 before the start of the 2018/19 campaign, and may therefore fall out of the top three in 12 months’ time. Either way, his place in the history books is guaranteed.
1. Neymar, PSG (€213m)
Neymar became the most expensive footballer in history when he joined PSG for an eye-watering sum of €222m last summer, a fee which broke the previous record by a staggering €117m. His market value remains high five months later, with no other player worth as much as the Brazil international.
It will be interesting to see if his €213m valuation is tested any time soon: PSG clearly don’t need the money and will want to keep hold of their marquee signing for as long as possible, but the stories linking him with Real Madrid refuse to go away.
