Recently, it seems as if football transfers are spiralling out of control. It felt like only yesterday that Paul Pogba became the first ever £100 million player. That sort of sum is a pretty common occurrence now.
Defensive midfielders Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo moved for nine digits in the 2023 summer transfer window, with the latter becoming the most expensive Premier League transfer ever. Given that £100m only seems to get you a 21-year-old midfielder with barely one year of English top-flight experience, just imagine how much it will cost to sign the best players on the planet.
A study has ranked the 10 most expensive footballers in the world at present and their values are truly staggering. The report, conducted by the CIES Football Observatory, uses a statistical model based on previous transactions to estimate each player's transfer value, considering performance, age and contract length.
Kylian Mbappe may be one of the hottest prospects in world football but has fallen out of the elite bracket and down to 27th place due to his potential availability for a free transfer in the summer of 2024. Here are the 10 players with the highest valuation in world football.
The Most Valuable Footballers in the World | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Rank | Player | Club | Valuation |
1 | Jude Bellingham | Real Madrid | £228.4m |
2 | Erling Haaland | Man City | £214.5m |
3 | Vinicius Junior | Real Madrid | £213.7m |
4 | Rodrygo | Real Madrid | £211.7m |
5 | Bukayo Saka | Arsenal | £190.4m |
6 | Phil Foden | Man City | £167.2m |
7 | Gavi | Barcelona | £147.8m |
8 | Julian Alvarez | Man City | £140.6m |
9 | Jamal Musiala | Bayern Munich | £130.1m |
10 | Martin Odegaard | Arsenal | £128.6m |
1Jude Bellingham - £228.4m
Real Madrid
Having only been the fourth-most valuable player in the world in 2023, Jude Bellingham tops the list of players now, with an insane value of £228.4m. The Englishman cost Real Madrid a base transfer fee of £88.5m, and he was given the number five jersey at Madrid - a shirt previously won by iconic figure, Zinedine Zidane.
Has he continued Zidane's legacy in his legendary jersey? So far so good. Still only 20 years old, Bellingham has wasted little time in becoming one of Madrid's most important players, hitting the 20-goal mark across all competitions by spring despite starting in midfield. That prolific return proves exactly why the former Borussia Dortmund man is already seen as one of the top English players to have played abroad.
Jude Bellingham's 2023/24 Stats | |
|---|---|
Games | 34 |
Goals | 20 |
Assists | 10 |
Contract expires | 30th June 2029 |
2Erling Haaland - £214.5m
Manchester City
He might have lost his crown as the most valuable player in the world since last season, but Manchester City striker Erling Haaland is not that far behind his former Dortmund teammate Bellingham. Despite failing to replicate his outrageous return of 52 goals in his debut season, Haaland is once again the Premier League's top scorer, prompting his valuation to increase this season.
The Norwegian only cost City a reported £51m, and it has proved to be an absolute bargain. Pep Guardiola hailed him as 'unique' after Haaland shattered Alan Shearer and Andy Cole's record for league goals in a season in 2022/23, while Rio Ferdinand said after City's 7-0 win against RB Leipzig that Haaland brings 'a superpower' to his present club. Named the IFFHS' footballer of 2023, it's scary to think that the 23-year-old has not even reached his peak yet.
Erling Haaland's 2023/24 Stats | |
|---|---|
Games | 38 |
Goals | 31 |
Assists | 6 |
Contract expires | 30th June 2027 |
3Vinicius Junior - £213.7m
Real Madrid
Vinicius Junior was tipped to be the next Neymar when he first joined Real Madrid, and he's more than lived up to the hype. While he struggled for goals in his first couple of seasons at the club, he's developed into one of the most prolific wingers in world football. The Brazilian has managed to reach double figures for both goals and assists in the past two La Liga seasons, proving he is just as creative as he is clinical.
Following the departure of Karim Benzema, the 23-year-old has become the main star at the club, alongside Bellingham. Defenders dread coming up against the fast and agile wide man as he never switches off and, as a result, never lets an opposing full-back rest. Many will expect Vinicius to find himself in the running to win the Ballon d'Or within the next decade.
Vinicius Junior's 2023/24 Stats | |
|---|---|
Games | 30 |
Goals | 18 |
Assists | 10 |
Contract expires | 30th June 2027 |
4Rodrygo - £211.7m
Real Madrid
Winger Rodrygo is just behind his two Real Madrid teammates. The Brazilian has often been overshadowed by his Madrid and international teammate Vinicius, but there's no denying that Rodrygo is a massive talent. Having also been compared with the great Brazilian player Neymar, the winger has plenty of pressure on his shoulders, but he has started to grow into his own over the past couple of seasons.
The 23-year-old formed part of the deadly trio - alongside Vinicius and Benzema - that dominated the Champions League in 2021/22 as Los Blancos went on to secure their 14th major European title. Benzema's departure has seen Rodrygo's responsibility grow, but he looks to be living up to the hype despite his tender age. After a tough start to 2023/24 which saw him go on an 11-game streak without scoring, he has been described as 'back to his best' by manager Carlo Ancelotti.
Rodrygo's 2023/24 Stats | |
|---|---|
Games | 43 |
Goals | 16 |
Assists | 8 |
Contract expires | 30th June 2028 |
5Bukayo Saka - £190.4m
Arsenal
Arsenal starboy Bukayo Saka might be more than £20m behind Rodrygo, but his valuation has still increased from £167.2m in CIES' update. The Englishman signed a new four-year deal that will keep him at the club until 2027 - combine that with more stellar performances in 2023/24 for the Gunners, and you can understand why his value is so high right now.
Mikel Arteta's team are one of the top sides in Europe currently, and Saka is the man at the forefront of the Gunners' title charge. The 22-year-old is considered by many as one of the best wingers in the Premier League currently, with him already recording double-digit tallies for goals and assists this season while playing a key role in his team advancing to the Champions League knockout rounds. Also named English Player of the Year in 2023, the second time he won this award, fifth place in CIES' rankings may seem a little low to some.
Bukayo Saka's 2023/24 Stats | |
|---|---|
Games | 41 |
Goals | 18 |
Assists | 13 |
Contract expires | 30th June 2027 |
6Phil Foden - £167.2m
Manchester City
Manchester City's Phil Foden comes in sixth on the list after a value rise by nearly £25m since last summer. The 23-year-old has already played more than 200 games for Manchester City and has won 16 trophies so far in his career, including a historic treble in the 2022/23 season.
Considered one of the most technically gifted English players of this generation, Foden is one of the best dribblers in the game and still has time to develop further. There's an argument to suggest that he has never been fully appreciated at international level, although he is seeing more and more minutes ahead of Euro 2024.
Phil Foden's 2023/24 Stats | |
|---|---|
Games | 45 |
Goals | 22 |
Assists | 10 |
Contract expires | 30th June 2027 |
7Gavi - £147.8m
Barcelona
Barcelona are renowned for producing extraordinarily gifted midfielders - Andres Iniesta, Xavi and Sergio Busquets to name just a few. Gavi is the latest to add to this list, with the youngster already being seen as a top player in his position in world football. Aged just 19, Gavi has already made over 100 Barcelona appearances and helped them win the La Liga title in 2022/23, playing in 36 league matches.
He's also made 27 international appearances for Spain, helping La Roja win the Nations League in June 2023. Despite his £147.8m valuation, Barcelona have inserted a £866m release clause into his contract, and you can imagine that any interested suitors will have to fork out that as a minimum amount if they want to pry him away from Catalonia.
Gavi's 2023/24 Stats | |
|---|---|
Games | 15 |
Goals | 2 |
Assists | 1 |
Contract expires | 30th June 2026 |
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Aged 18 years and 110 days, Gavi became the youngest player to score at a men's World Cup since Brazilian icon Pele when he found the net for Spain against Costa Rica in November 2022.
8Julian Alvarez - £140.6m
Manchester City
A new entrant into CIES' top 10, but one that is certainly deserved. Not many players will have had a better end to 2022 or 2023 than Manchester City's Julian Alvarez, with the dynamic striker completing football by the age of 23. World Cup winner? Check. Copa America? Check. Champions League? Check. Premier League? Check. We could go on...
Hailed as 'an incredible threat' by his manager, Guardiola, Alvarez has become more of a regular fixture for City in 2023/24. The Argentine has already doubled his tally of assists compared to last season. Averaging almost a goal every game in the Champions League so far, he could propel the Cityzens to a second European trophy in as many years.
Julian Alvarez's 2023/24 Stats | |
|---|---|
Games | 46 |
Goals | 16 |
Assists | 13 |
Contract expires | 30th June 2028 |
9Jamal Musiala - £130.1m
Bayern Munich
Believe it or not, Jamal Musiala was once a part of the Chelsea youth academy. The German went to school at Whitgift in Croydon before signing for Bayern Munich in 2019, and since moving, the 21-year-old has developed into one of football's most admired youngsters who is now an integral part of Bayern's side and the German national team.
Musiala is currently one of the best young players in the world, operating as a wriggling and ruthless menace for a member of Europe's elite at such a young age. He had been linked with a move to Liverpool in October 2023, but any club wishing to secure his services will likely have to cough up at least the £130.1m he is worth in today's market.
Jamal Musiala's 2023/24 Stats | |
|---|---|
Games | 35 |
Goals | 12 |
Assists | 7 |
Contract expires | 30th June 2026 |
10Martin Odegaard - £128.6m
Arsenal
Rounding out our top 10 and beating his teammate Gabriel Martinelli to a spot by less than £2.1m, we have Arsenal skipper Martin Odegaard. Signing the Norwegian on loan in 2021 before making the deal permanent proved to be a part of Arsenal's fifth-best transfer window of all time, and Odegaard hasn't let fans or Mikel Arteta down since joining.
Providing a unique blend of energy and end product for the north London club, he has helped fire the Gunners back into the Champions League and into consecutive Premier League title races. Described by Gary Neville as a player that Guardiola would love at his disposal at Man City (and every manager in the league too, Gary), he is now worth £128.6m in today's market. That initial £30m that Arsenal paid for him in 2021 looks like more of a steal with every passing day.
Martin Odegaard's 2023/24 Stats | |
|---|---|
Games | 41 |
Goals | 10 |
Assists | 7 |
Contract expires | 30th June 2028 |
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