A report by the CIES Football Observatory has revealed the most valuable footballers on the planet at the moment, and the order may surprise fans as Barcelona prodigy, Lamine Yamal, has zoomed past Kylian Mbappe.
The teenage sensation, who will get a major bump in his Barcelona contract when he turns 18 this July, has seen his value explode this season, going from the €100m region to become the most valuable footballer in the transfer market at €402m.
Yamal’s rise in valuation comes after being one of the key Barcelona players on the way to the club winning the La Liga, Copa Del Rey and Supercopa titles. He is also the reigning Kopa Trophy holder – an award given to the world’s best young player at the Ballon d’Or.
Interestingly, Barcelona teammate, Raphinha, is not among the top 10 players with the highest valuation at the moment, with Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham making up the top three with Yamal, while Jamal Musiala follows Mbappe to complete the top five.
The most expensive transfer deal remains Neymar’s move from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain, when the French giants activated the Brazilians staggering €222m release clause.
This in part has led to Barcelona and Real Madrid having release clauses between €500m and €1b in deals for their top players in recent years, with Yamal set to get the treatment when his new contract at Barcelona takes effect on his 18th birthday.
Top 10 most valuable players
€402m – Lamine Yamal (Barcelona, Spain)
€240m – Erling Haaland (Manchester City, Norway)
€235m – Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid, England)
€192m – Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid, France)
€155m – Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich, Germany)
€145m – Pedri Gonzalez (Barcelona, Spain)
€130m – Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid, Brazil)
€126m – Cole Palmer (Chelsea, England)
€126m – Julian Alvarez (Atletico Madrid, Argentina)
€122m – Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen, Germany)