Search icon

Football

27th Dec 2017

The 20 most valuable players in world football

Matthew Gault

They’re good, but they’re not cheap.

The money flying around in football is just ridiculous. It’s a business that’s all about money and power and the best players are responsible for a lot of that money and power. They are, at the end of the day, the reason why fans come to watch football matches. Obvious, yes, but the truth.

Now, as we approach 2018, Transfermarkt has revealed its list of the most valuable footballers on the planet. Let’s take a look.

20. Koke

Koke

Age: 25

Club: Atletico Madrid

Value: €70m

19. Romelu Lukaku

Lukaku

Age: 24

Club: Manchester United

Value: €70m

18. Saul Niguez

Age: 23

Club: Atletico Madrid

Value: €70m

17. Paulo Dybala

Age: 24

Club: Juventus

Value: €70m

16. Gareth Bale

Age: 28

Club: Real Madrid

Value: €75m

15. Eden Hazard

Eden Hazard

Age: 26

Club: Chelsea

Value: €75m

14. Isco

Age: 25

Club: Real Madrid

Value: €75m

13. Kevin De Bruyne

Age: 26

Club: Manchester City

Value: €75m

12. Paul Pogba

Age: 24

Club: Manchester United

Value: €75m

11. Toni Kroos

Age: 27

Club: Real Madrid

Value: €80m

10. Robert Lewandowski

 

Age: 29

Club: Bayern Munich

Value: €80m

9. Sergio Busquets

Age: 29

Club: Barcelona

Value: €80m

8. Harry Kane

Kane

Age: 24

Club: Tottenham Hotspur

Value: €80m

7. Ousmane Dembele

Age: 20

Club: Barcelona

Value: €80m

6. Luis Suarez

Age: 30

Club: Barcelona

Value: €85m

5. Kylian Mbappe

Age: 19

Club: Paris Saint-Germain

Value: €90m

4. Antoine Griezmann

Age: 26

Club: Atletico Madrid

Value: €100m

3. Cristiano Ronaldo

El Clasico

Age: 32

Club: Real Madrid

Value: 120m

2. Neymar

Neymar

Age: 25

Club: Paris Saint-Germain

Value: €150m

1. Lionel Messi

Messi

Age: 30

Club: Barcelona

Value: €180m

So, there you have it. What do you think? We can’t have many arguments about the top 20 but it’s interesting that a 30-year-old Luis Suarez, who has shown signs of decline this season at Barcelona, is valued higher than Harry Kane.

The FootballJOE quiz: Were you paying attention? – episode 10