Defensive midfielders Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo transferred for nine-figure fees in the 2023 summer transfer window, with the latter becoming the most expensive Premier League transfer ever. Considering that £100 million can only get you a 21-year-old midfielder with barely a year of English top-flight experience these days.
Transfermarkt's latest valuation has seen Erling Haaland break away from his peers to become the most valuable player in the world. Previously tied with Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe (who was valued at €180 million (£152 million)), the Manchester City player is now worth €200 million (£166 million).
| Rank | Player | Club | Valuation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Erling Haaland | Man City | £166m (€200m) |
| 2 | Jude Bellingham | Real Madrid | £152m (€180m) |
| 3 | Vinicius Junior | Real Madrid | £152m (€180m) |
| 4 | Kylian Mbappe | Real Madrid | £152m (€180m) |
| 5 | Phil Foden | Man City | £126m (€150m) |
| 6 | Bukayo Saka | Arsenal | £118m (€140m) |
| 7 | Florian Wirtz | Bayer Leverkusn | £110m (€130m) |
| 8 | Jamal Musiala | Bayern Munich | £110m (€130m) |
| 9 | Rodri | Manchester City | £110m (€130m) |
| 10 | Lamine Yamal | Barcelona | £101m (€120m) |
He may have lost the title of the world's most valuable player last season, but Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has regained his crown with a blazing start to the 2024/25 campaign. Last season may have been a disaster by his own high standards, but this time he has bounced back in style, breaking the record for the fastest 10 goals at the start of a Premier League season.
The Norwegian reportedly cost City just £51 million and has proved to be a great bargain. Pep Guardiola described him as 'unique' after he broke Alan Shearer and Andy Cole's record for league goals in a season in 2022/23, while Rio Ferdinand said Haaland brought 'superpower' to his current club after City's 7-0 win against RB Leipzig.
| Erling Haaland 2024 stats | |
|---|---|
| Games | 8 |
| Goals | 10 |
| Assists | 0 |
| Contract expires | 30th June 2027 |
Jude Bellingham has emerged as one of the best players in the world in recent years. The Englishman paid Real Madrid a base transfer fee of £88.5m when he joined Los Blancos from Borussia Dortmund in 2023, and was handed the number five jersey at the Santiago Bernabeu - a shirt previously won by iconic figure Zinedine Zidane.
Has he continued Zidane's legacy in his famous jersey? Still only 21, Bellingham has wasted little time in becoming one of Madrid's most important players, hitting the 20-goal mark in all competitions by the spring in his debut campaign despite starting in midfield. This impressive return proves exactly why the former Dortmund player is already seen as one of the top English players playing abroad.
| Jude Bellingham 2024 stats | |
|---|---|
| Games | 6 |
| Goals | 0 |
| Assists | 2 |
| Contract expires | 30th June 2029 |
When Vinicius Jr. first joined Real Madrid, he was touted as the next Neymar and he has lived up to that expectation. Although he struggled to score goals in his first few seasons at the club, he has become one of the most prolific wingers in world football. The Brazilian has managed to reach double figures for both goals and assists in the last two La Liga seasons, proving he is as efficient as he is creative, having put the nail in Dortmund's coffin in the 2023-24 Champions League Final at Wembley. Following the departure of Karim Benzema, Vinicius has become the main star at the club alongside Bellingham. Defenders fear coming up against the fast and agile wide man as he never switches off and as a result, never lets the opposing full-backs relax. Many expect Vinicius to soon join the race to win the Ballon d'Or.
| Vinicius Junior 2024 stats | |
|---|---|
| Games | 10 |
| Goals | 3 |
| Assists | 7 |
| Contract expires | 30th June 2027 |
Having finally put the long process of becoming a Real Madrid player on paper, Kylian Mbappe will be hoping to finally try his hand at the European Cup. The Frenchman, regarded as the finest footballer since the duo of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi ended, already has a World Cup and six league titles to his name, and will need to make more room in his trophy cabinet to fit his imminent success in the Spanish capital.
Although he is valued at £152 million, Real Madrid signed him on a free transfer as he was out of contract at PSG. However, they paid Mbappe a huge nine-figure signing fee to match his high weekly wage.
| Kylian Mbappe 2024 stats | |
|---|---|
| Games | 9 |
| Goals | 7 |
| Assists | 1 |
| Contract expires | 30th June 2029 |
Manchester City's Phil Foden is fifth on the list with a value of £126 million. The 24-year-old has played over 200 games for Manchester City and won 17 trophies in his career so far, including a historic treble in the 2022/23 season and his highest output campaign recently.
Considered as one of the most technically gifted English players of this generation, Foden is one of the best dribblers in the game and has time to develop further. He has had a bit of a slow start to the 2024/25 campaign and has rarely played for Pep Guardiola's men so far, but the season is still new.
| Phil Foden 2024 stats | |
|---|---|
| Games | 5 |
| Goals | 0 |
| Assists | 0 |
| Contract expires | 30th June 2027 |
Arsenal starboy Bukayo Saka is very close to compatriot Foden. The Englishman has signed a new four-year deal that will see him stay at the club until 2027 - combine that with more impressive performances for the Gunners in 2023/24 and you can understand why his price tag is so high right now.
Mikel Arteta's side are currently one of Europe's top teams, and Saka was at the forefront of the Gunners' title race, although he missed out by a whisker to Foden's City. Saka is one of the Premier League's best wingers and, unlike Foden, he is a reliable player for his country, impressing at Euro 2024 and contributing in key moments.
| Bukayo Saka 2024 stats | |
|---|---|
| Games | 8 |
| Goals | 1 |
| Assists | 5 |
| Contract expires | 30th June 2027 |
The most important cog in Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen machine, Florian Wirtz played a vital role in his side's Bundesliga title-winning campaign - which featured absolutely no defeats.
At 21, he can be forgiven for appearing fearful and nervous at times. However, Wirtz is wise beyond his years, and with a supreme natural ability to know what to do with the ball in every scenario, the North Rhine-born orchestrator is ready for the big occasions. In turn, this could make him the centre of a transfer tug-of-war this summer - but there may be no club better suited to developing him than Leverkusen at the moment.
| Bukayo Saka 2024 stats | |
|---|---|
| Games | 8 |
| Goals | 1 |
| Assists | 5 |
| Contract expires | 30th June 2027 |
Jamal Musiala was once part of the Chelsea youth academy and signed for Bayern Munich in 2019. He is now an integral part of Bayern's squad and the German national team after progressing through the Three Lions' youth system alongside Jude Bellingham and then taking advantage of his German passport. Musiala is currently one of the best young players in the world, serving as a ruthless and merciless threat for a member of Europe's elite at such a young age. He has been linked with a move to Liverpool in October 2023, but any club wishing to secure his services would have to pay at least £110m according to his value in today's market.
| Jamal Musiala 2024 stats | |
|---|---|
| Games | 7 |
| Goals | 3 |
| Assists | 3 |
| Contract expires | 30th June 2026 |
Few would argue that Rodri isn't the best midfielder in the world at the moment. Although he hasn't really struggled since joining Manchester City in 2019, it has taken him a while to find his best form. However, over the last few years, he has been brilliant, playing a key role in City's 2022-23 treble, including scoring the winning goal in the Champions League final against Inter Milan.
Rodri maintained his level during the following campaign as Pep Guardiola's men won their fourth consecutive Premier League title, and in 2024 Rodri made a breakthrough on the international stage for the first team as Spain beat England to win the European Championship.
| Rodri 2024 stats | |
|---|---|
| Games | 3 |
| Goals | 0 |
| Assists | 0 |
| Contract expires | 30th June 2027 |
Lamin Yamal has emerged as one of the best wingers in world football at just 17 years of age. Not even Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi have made the kind of impact Yamal has at such a young age, which speaks volumes about Yamal's rise. Yamal played over 50 times for Barcelona last season, with only Ilkay Gundogan playing more times than him, and he has been handed a key role for Spain at Euro 2024, starting all but one of La Roja's games on their road to glory in Germany. Yamal has a bright future ahead, and given his impressive performances at the start of the 2024/25 campaign, it would be a surprise if he doesn't one day become the most valuable footballer in the world.
| Lamine Yamal 2024 stats | |
|---|---|
| Games | 9 |
| Goals | 5 |
| Assists | 5 |
| Contract expires | 30th June 2026 |
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