Player Valuation update: young talent dominate the ranking of most valuable football players

Following the conclusion of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, club football resumed almost immediately, and the winter transfer window opened shortly thereafter. It is fair to say that football is in a very busy period, which makes it a perfect time to examine the latest market value estimates by Football Benchmark (with squads and data points having been updated as of 19 January).

It says a lot about a trend in modern football that all 10 of the world's most valuable players are under the age of 25. One of the two “oldest” players on the list is Paris Saint-Germain FC superstar Kylian Mbappé (24), who has retained his place as the world's most valuable player with a market value of EUR 210 million. Mbappé is currently the top scorer in both the Ligue 1 and the UEFA Champions League and was awarded the Golden Boot at the World Cup after scoring eight goals, including a hat-trick in the final against Argentina. He remains the only player whose market value exceeds EUR 200 million.

Norwegian phenom Erling Haaland once again took second place in the top 10 with a value of EUR 178 million. Although the Manchester City player missed the World Cup, he is on course for a record-breaking season, having already scored 22 goals at the halfway point of the English Premier League (EPL) season, an achievement which has bearing on his estimated market value.

La Liga is the league with the most players on the top 10 list (4), followed by the English Premier League (3), German Bundesliga (2) and Ligue 1 (1). The first Serie A player in our ranking is AC Milan left winger Rafael Le?o, in the 21st position. The last, October 2022 list included seven players worth more than EUR 100 million; that number has risen to nine this time around.

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