Haaland, Mbappe, Bellingham: Who is the most valuable player?

Leading the list of the most valued soccer players in the world begins in 2024 with Jude Bellingham, an English midfielder for Real Madrid.

The observatory of the International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES) has recorded that as of January 3, 2024, the list of player values. According to the research company, the approximate market worth of Bellingham is $293 million.

Following the 23-year-old’s summer transfer from Borussia Dortmund to Real Madrid for about $113 million, it’s not surprising that the Englishman is at the top of the list. With his transfer to the Bernabeu, he has been on fire, scoring 13 goals in 17 La Liga outings.

Premier League in full force

Values are skyrocketing due to inflation in soccer transfer fees, one of the few shocks on the CIES list. As of right now, the market worth of 51 of these athletes exceeds $100 million. The Premier League accounts for almost 50 percent of those.

Seven players on Arsenal’s roster are valued above $100 million. Real Madrid of Spain and Manchester City of the Premier League lead the list.

There are six players on each team with a net worth of over $100 million, with three of those ranking in the top 10. In third and fourth place, respectively, were Real’s Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo; in second place, City’s Erling Haaland; and rounding out the top 10 are Phil Foden and Julian Alvarez.

This year’s CIES ranking sees Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka ranked fifth most expensive player. Meanwhile, the top five remain unchanged from last summer’s list. The only difference is Bellingham moving up a spot and Saka dropping from third to fifth.

In Bruno Guimaraes and Alexander Isak, Newcastle United also have two players worth $100 million. Manchester United have three of these players, including the $103 million-rated prodigy Alejandro Garnacho. On the other hand, Liverpool have four.

Mbappe’s value goes down significantly

CIES considers a player’s age, contract duration, and club when calculating their worth. This means that players like Kylian Mbappe, the former world-most-valuable player, slide down the chart. A reason for this is the fact that his currrent contract is coming to an end.

In spite of the fact that Mbappe’s contract expires in June and he will be free to sign with any club in the summer, his $116 million valuation makes him the most expensive player in Ligue 1 and the 27th most expensive player in the world.

During the summer, Mbappe will be free to join any club he wants, since his contract expires in six months. At $116 million, nevertheless, he is the most expensive player in Ligue 1 and the 27th most expensive player overall.

Mbappe of Paris Saint-Germain and Antonio Silva of Benfica of Portugal were the only players not from one of the four major leagues. Including Real Sociedad’s Takefusa Kubo—the highest-valued player in Asia—there are thirteen La Liga players, all with values over $100 million.

There are five players from the Bundesliga in attendance, including Jamal Musiala and Harry Kane from Bayern Munich. Even four players from Serie A surpassed the $100 million milestone. Among them was Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, the most valuable African player.

Photo credit: IMAGO / AFLOSPORT.