The increasingly competitive footballing world has seen a certain crop of players rise above the rest, displaying their tremendous talent, influence, and market value.
Right from forwards who find the back of the net with ridiculous consistency to defenders being the shield of their respective teams, these top-10 players are not only transformative forces on the field but also invaluable assets to their clubs. Here’s a look at the most valuable players in world football today. (Source: Transfermarkt)
No. 1 – Erling Haaland (Manchester City) – Market Value: Rs 1600 crore
The 24-year-old striker has taken the footballing world with storm, smashing 73 goals in as many games in the Premier League. He is already a two-time Premier League champion and was one of the key figures propelling the Pep Guardiola-managed side to their historic treble in 2022-23.
No. 2 – Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid) – Market Value: Rs 1440 crore
The Real Madrid CF attacking midfielder adapted seamlessly with the Spanish giants, scoring 19 goals in his maiden LALIGA season in 2023-24. He also netted four times and notched five assists in his 11 UEFA Champions League appearances, helping them reclaim the European crown earlier this year.
No. 3 – Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid) – Market Value: Rs 1440 crore
The Brazilian winger has scored 54 goals and assisted 32 of them in the LALIGA for Real Madrid CF since 2018-19. He has also won the Champions League twice, bagging 21 goals in the competition, and becoming the youngest player at 23 years and 325 days to find the back of the net in two finals of the European competition.
No. 4 – Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid) – Market Value: Rs 1440 crore
The French superstar is a one-time World Cup winner and also finished runners-up in the 2022 edition of the tournament. He secured his highly-anticipated transfer to Real Madrid this year and is already a bona fide, established pioneer of the game in modern-day football.
No. 5 – Phil Foden (Manchester City) – Market Value: Rs 1200 crore
Phil Foden is a homegrown talent of Manchester City and has become a pivotal member of their trophy-winning juggernaut in the last few years. He has recorded 80 goal contributions in the Premiership, in addition to scoring 16 goals in the Champions League and donning an instrumental part in making the team win the tournament for the first time in 2022-23.
No. 6 – Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) – Market Value: Rs 1120 crore
The English attacker has been a consistent performer for Arsenal, helping them remain in the contention for challenging for the Premier League in the last couple of seasons. He has scored 49 goals and assisted 42 of them in the top-tier, and is gradually finding his feet in the Champions League by striking four times there in 2023-24.
No. 7 – Florian Wirtz (Bayer 04 Leverkusen) – Market Value: Rs 1040 crore
Florian Wirtz has quietly gone about becoming one of the promising youngsters plying trade in the Bundesliga. With 29 goals and 33 assists in the German top-tier, Wirtz has been a consistent performer upfront, and could be eyeing a big move into one of the larger clubs in the near future.
No. 8 – Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich) – Market Value: Rs 1040 crore
Jamal Musiala is a German attacking midfielder with English origins, having been trained at Southampton and Chelsea in his youth days before switching to Bayern Munich. In the Bundesliga, he has scored 36 goals and registered 22 assists, with rumours running rife of him moving to and English club soon.
No. 9 – Rodri (Manchester City) – Market Value: Rs 1040 crore
Rodri has been the central lynchpin of the Manchester City FC machine off late. He is the vital cog making all the key departments tick with his sublime game-awareness and playmaking skills, which has sky-rocketed his market value to match the ones of his attacking peers.
No. 10 – Lamine Yamal (FC Barcelona) – Market Value: Rs 960 crore
The 17-year-old prodigal son of Spain was all over the news a few months back for lifting his national team to win the UEFA Euro 2024, scoring once and assisting four times in the continental championship. In the LALIGA, he has already recorded 19 goal contributions for FC Barcelona.
