The transfer rumors pages have been full of stories about Jude Bellingham’s next destination. Borussia Dortmund’s 19-year-old English midfielder is the hottest property in world soccer right now, and could be worth even more than Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland.
CIES Football Observatory, part of the International Center for Sports Studies in Switzerland, has published its January 2023 list of the world’s most valuable soccer players. The list calculates player value based on an algorithm that factors in age, nationality, contract length and current club as well as ability and results.
Kylian Mbappe had topped the list in June 2022, but he has now been overtaken by Jude Bellingham.
CIES values Bellingham at $222 million, making him the most valuable player in the world. He’s moved up from fifth place in June 2022, and is now worth a lot more than the roughly $25 million that Borussia Dortmund paid Birmingham City for him in 2020.
Manchester City’s Phil Foden is ranked second at $214 million. He’s followed by Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe who is valued at $203 million.
Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior and Foden’s Manchester City teammate Erling Haaland complete the top five.
Mbappe’s fall from first to third is likely due to his contract expiring in 2024. His value has fallen by around $20 million in the past six months, but any new deal with PSG would likely see him top the list once more.
The impact of age and contract length on player value can be best seen in Marcus Rashford. The Manchester United star was ranked the most valuable player in the world by CIES as recently as January 2021. But due to his age and contract situation, as well as a period of injuries and poor form, Rashford, who ironically is on a great run of form at the moment, has fallen out of the top 100 most valuable players in the world.
In fact, Manchester United only have four players on the list, with Bruno Fernandes at 25th spot. Local rivals Manchester City, on the other hand, have 13 players in the top 100.
Bayern Munich have the second most players on the list with nine, the most valuable of which is 19-year-old German international Jamal Musiala.
Liverpool have eight players on the list, so their overall squad quality might not be as bad their current position in the Premier League suggests. Arsenal have seven players on the list, and West Ham United, who are struggling in the Premier League this season have two players, Declan Rice and Lucas Paqueta.
The list is unsurprisingly dominated by players in the five biggest leagues in Europe. The most valuable player outside of these leagues is Benfica’s Enzo Fernandez, who recently won the World Cup with Argentina. He has been valued at roughly $85 million, so if Benfica can get what they are asking for him, then that could be a good deal for the Portuguese club.
Source: forbes.com
