Who Are The Most Valuable Football Players In The World?

Player prices have skyrocketed in football since the early 2000s, with players now often being valued in excess of £100m. Sometimes this figure is ridiculously inflated by the club trying to keep hold of him and it is only very occasionally that players actually sell for their value. Judging on recent form and player potential, here is our top 10 most valuable football players in the world.

10. Lautaro Martinez - £110m (Inter)

Some lists include Argentinian striker Lautaro Martinez a little bit lower on the list, but his form over the last few seasons has been incredible. Last year he scored 24 goals in the Serie A for Inter Milan and while he has only managed 10 this campaign, he also has six Champions League goals to his name.

At just 27 years old, he is still just entering his prime. He has seven major trophies to his name, including two league titles and a World Cup and his goal scoring is simply incredible averaging nearly a goal every other game. He has shown no interest to leave Inter since he joined in 2018, and even if he did, it would cost the buyer a lot of money.

9. Federico Valverde - £115m (Real Madrid)

Like Martinez, the value placed on Federico Valverde at the moment is a little bit irrelevant as he has made it clear that he wishes to stay with Los Blancos for his whole career. That could change in the future, but right now he isn’t going anywhere. Valverde is a versatile midfielder who can play as a number six, eight, 10, on the wing or at full-back.

Federico « El Halcón » Valverde. 🦅 pic.twitter.com/zdXXX60Smn

— Le Journal du Real (@lejournaldureal) February 20, 2025

He joined Madrid back in 2016 and quickly moved from the B team into the main squad. He had a year on loan at Deportivo La Coruna where he fully established himself as one for the future, and now at 26 years old, he is one of the most crucial players in the Madrid team.

8. Jamal Musiala - £120m (Bayern Munich)

It’s crazy to think that Jamal Musiala is still just 22 years old. He joined Bayern Munich from Chelsea nearly six years ago for a fee of £200,000 and after spending a year in their academy, made his debut for the first team in June 2020. Despite being just 22, he has won four league titles already in his career and was even a part of the Bayern team that won the UEFA Super Cup in 2020.

He is such a technically gifted midfielder and has developed an understanding with Harry Kane in the Bayern team that sees him rack up the assists. He has even become an integral part of the Germany national team, scoring three goals in Euro 2024. He had the ability to declare for England as he has an English-Nigerian father, but on his move to Bayern decided to declare for Germany.

7. Florian Wirtz - £120m (Bayer Leverkusen)

Another German midfield talent, Florian Wirtz is a year younger than Musiala, yet has been putting out similar numbers in more of an underdog team. Leverkusen shocked everyone last year when they lifted the Bundesliga, and that was mainly down to Wirtz’s incredible form. He provided 22 goal involvements last term, despite being just 20 years old.

Six goals in eight games in Florian Wirtz's first season in the Champions League 🌟 pic.twitter.com/lWlQ19ThUl

— B/R Football (@brfootball) January 29, 2025

This year his form has been just as good, if not better, which is impressive as he has had to compete in the Champions League as well. He has scored six goals in nine games in Europe this season, the same number as Ousmane Dembele and Antione Griezmann, despite often playing a slightly deeper role than the two Frenchmen.

6. Bukayo Saka - £125m (Arsenal)

The first Premier League player on this list, there is no doubt that Bukayo Saka is Arsenal’s main talisman. At just 23 years of age, he has played over 250 times for the Gunners, including more than 180 in the Premier League. There has been a social media trend in the last few years to downplay Saka’s ability, but it is clear to anyone who actually watches the sport, that Saka is one of the best wingers in world football.

He joined the Arsenal academy at the age of seven, and while he didn’t particularly stand out in the youth teams, it was his mentality that allowed him to make his debut with the first team at the age of 17. Saka made his England debut just after he turned 19 and has since become the most important player in the squad behind the captain Harry Kane.

5. Kylian Mbappe - £140m (Real Madrid)

Kylian Mbappe’s career is one that has been followed with much interest, even when he was a child. Real Madrid, Chelsea, Liverpool and Bayern Munich all tried to sign him to their youth academies, but it was eventually Monaco that lured him away from AS Bondy. From there he played for PSG and now is at Real Madrid following a free transfer that was seven years in the making.

The Kylian Mbappé trademark finish.

Unstoppable. pic.twitter.com/itTt8eXXDn

— KM (@Kylian) March 7, 2025

Known for his pace and goal scoring ability, Mbappe is considered by some to be the best striker in the world, and while that is up for debate, he is definitely close to it. His preference is to play off the left, so he can cut in on his right foot, but he has been deployed down the middle ever since he moved to Spain, and despite a shaky start, has now scored 28 goals for the club.

4. Lamine Yamal - £150m (Barcelona)

Lamine Yamal is by far the most exciting youngster in world football at the moment, and the £150m price tag on him probably isn’t far off his value. The 17 year old has made just 90 club appearances in his career, but 50 of them came last season, in his breakout campaign. He joined the Barcelona academy aged just six and was invited to train with the first team when he was 15 years old.

He became Barca’s youngest player in over 100 years when he made his debut in 2023 at the age of 15 and scored his first goal the following season, becoming the youngest La Liga goal scorer. Yamal has broken so many records due to his young age that it is impossible to list them all here. A day after his 17th birthday, he assisted the opening goal in the Euro 2024 final, helping Spain secure the trophy over England.

3. Jude Bellingham - £150m (Real Madrid)

Another inclusion from Real Madrid, Jude Bellingham joined them in 2023 and had an incredible first season at the club. The highly rated midfielder had spent three years at Borussia Dortmund where he had developed into a mature box to box player equally adept at going forward and defending.

🤯🤯🤯

What a goal by Jude Bellingham to help England through the the Quarter Finals of Euro 2024 🔥

This isn't the first time he has scored a late goal either ⌛️

🧵 Let's take a look at some of his greatest clutch moments

— Football Park (@thefootballpark) June 30, 2024

Aged still only 21, Bellingham has made more than 250 club appearances and scored 62 times from midfield. A lot of his goals have come since his move to Real Madrid 18 months ago, as he has played further forward than his time at Dortmund. He finished as joint third top scorer in La Liga last season with 19 goals.

2. Vinicius Jr - £160m (Real Madrid)

Vinicius Jr has been a strong player for Real Madrid for a while now, and it is clear that he is one of the most talented wingers in world football at the moment. The 24 year old joined the Spanish giants from his native Brazil in 2018, but it took him some time to adjust to La Liga due to a lack of starts and a number of small injuries.

Since 2021, Vinicius has been a key player for the club and last season there were even calls for him to win the Ballon d’Or, even though his season wasn’t even his best one. There has been some controversy around him, due to his lack of discipline and sportsmanship, but that doesn’t mean that he isn’t an excellent player.

1. Erling Haaland - £160m (Manchester City)

The greatest striker in world football at the current time, Erling Haaland also finds himself as the most valuable player. Manchester City signed him in 2022 for just £51.2m because of his release clause, despite him being one of the hottest properties in world football at the time. Many thought that he would struggle to adapt to the physicality of the Premier League but he soon proved them wrong with a record breaking first season.

Wednesday sesh 🫡 pic.twitter.com/yFZUHBSBrS

— Erling Haaland (@ErlingHaaland) March 5, 2025

The 24-year-old’s ability to find the back of the next is quite frankly ridiculous with 273 career club goals in just 335 appearances, and a further 38 for his country in just 39 matches. His stature and pace make him a nightmare for defenders, with only one team in English football, Plymouth Argyle, having faced him and not conceded.