The most valuable footballers ranking worldwide

The sixth CIES Football Observatory study has been revealed - and once again Lionel Messi's is the world's most valuable footballer.

The Centre International d'Etude du Sport pull together a number of variables to assess just how much players are worth in the modern game.

And the Barcelona superstar once again tops the list with an estimated transfer value of an eye-watering €280million (£206m).

Factors such as performance, experience, contract and age go into the calculation from the player's point of view while the club's competition level, results, achievements also play a role.

"Footballers with the highest transfer values generally play in competitive teams, are active full internationals, play in attacking positions, have long-term contracts and are under 27 years of age," they say in the report.

"The 100 footballers listed do not only differentiate themselves from the point of view of the transfer value, but also from that of transfer probability (e.g how likely it is they leave)."

Here are some of the most noteworthy points:

 

Eden Hazard is worth £15million MORE than Ronaldo

He may be the reigning Ballon d'Or, but he's not as valuable as our PFA Player of the Year. By the CIES metrics Hazard's age (24 to Ronaldo's 30) and longer contract (2020 to 2018) give him the edge.

There will be few who would contest that Ronaldo is still Hazard's superior on the pitch but from a pure value perspective the advantage is the Belgian's. Whether he's worth €20million (£15m) more is up for debate.

 

Raheem Sterling is higher than Luis Suarez

Another talking point is Raheem Sterling's lofty perch at six on the list. The Liverpool man's future is well and truly up in the air and, as a result, perhaps represents the first player included who could actually move on this summer.

CIES see him as the Premier League's third most valuable player, behind only Sergio Aguero and the aforementioned Hazard. From a narrative point of view the fact that he sits a whole five places higher than former Liverpool talisman Luis Suarez. Discuss.

 

Harry Kane is more valuable than Gareth Bale

Tottenham's halcyon days of watching Gareth Bale galloping past defenders and planting the ball in top corners are well and truly over. But it seems the man to follow him as the Lane's favourite son is actually even more valuable.

Kane is rated in the current market at as much as €58.9m (£43.3m), a hefty sum for a player with less than a full top flight season under his belt. By way of contrast Bale sits a place BELOW in 16th, despite his European success and world record transfer fee.

Angel Di Maria is Manchester United's MVP

Di Maria's Old Trafford travails are well documented. After much fanfare, a British record fee and an altogether impressive start the Argentine's performances fell of a cliff, to such a degree that he spent the latter part of the season watching on from the bench.

Yet, despite his troubles Di Maria is still Manchester United's most valuable commodity with an estimated worth of €40million (£29m). Given they paid £59m for him a year ago that is some drop off, but is still worth more than Wayne Rooney (€39m).

 

Top 25 (in full)

1. Lionel Messi (Barcelona) €280.8m

2. Eden Hazard (Chelsea) €148.9m

3. Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) €124.7m

4. Neymar (Barcelona) €98.5m

5. Sergio Aguero (Manchester City) €86m

6. Raheem Sterling (Liverpool) €81m

7. Paul Pogba (Juventus) €77.3m

8. Diego Costa (Chelsea) €76.9m

9. Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal) €74.6m

10. James Rodriguez (Real Madrid) €68.8m

11. Luis Suarez (Barcelona) €66m

12. Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid) €64.9m

13. Cesc Fabregas (Chelsea) €64.5m

14. Isco (Real Madrid) €62.9m

15. Harry Kane (Tottenham) €58.9m

16. Gareth Bale (Real Madrid) €56.4m

17. Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool) €55.5m

18. Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea) €55.3m

19. Oscar (Chelsea) €52.3m

20. Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) €49.1m

21. Mario Gotze (Bayern Munich) €47.1m

22. Koke (Atletico Madrid) €45.3m

23. Christian Eriksen (Tottenham) €44.2m

24. Romelu Lukaku (Everton) €43.7m

25. Toni Kroos (Bayern Munich) €43.6m