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There may have been an outflow of talent from La Liga in recent seasons, with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi departing Spain. But the top flight of Spanish football still boasts several extraordinary players.
The home of footballing giants Barcelona and Real Madrid, La Liga hosts some of the most exciting matches in the world of football every weekend. The excitement naturally comes from a host of brilliant footballers spread across different clubs.
Some of the most valuable footballers on the planet play in La Liga
There is no shortage of superstars as several clubs in the league have some high-value footballers. But the following five names are the highest valued players from all those plying their trade in the league. With age and talent on their side, these incredible footballers are only expected to develop more in the near future.
[Disclaimer: Market valuations as per CIES football observatory.]
#5 Joao Felix | Atletico Madrid - €95.2M
Atletico Madrid decided to break the bank after losing Antoine Griezmann to Barcelona, and in came Joao Felix from SL Benfica in 2019.
Moving up through the ranks at the Primeira Liga side, Felix established himself as one of the hottest upcoming prospects across Europe. The rationale behind Atletico spending a fortune was to do with Felix's ability and potential.
The Portuguese forward is adept at playing as a second striker or an attacking midfielder. On occasion, he has even played on the flanks and is an extremely gifted footballer. Felix can control the ball brilliantly and break through an opponent's defense with his passes. Despite being very young, he has already become a starter at the club from the Spanish capital.
However, the current campaign has not been too fruitful for Felix. He had an affair with injuries and even lost his starting spot. Nevertheless, Felix has been effective when coming off the bench. He has made 20 appearances across all seasons in which he has scored three goals and assisted three more.
Felix will look to improve his performances in the second half of the season.
#4 Sergino Dest | Barcelona - €100.8M
Many Barcelona fans considered Sergino Dest's acquisition to be a coup. The American prospect was heavily linked with Bayern Munich, but chose to move to Camp Nou instead. Dest was a highly-rated teenager at Ajax and was one of the brightest prospects in the Eredivisie.
There were several suitors for his talent, and it wasn't a surprise based on how good Dest was as a teenager. He displayed the tactical insight needed to play as an offensive wing-back while also providing able cover on defense.
While Dest still has an incredible market valuation, his performance desperately needs an upgrade.
Like his club and most of the players within their squad, Dest has been underwhelming in the current campaign. The American international has suffered from injuries and has been inconsistent when given the chance.
At certain times, he has shown his ability to the fullest. Dest has made 18 appearances across all competitions this season, providing three assists. He will look to improve his performance after recovering from his injury.
#3 Frenkie De Jong | Barcelona - €115.2
Arguably one of the best talents in La Liga, Dutch footballer Frenkie De Jong is seen by many as the one to lead Barcelona's midfield in the future.
De Jong was a phenomenal player in the 2018-19 Ajax side, which surprised fans around the world and reached the UEFA Champions League semifinals. He was the catalyst that kept their midfield ticking throughout the season.
Since the mega move to Barcelona in the summer of 2019, De Jong has been reasonably solid. He has played both in central and defensive midfield positions, thanks to his ability on the ball. De Jong is great at interceptions and finding his teammates with accurate passes.
However, he has performed far from his exceptional standards in the current campaign. De Jong is yet to completely settle in under new boss Xavi Hernandez. He has made 26 appearances across all competitions this term, netting two goals and laying out two assists.
But De Jong's main responsibility is to marshall the midfield and that is an area in which he has struggled so far.
#2 Pedri | Barcelona - €118M
Pedri Gonzalez has been Barcelona's shining light despite the La Liga giants going through a terrible phase of transition. While the Blaugrana have misused huge sums of money on superstars who have flopped, Pedri, a substantially cheaper signing from Las Palmas, has been excellent.
The Spaniard is yet to hit his 20s but has already become a crucial member of the starting XI for both Barcelona and La Roja. After a fantastic 2020-21 club season individually, Pedri shone in the Euros as well, which shows his incredible potential.
He is an extremely versatile footballer who can play anywhere in the middle of the park and in wider areas as well. Pedri's greatest strength is his ability to identify the right time to pass the ball and he could well become a natural successor to Xavi in the future.
Pedri suffered a major injury at the start of the campaign that has restricted him to just seven appearances across all competitions for Barcelona. But he has now regained fitness and played the entire 90 minutes in their recent 1-0 victory against Alaves.
#1 VInicius Jr. - €166.4M
Vinicius Jr. is not only the highest valued player in La Liga but across the top five European leagues as well. The 2021-22 season has been a redemption arc for the Brazilian, who has finally started to deliver on his potential.
After missing out on Neymar Jr., Real Madrid made sure not to miss out on the next big thing from the Samba country, signing Vinicius in 2018. Sadly, the fans were left disappointed as he was incredibly inconsistent in his first few seasons.
However, things have changed for the better with the arrival of Carlo Ancelotti, and Vinicius has quickly become one of the best forwards in Europe this season. He has started using his pace better to move past opposing defenders and has also begun unleashing some powerful shots.
Vinicius has an incredible 25 goals involvement in just 30 appearances this season. He has scored 15 goals and assisted his teammates on 10 occasions, forming a particularly fantastic partnership upfront with Karim Benzema.
Vinicius has the potential to become an even better player for Los Blancos and his performances are sure to excite the fans of the club.
