According to CIES Football Observatory, Lionel Messi of Barcelona has been valued as the most expensive and valuable player in the world at a price tag of £163 million. Barcelona teammate Neymar Jr. has been valued as the second most expensive player in the world at £155 million, while Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo has been rated as the third most expensive player in the world coming at a price tag of £106 million.
CIES Football Observatory released a list of the 100 most valuable players in world football. CIES takes in consideration the players who play for a club in the top five leagues in Europe. The values of these players are based on variables like age, length of contract and clubs interested in signing them.
Lionel Messi had an incredible season where he lifted the La Liga trophy in succession, scoring 41 goals in 49 games. The deadly trio of Messi, Suarez and Neymar have taken the world by storm, with the trio scoring for fun.
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Neymar Jr. is the second most valuable player in the world thanks to his brilliant performances for both club and country. The Brazilian scored 31 goals in 49 games for Barcelona this season and although he will be missing this year’s Copa America, he would still represent Brazil in the Rio Olympics.
Cristiano Ronaldo had a brilliant season as he lifted his third Champions League trophy last week. He scored an incredible 51 goals in just 48 games making him the first player to score 50+ goals for six consecutive seasons.
Antoine Griezmann comes in fourth place at a price tag of £93 million following an excellent season in front of goal, scoring 32 goals in 54 games. He led his team to the Champions League final, although he missed a penalty early in the second half of the game.
Harry Kane has managed to spearhead his way in the top five after having a blistering season with Tottenham, where he led his team to a third place finish, helping them qualify for the Champions League. He scored 25 goals in 38 league games. CIES rate him at £87 million following his free-scoring season.
The top 10 of the list is completed with the inclusion of Anthony Martial, who is valued at £86 million, Luis Suarez at £81 million, Paulo Dybala at £80 million, Sergio Aguero at £75 million and Paul Pogba at £70 million respectively.
The top 15 of the CIES Football Observatory list is given below:
| Rank | Name | Club | Valuation |
| 1 | Lionel Messi | Barcelona | £163 million |
| 2 | Neyman Jr. | Barcelona | £155 million |
| 3 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Real Madrid | £106 million |
| 4 | Antoine Griezmann | Atletico Madrid | £93 million |
| 5 | Harry Kane | Tottenham Hotspur | £87 million |
| 6 | Anthony Martial | Manchester United | £86 million |
| 7 | Luis Suarez | Barcelona | £81 million |
| 8 | Paulo Dybala | Juventus | £80 million |
| 9 | Sergio Aguero | Manchester City | £75 million |
| 10 | Paul Pogba | Juventus | £70 million |
| 11 | Gareth Bale | Real Madrid | £62 million |
| 12 | Eden Hazard | Chelsea | £60 million |
| 13 | Alexis Sanchez | Arsenal | £58 million |
| 14 | Dele Alli | Tottenham Hotspur | £58 million |
| 15 | Thomas Muller | Bayern Munich | £57 million |
