A new study has ranked the 10 most expensive footballers in the world at present, with Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe just 10th on the list.
The report, conducted by the CIES Football Observatory, looks at the highest transfer values for players around the world using a statistical model exclusively developed by themselves.
It took into account over 2,000 transactions of players transferred for money from clubs in the five major European leagues during the period July 2012 to November 2021.
The algorithm also acknowledged players' current length of contract and their performances for their respective national sides.

10. Kilian Mbappe
Despite scoring a hat-trick in the 2022 World Cup final and finishing as Ligue 1's top scorer for the past five seasons, Mbappe ranks only 10th. Though he is still worth €163 million, his contract expires in June 2024, which could explain why he doesn't feature higher on the list.

9. Phil Foden
Manchester City's Phil Foden comes in at ninth valued at €167m. Foden came up through the City academy.

8. Jamal Musiala
Bayern Munich youngster Jamal Musiala is eighth (€170m). Musiala spent his youth days at Southampton and Chelsea, before moving to Bayern Munich in 2019.

7 & 6. Gavi and Pedri
The Barcelona duo of Gavi and Pedri are valued at €174m and €178m respectively. The former has finally been registered by La Liga, which will keep him at Barcelona for at least three more seasons with a $1 billion release clause.

5. Rodrygo
The Real Madrid winger Rodrygo is worth €185m

4. Jude Bellingham
The Real Madrid bound midfielder is worth €190m.

3. Bukayo Saka
Third place goes to Arsenal's Bukayo Saka (€195m), with the Englishman recently signing a new four-year deal that will keep him at the club until 2027.

2. Vinicius Jr.
The Brazil and Real Madrid winger Vinicius Jr, is slightly above Saka, with an estimated transfer value of €196m.

1. Erling Haaland
Manchester City striker Erling Haaland is the world's most expensive player according to the study, with his value almost €50m more than that of Vinicius. Having scored 52 goals in his debut season at City, the 22-year-old Norwegian is worth a staggering €245m.
City paid a reported €60m to acquire the services of Haaland last summer and it has proved to be an absolute bargain.
Indeed, judging by CIES' data, the forward is worth four times that amount now.
And with City still on course for a remarkable treble, that transfer value could soon increase even further.


https://www.givemesport.com/the-10-most-expensive-players-in-the-world-ft-mbappe-haaland-vinicius-jr/