Current Soccer Players with the Highest Market Value
The top 10 of most valuable players consist mainly of players with a forward position.
By: Ambar Alejandra Casas Rosales
Soccer is undoubtedly one of the most known and important sports around the world, having worldwide tournaments like the Fifa World Cup and 21 professional soccer leagues around the globe. This recognition and the support by fans and sponsors, has allowed soccer to position itself as one of the highest paying sports.
Like every single sport, soccer is a business where clubs and teams are constantly seeking to buy the best players. A player's skill, recognition, and abilities make their market value increase as clubs are willing to pay more to buy it from another team or to sign a contract with them.
The bar chart pictured above shows the 10 players who currently have the highest market value. All of them have a market value that surpasses the €100 million mark. The highest price on the list, standing at a value of €180 million, goes to Kylian Mbappé, a 22 years old french player who got recognition after his performance on the 2018 World Cup.
When looking more in-depth at the players and their positions in the field, it is evident that the players who have a forward position are the ones with a higher value. 8 out of 10 players on the list are forwards. Meaning that they play in positions like centre-forward, left-winger, or second striker.The remaining two: Kevin De Bruyne and Trent Alexander-Arnold are midfield and defender respectively. So, the forwards tend to be more valuable in the market.
As a matter of fact, when comparing the highest market value of a forward (Kylian Mbappé) versus the highest one for a goalkeeper ( Jan Oblak) the difference is extremely noticeable.
As seen in the graph above, the highest value market for a forward position is double for the highest value of a goalkeeper. Therefore, although the market values for all positions in the field are high, the ones playing forward are most likely to have higher values.