FootballTransfers' most valuable players in the world

Martin Macdonald

• Updated: 23 May 2023 08:54 CDT
• 4 min read

Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe is the most valuable player in the world at €160 million.

FootballTransfers' transfer valuations are calculated in collaboration with SciSports, a world-leading football analytics agency that assesses the relative transfer valuations of over 60,000 professional footballers worldwide.

SciSports use multiple data points including current and potential ability, contract length, form, age, and other crucial factors.

Mbappe was the subject of an alleged €200m bid from Real Madrid on the last day of the transfer window, which indicates that Los Blancos were willing to pay over the odds for the World Cup winner.

That bid was rejected by PSG, though it does appear that Mbappe will still move to the Spanish capital on a free transfer next summer.

The second most valuable player in world football, according to our algorithm, is Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland.

The Norwegian will likely be at the centre of a transfer tug-of-war in the summer of 2022, with most elite clubs in Europe linked with a potential bid, including Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool, PSG, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

Most valuable goalkeepers in the world

The most valuable goalkeeper in the world is Real Madrid stopper Thibaut Courtois.

The Belgian had a rocky start to his time in the Spanish capital but is now one of Los Blancos' key players as he has refound his form to become one of the best keepers around again.

We look across the city for the second most valuable, as Atletico Madrid's Jan Oblak is valued at €71m.

Premier League duo and Brazil team-mates Ederson and Alisson come next, while new PSG star Gianluigi Donnarumma rounds out the top five.

Most valuable defenders in the world

The most valuable defender in the world is Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold.

The right-back is certainly worthy of his value as he is undoubtedly one of the best players in the world in his position, forming a superb full-back pairing with Andy Robertson, who also makes our top 10.

Joshua Kimmich usually features as a midfielder but can play in defence too, which is why he is on two of our lists - one for midfield and one for defence.

Most valuable midfielders in the world

The most valuable midfielder in the world is young Manchester City star Phil Foden.

The England international earns this spot not just due to his extreme talents, but for his age, too, as he is set to be at the top of the sport for at least a decade.

Looking at our Values Page, which you can view here, there are several players like Neymar who are labelled as midfielders but who are more suited to our attacker list, as you'll see below.

For the purposes of this article, the list of most valuable midfielders will concern more traditional midfielders.

Foden is a midfielder by trade despite playing up front for Man City recently.

Man City have three midfielders in the top 10 - Foden, Bernardo Silva and Rodri.

Kevin De Bruyne just misses out on the top 10, largely due to his age.

Most valuable attackers in the world

The most valuable attacker in the world and the most valuable player overall is Mbappe.

Even though he only has half a season left on his current PSG contract, his superstar status is so solid that he retains such a high value.

Haaland is in second, valued at €110m.

Neymar might not be having a particularly good season, but he is the third most valuable forward, coming in at €103m

Chelsea brought Romelu Lukaku back to the club for around €115m in the summer, which is slightly higher than our valuation of the Belgian at €102m.

Marcus Rashford rounds out the top five, valued at €95m.

FootballTransfers' player transfer values

Our player transfer valuations will be updated on the first day of every month to reflect changes in player performance, contract status and transfer availability.

You can use the following link to filter by team, player, nationality, age, or a host of other factors:

FootballTransfers: Most Valuable Players