Football – Vinícius, Foden, Haaland … the most expensive players in 2022 on the transfer market
The CIES Football Observatory has unveiled the list of the 100 most expensive European Big-5 players at the start of 2022.
Vinícius Júnior, estimated at 166 million euros, outclasses Phil Foden and Erling Haaland. For his part, Kylian Mbappé is the player at the end of the contract who has the best value on the transfer market according to KPMG (see end of article). Not surprising.
They are the nuggets that the world will snatch up in the months / years to come. At the start of the year, CIES Football Observatory revealed, thanks to its specific algorithm, the TOP 100 players of the European Big-5 (Premier League, Bundesliga, Liga, Serie A and Ligue 1) who currently have the best market value.
Vinícius Júnior is the best valued player with an estimate of 166.4 million euros. The Brazilian striker, who is taking advantage of the good start to the season real Madrid, ahead of the Citizen Phil foden (152.6 million euros) and Norwegian crack from Borrussia Dortmund Erling Haaland (142.5 million euros).
Le Mancunien Mason greenwood (133.9 M) and Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Florian Wirtz (133M) complete the TOP 5. The German is also the only midfielder of the first five with four attackers.
The top 20 of CIES
A large majority in the Premier League
41 out of 100. This is a figure that should comfort those who argue that the Premier League is the most attractive championship in the world. Others will respond that players are overpaid by English clubs. Still, 41% of the most expensive Big-5 players according to CIES play in England. Almost half ! Behind, Spain (21 representatives) and Germany (17) try to compete with the British ogre.
France is lagging behind. They are « only » seven residents of Ligue 1 Uber Eats in the TOP 100. Not surprisingly, five of them are at PSG: Achraf Hakimi (11th to 108.2 M €), Gianluigi Donnarumma (€ 82 million), Kylian Mbappé (€ 71.5 million), Marquinhos (€ 60.9 million) and Neymar (€ 56.1 million).
Lille Jonathan david (61 M €) and the Lyonnais Lucas Paqueta (55M €) support Parisians.
The most expensive players by position:
- Guardian : Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG / Italy)
- Central defender : Rúben Dias (Manchester City / Spain)
- Lateral defender : Alphonso Davies (Bayern Munich / Canada)
- Defensive midfielder : Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund / England)
- Attacking midfielder : Florian Wirtz (Borussia Dortmund / Germany)
- Attacker : Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid / Brazil)
The complete top 100
Mbappé well rated despite his end of contract
What about the players at the end of their contract this summer? Their rating on the transfer market is obviously biased but some have more than attractive potential like Kylian Mbappé.
The 23-year-old native of Bondy was estimated at 128.2 million euros per KPMG in December 2021, which makes him, by far, the most expensive player at the end of his contract. He is ahead of two other French people, two other 2018 world champions: Ousmane Dembele (€ 37.2 million) and Paul pogba (37 M €).
