Lionel Messi would cost a whopping £172m should any of Barcelona's rivals want to whisk him away this month, according to research int...
Lionel Messi would cost a whopping £172m should any of Barcelona's rivals want to whisk him away this month, according to research into the current market values of the world's leading players.
The Argentine star comfortably tops a CIES Football Observatory countdown of football's most valuable players and is worth £68m more than his Real Madrid rival Cristiano Ronaldo.
The totals serve as a 'guide price' for the January transfer window, using a calculation that takes into account player performance, age, contract and the results of their team.
The top 10 features six Premier League players - Eden Hazard, Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas of Chelsea, Sergio Aguero of Manchester City, Raheem Sterling of Liverpool and Alexis Sanchez of Arsenal.
THE TOP 10
1. Lionel Messi £172.6m
2. Cristiano Ronaldo £104.3m
3. Eden Hazard £77.6m
4. Diego Costa £65.9m
5. Paul Pogba £56.4m
6. Sergio Aguero £51m
7. Raheem Sterling £49.4m
8. Cesc Fabregas £48.6m
9. Alexis Sanchez £47.8m
10. Gareth Bale £47m
