Who Is the Most Valuable Player in Football Right Now?

Erling Haaland and Vinícius Júnior are equally ranked the most valuable football players in the world right now. According to the respected German analytical football website Transfermarkt, their estimated value is 200 million euros. However, they are not the most expensive players in history.

They are the only two footballers valued at this extraordinary price. SportsBoom takes a look at the most valuable football players in the world and the English Premier League for the 2024/25 season. Both lists contain many surprises. 

Erling Haaland | Norway & Manchester City | Age: 24

The Norway striker has blown apart defences since joining Red Bull Saltzburg for eight million euros in January 2019. Haaland has shattered goal-scoring records at all levels. He scored nine goals in a FIFA U-20 World Cup match when Norway beat Honduras 12-0 at the 2019 FIFA tournament. The centre-forward is the first player in UEFA Champions League (UCL) history to score six goals in his first three games.

Haaland is the first (and only) player in Bundesliga history to score five goals in his first two league matches. He continues to break records every season. The Manchester City striker has won back-to-back English Premier League (EPL) Golden Boot awards (2022/23, 2023/24). The 24-year-old is top of the 2024/25 Premier League scoring charts, with 12 goals in 11 games up to late November 2024. 

Haaland won the European Golden Shoe in 2022/23 when he scored 36 times in the EPL for City. He has won league and cup honours at Saltzburg, Borussia Dortmund, and Manchester City, where he has two EPL titles, including winning the ‘Treble’ in 2022/23. Haaland has been voted ‘Player of the Season’ in England and Germany. He has also won the UEFA Men’s Player of the Year, among numerous other individual awards.

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Vinícius Júnior | Brazil & Real Madrid | Age: 24

Vinícius Júnior had an incredible 2023/24. The Real Madrid star helped the Spanish giants to a second La Liga and UEFA Champions League double (2021/22, 2023/24) in three years. The Brazilian scored in the Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley Stadium as Madrid won a record fifteenth European Cup. 

Vinícius was ranked the best left-winger in world football in 2024. Vini Jr. scored 26 goals, with 11 assists, his best return of his nascent career. Only Mohamed Salah scored more goals than the 24-year-old playmaker in 2024. The Brazilian was voted UEFA Champions League Player of the Year and voted second in the 2024 Ballon d’Or awards behind Rodri. 

However, controversy ensued when Vinícius, his club teammates and coaches did not attend the Ballon d’Or ceremony at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris. They were labelled “arrogant” for not attending the Golden Ball Ceremony after finding out ahead of the gala event that Júnior had not won the most coveted prize in football.

Mohamed Salah//Getty Images

The 20 Most Valuable Football Players in the World

The 20 most valuable football players in the world right now come from eight countries and two continents. Erling Haaland and Vinícius Júnior are rated the most valuable players in 2024/25. They are rated 20 million euros higher than Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappé. Barcelona wonder kid, Lamine Yamal, and Phil Foden are the fifth highest-valued footballers of 2024. 

Real Madrid leads the way with seven of the 20 most valuable players in the world. Manchester City and Arsenal are the two Premier League clubs with the highest-valued players in the top 20. Germany has two players from Bayern Munich and one from champions Bayer Leverkusen representing the Bundesliga. Lautaro Martínez from Inter Milan is the sole representative from Serie A in Italy.

The 20 Most Valuable Football Premier League Players

There are 531 players registered in the English Premier League. Sixty-six per cent (353) of the EPL is made up of foreign players. The average age of EPL players is 26 years and six months old. The average market value of a Premier League player is €22.2m. Only six footballers are worth more than €100m. 

Manchester City and Arsenal make up the top five highest-valued players. Erling Haaland and Phil Foden are the only players worth €150m or more. Joško Gvardiol (22) is the youngest of the top 20 highest-valued EPL players. He is four months younger than Cole Palmer, who is also 22 years old.