Lionel Messi ranked second in transfer value football study, Barcelona ace behind PL star

Posted by

For most, there is no argument that Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi is the most valuable player in Europe when it comes to a possible transfer fee.

That’s where we’re wrong though according to the CIES Football Observatory, as they’ve put Tottenham striker Harry Kane top of their pile in their latest study.

SEE MORE: Barcelona open to €50m sale, but misfit desperate to prove worth

Calculated using their own in-house algorithm based on various factors including age, length of contract and more, they’ve come up with the top 50 players in Europe based on their estimated transfer value.

Kane tops the lot at €198m, with Messi just behind him at €197m. Then comes a sizeable gap between them and third placed Dele Alli, with the likes of Antoine Griezmann, Paulo Dybala and Mohamed Salah completing the top 10.

Messi has now gone 10 straight seasons scoring 35 goals or more as he continues to perform at an impressive high level to show no sign of decline in the coming years.

Nevertheless, at 30 years of age, it’s to be expected that his transfer value will decline, while in contrast, Kane is still only 24 and continues to improve and become more prolific each campaign.

In turn, while it would have seemed questionable on first glance to place the England international above Messi, it seems like a fair reflection without suggesting that he’s a more influential player than the Barcelona icon as it isn’t just their quality on the pitch that’s taken into consideration.

Given their form in recent seasons, it’s no surprise to see the likes of Alli, Dybala and Salah see their estimated transfer value jump up significantly from the fee paid to sign them. Particularly in the case of Salah who has 36 goals in 41 appearances this season, if he continues on his current trajectory he could even force his way up these rankings.

More Stories Harry Kane Lionel Messi