Sports: The 21 most valuable soccer players on the planet right now

Lionel Messi.

From Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar and FC Barcelona star Lionel Messi to Juventus FC striker Cristiano Ronaldo — here are the 21 most valuable footballers in the world right now.

One of the biggest finance firms in the world has put together a huge list that ranks the most valuable soccer players on the planet.

Some of the most familiar names in sports feature, including FC Barcelona forward Lionel Messi, Paris Saint-Germain goalscorer Neymar, and Juventus FC striker Cristiano Ronaldo — but in what order?

KPMG, a provider of audit, tax and advisory services in Europe, calculated the market value of soccer players by using an algorithm that considered multiple variables, including:

  1. Contract (athletes with longer contracts at their clubs of employment would command larger transfer fees, in theory)
  2. Individual sports performance (goals, assists, dribbles, tackles, and other statistical data was considered when assessing a player's worth on the pitch)
  3. Team performance and characteristics (sporting results, league competitiveness, and financial aspects of the club were also key in determining player valuations)
  4. Team dependence (how important is the given player to his team)

KPMG said in a note that there is a major difference between "price" and "value." It said: "Price is what a person pays for a given product or service, whilst value is what any given product or service is worth."

It added: "Actual transfer fees in football are often distorted by several factors such as terms and conditions of the specific financial/sporting situation of the seller or the buyer at the time of a transaction, the willingness of a player to leave or join a club, league-specific rules and regulations, and terms of release clauses."

With that in mind, here are the 21 most valuable soccer players in KPMG's list, ranked in ascending order.

21: Gabriel Jesus, Manchester City striker (Premier League) — €90 million ($104.6 million)



20: Christian Eriksen, Tottenham Hotspur midfielder (Premier League) — €90.1 million ($104.8 million)



19: Luis Suarez, FC Barcelona striker (La Liga) — €90.2 million ($104.9 million)



18: Robert Lewandowski, Bayern Munich striker (Bundesliga) — €90.9 million ($105.7 million)



17: Marc-André ter Stegen, FC Barcelona goalkeeper (La Liga) — €92.7 million ($107.8 million)



16: Paulo Dybala, Juventus FC forward (Serie A) — €97 million ($112.8 million)



15: Roberto Firmino, Liverpool FC forward (Premier League) — €99.6 million ($115.8 million)



14: Dele Alli, Tottenham Hotspur midfielder (Premier League) — €106.9 million ($124.3 million)



13: Cristiano Ronaldo, Juventus FC striker (Serie A) — €111.5 million ($129.7 million)



12: Toni Kroos, Real Madrid CF midfielder (La Liga) — €113 million ($131.5 million)



11: Romelu Lukaku, Manchester United striker (Premier League) — €113.9 million ($132.5 million)



10: Philippe Coutinho, FC Barcelona midfielder (La Liga) — €114.5 million ($133.2 million)



9: Antoine Griezmann, Atlético Madrid striker (La Liga) — €125.2 million ($145.7 million)



8: Paul Pogba, Manchester United midfielder (Premier League) — €126.4 million ($147 million)



7: Kevin de Bruyne, Manchester City midfielder (Premier League) — €137.2 million ($159.6 million)



6: Eden Hazard, Chelsea FC forward (Premier League) — €146.3 million ($170.2 million)



5: Harry Kane, Tottenham Hotspur striker (Premier League) — €152.3 million ($177.2 million)



4: Mohamed Salah, Liverpool FC forward (Premier League) — €156.8 million ($182.4 million)



3: Kylian Mbappé, Paris Saint-Germain forward (Ligue 1) — €190 million ($221 million)



2: Lionel Messi, FC Barcelona forward (La Liga) — €210 million ($244 million)



1: Neymar, Paris Saint-Germain forward (Ligue 1) — €233.6 million ($271 million)



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