Messi worth £69 Million More than Ronaldo, According to This List of the World's Most Valuable Footballers

Raheem Sterling is worth more than Gareth Bale, apparently.

Image via Lluis

We can stop debating. Lionel Messi is officially worth £173 million. And Cristiano Ronaldo is only worth about two thirds of that.

The International Centre for Sports Studies Football Observatory—a group of super-clever sports researchers in Switzerland—have released a study of the most valuable footballers in the world, and what they are worth.

Messi tops the list, with Ronaldo second on £104m. Chelsea players take the third and fourth spots, with Eden Hazard at £78m and Diego Costa worth £66m. The most valuable English player is surprisingly Raheem Sterling, who the list says should go for £49m.

The study is based on an algorithm that looks at 1,500 transfers completed since 2009, and takes into account each players’ individual stats, their age, position, current contract, and the success they’ve already achieved. 

Here’s the top ten most valuable players in the world:

Value: £173m

Club: Barcelona

Age: 27

Contract expires: 2018

1. Cristiano Ronaldo

2. Eden Hazard

3. Diego Costa

4. Paul Pogba

5. Sergio Aguero

6. Raheem Sterling

7. Cesc Fabregas

8. Alexis Sanchez

9. Gareth Bale

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