The 21 most valuable soccer / football players on the planet 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:

Contract (athletes with longer contracts at their clubs of employment would command larger transfer fees, in theory)
Individual sports performance (goals, assists, dribbles, tackles, and other statistical data was considered when assessing a player’s worth on the pitch)
Team performance and characteristics (sporting results, league competitiveness, and financial aspects of the club were also key in determining player valuations)
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)

21: Gabriel Jesus, Manchester City striker (Premier League) — €90 million ($104.6 million)Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

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

20: Christian Eriksen, Tottenham Hotspur midfielder (Premier League) — €90.1 million ($104.8 million)Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

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

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

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

18: Robert Lewandowski, Bayern Munich striker (Bundesliga) — €90.9 million ($105.7 million)Adam Pretty/Getty Images

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

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

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

16: Paulo Dybala, Juventus FC forward (Serie A) — €97 million ($112.8 million)Marco Luzzani/Getty Images

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

15: Roberto Firmino, Liverpool FC forward (Premier League) — €99.6 million ($115.8 million)Marc Atkins/Getty Images

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

14: Dele Alli, Tottenham Hotspur midfielder (Premier League) — €106.9 million ($124.3 million)Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

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

13: Cristiano Ronaldo, Juventus FC striker (Serie A) — €111.5 million ($129.7 million)Marco Luzzani/Getty Images

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

12: Toni Kroos, Real Madrid CF midfielder (La Liga) — €113 million ($131.5 million)David Ramos/Getty Images

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

11: Romelu Lukaku, Manchester United striker (Premier League) — €113.9 million ($132.5 million)Jan Kruger/Getty Images

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

10: Philippe Coutinho, FC Barcelona midfielder (La Liga) — €114.5 million ($133.2 million)David Ramos/Getty Images

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

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

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

8: Paul Pogba, Manchester United midfielder (Premier League) — €126.4 million ($147 million)Jan Kruger/Getty Images

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

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

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

6: Eden Hazard, Chelsea FC forward (Premier League) — €146.3 million ($170.2 million)Alex Livesey/Getty Images

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

5: Harry Kane, Tottenham Hotspur striker (Premier League) — €152.3 million ($177.2 million)Julian Finney/Getty Images

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

4: Mohamed Salah, Liverpool FC forward (Premier League) — €156.8 million ($182.4 million)Jan Kruger/Getty Images

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

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

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

2: Lionel Messi, FC Barcelona forward (La Liga) — €210 million ($244 million)Octavio Passos/Getty Images

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

1: Neymar, Paris Saint-Germain forward (Ligue 1) — €233.6 million ($271 million)AP Photo/Michel Eule

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