Lionel Messi now 97th most valuable footballer ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo in 131st

Lionel Messi now 97th most valuable footballer ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo in 131st

- Lionel Messi could be leaving Barcelona at the end of this season amid interests from other clubs

- The Barcelona captain who was once the most valuable footballer is now the 97th

- He is however ahead of his fiercest rival Cristiano Ronaldo who is 131st

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Lionel Messi’s value has dropped drastically as the six-time Ballon d’Or winner is now the 97th most valuable footballer in the world at the moment.

Incredibly, his eternal rival Cristiano Ronaldo is now 131st as both superstars see themselves trailing Manchester United star Daniel James.

In the latest compilation by CIES Football Observatory which uses factors including age, contract length, performance as well as country represented to determine a player’s worth, Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford is the most valued player.

The Red Devils' attacker who has scored 14 goals and seven assists in 25 appearances across competitions so far this campaign has been valued at a staggering £150 million.

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His stock rose following his contributions in terms of goals for the Old Trafford side as they are currently joint top table toppers with Liverpool on the Premier League table.

This latest review means that Rashford has taken over from Paris Saint Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe whose value has dropped to £135 million. The Frenchman currently sits fifth on the chart.

Lionel Messi now 97th most valuable footballer ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo in 131st
Lionel Messi has dropped down the list of most valuable players. Photo: Quality Sport
Source: Getty Images

Borussia Dortmund's Erling Haaland (£137.3m), Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool) £137.1m and Man United's Bruno Fernandes (£137m) all come before the World Cup winner on the chart.

No fewer than ten Red Devils players are ahead of him - Rashford, Fernandes, Mason Greenwood, Anthony Martial, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Donny van de Beek, James, Harry Maguire, Scott McTominay and Victor Lindelof.

Meanwhile, former Juventus manager Fabio Capello has criticised Cristiano Ronaldo’s performance during their hard-fought 3-1 win over Serie A leaders AC Milan.

It was a fight-to-finish at the San Siro on Wednesday night, January 6, as Juve battled hard to defeat Milan at the San Siro.

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Man United superstar beats Messi, Ronaldo and Mbappe to become world's most valuable player

Federico Chiesa grabbed a brace in the encounter with Weston McKennie also scoring late-on for the visitors to make Davide Calabria's goal for the hosts a mere consolation.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that Pele upgrades his Instagram bio to 1,283 goals after Cristiano Ronaldo broke his 757 official strikes in Juventus colours.

The Portuguese scored a brace in the Bianconeri's 4-1 over Udinese as the 35-year-old made it 758 career goals displacing the great Pele by one goal.

There has always been controversy regarding Pele's number of goals which was not officially documented as the football legend adjusted his bio to 1,283 goals on Instagram.

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Authors:
Babajide Orevba avatar

Babajide Orevba (Sports Editor) Babajide Orevba is a CAF-accredited Nigerian journalist, digital publishing expert, researcher, writer and TV analyst. He has covered several major football tournaments including FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, AFCON, CAF Competitions as well as grassroots competitions within Nigeria. Email: babajide.orevba@corp.legit.ng