Lamine Yamal ranked CIES most valuable footballer ahead of Haaland, Mbappé

Real Madrid stars Vinícius Jr and Bellingham see notable declines in their valuations

Football - Euro 2024 - Quarter Final - Spain v Germany - Stuttgart Arena, Stuttgart, Germany - Jul 5, 2024 Spain's Lamine Yamal celebrates after Dani Olmo scores their first goal REUTERS/Heiko Becker/File Photo

Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal has been named the world’s most valuable footballer, according to the latest CIES Football Observatory rankings, which place his estimated transfer value at €358 million ($416 million), reports ESPN.

The 18-year-old Spain international leads Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, valued at €227 million ($256 million), and Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé, valued at €166 million ($192 million), the report added on Thursday.

The Swiss-based independent research group compiles its rankings using a statistical model that factors in performance data, age, contract length and projected market value.

A Euro 2024 winner, Yamal is set to feature in his first World Cup later this month after a standout season in which he scored 16 goals and provided 12 assists to help Barcelona win LaLiga.

He is under contract at the club until June 2031 and has a €1 billion release clause.

Yamal also finished runner-up in the Ballon d’Or rankings, behind Paris Saint-Germain’s Ousmane Dembélé.

Real Madrid stars Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham have seen notable declines in their valuations.

Vinícius, ranked seventh last summer, has dropped to 50th with an estimated value of €83.5 million ($97 million), while Bellingham, who was third in the previous ranking behind Yamal and Haaland, has fallen to 12th with a valuation of €120 million ($139 million).