Anthony Martial is the most valuable U21 player in world football
Anthony Martial has been identified as the most valuable Under 21 player in world football by this years Soccerex 20 U21 report by Prime Time Sport.
Martial is valued at £39.7m (€47.15m) in the Soccerex study, which uses Prime Time Sport’s Football Value Index, to rank footballers born on or after July 1 1995.
The French striker, who was signed by Manchester United for an initial fee of £36m in September 2015, made a big impact in his first season in the Premier League and was part of the France squad that reached the Euro 2016 final on home soil before their extra-time defeat to surprise winners Portugal.
The young strikers’ transfer fee could reportedly rise to a maximum of £56m dependent on a number of bonus payments, including him winning the Ballon d’Or.
Martial finished comfortably ahead of Schalke and Germany starlet Leroy Sané, who is valued at £31.2m (€37.1m) after a standout season for his boyhood club. The winger registered nine goals and seven assists in 42 appearances last season and has caught the eye of Manchester City and others this transfer window.
Bayern Munich’s newest recruit, Portuguese wonderkid Renato Sanches, completes the top three, after the Euro 2016 Young Player of the Tournament was valued at £29.1m (€34.5m).
The Soccerex Report utilises a Football Value Index compiled by Prime Time Sport and takes into account the player’s age, position, current club, contract length, market value perception, international caps, minutes played, goals, injuries and technical quality from a variety of sources to arrive at a final valuation.
English Duo Make Top 10 but Germany Boast 25%
Two of England’s rising stars, Dele Alli (4th) and Marcus Rashford (7th), make the Top 10 of the Soccerex study.
The valuation of Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli, £28.8m (€34.1m) confirms what we saw last season, that Mauricio Pochettino may have picked up a bargain, with the midfield playmaker joining from Milton Keynes Dons for just £5m back in January 2015.
Alli has since gone to become one of the first names on an English team-sheet and is set to have a bright future with the Three Lions.
Meanwhile, Marcus Rashford’s value, £18.9m (€22.5m), is likely to soar after making the step up from Under 18s football at Manchester United to an England shirt in a matter of months.
Despite making just 11 league appearances, Rashford was selected in England’s Euro 2016 squad and impressed as a substitute in the 2-1 victory over Wales.
The rest of the top 20 is made up of players from Germany, France, Portugal, Switzerland, Brazil, the Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, Nigeria, Argentina and Paraguay.
German players led the way with 25% of those in the top 20 being of German nationality, highlighting the strength of youth development in the country.
Premier League and Bundesliga Domination
The top 10 young players will all be plying their trade in either England’s Premier League or Germany’s Bundesliga, demonstrating the financial muscle and stature of the two leagues.
There are, however, no players from Spain’s La Liga in the full list. This despite the 2016 Champions League final being contested by Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, indicating a greater reliance on older, more established players by the top Spanish clubs.
Only three players are currently playing their football outside of Europe, with Gabriel Jesus (Palmeiras) and Gabriel Barbosa (Santos) playing in Brazil and Argentine Giovani Lo Celso playing for Rosario Central in his native country. However, all three of these players have been heavily linked with moves to European clubs this summer.
Overall, the leading 20 players have a weighted combined value of £382.9m (€455.8) million with an average value of over £19.1m (€22.8m) per player.
No Defenders Feature in Most Valuable U-21s Top 10
The year’s list of world football’s most valuable U21 players is dominated by strikers and attacking midfield players although Borussia Dortmund defensive midfielder Julian Weigl £16.7m (€19.8m) did make the list, coming in tenth position.
The highest ranked natural defender was Hoffenheim centre back Niklas Süle, who came 14th and has been linked with a move to Liverpool this summer.
Gianluigi Donnarumma First Goalkeeper to Feature in Top 20
The 17-year-old AC Milan and Italy U-21 goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma is the only goalkeeper to feature in this year’s Soccerex 20 U21 Report and the first goalkeeper ever to feature.
The man hoping to emulate legendary Juventus and Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has already been hailed as the replacement for Buffon in the national side.
Donnarumma was valued at £11.6m (€13.75m) in the list and placed in 20th position.
Commenting on the launch of the Soccerex 20 U21 Report by Prime Time Sport, Soccerex Chief Executive Duncan Revie said: “This report demonstrates the hugely talented pool of players under the age of 21 available across the globe.
“Ultimately, the lifeblood of any successful club is the players they are able to develop and nurture and the report identifies the premium that clubs place on this kind of exciting young talent.”
Established in 1995, Soccerex is the leading provider of business events for the global football community. Bringing together key industry decision makers from the world of football, Soccerex provides a unique commercial environment where delegates can benefit from exclusive business opportunities, networking and bespoke educational content.
Soccerex has hosted 39 events across five continents. The Soccerex portfolio includes its flagship Global Convention which will be held this year in Manchester on 26-28 September.
The Soccerex 20 Under 21 Report utilises the Football Value Index compiled by Prime Time Sport and takes into account the player’s age, position, current club, contract length, market value perception, international caps, minutes played, goals, injuries and technical quality from a variety of sources to arrive at a final valuation.
Download the full report go to www.soccerex.com