According to the latest study by the CIES Football Observatory, young FC Barcelona prodigy Lamine Yamal stands out as the most valuable under-21 player in the world, with an estimate reaching 180.9 million euros. The podium is completed by the Argentinian Alejandro Garnacho from Manchester United (€114.8 million) and the Frenchman Warren Zaire-Emery from PSG (€109 million). Sávio Moreira of Manchester City, valued at 101 million euros, is the only other player to cross the symbolic 100 million mark.
This study also reveals the dominance of English clubs in the training and development of young talents. The Premier League places 26 players in this top 100, well ahead of Ligue 1 (17 players) and the Spanish Liga (12 players). Brighton & Hove Albion particularly stand out with six ranked players, surpassing European giants like Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and FC Barcelona, who each have four.
17 Ligue 1 players in the current top 100
Note the remarkable presence of four players under the age of 18, including Lamine Yamal, but also Kendry Paez, Estevão Willian and Pau Cubarsí, testifying to the early emergence of talent in modern football. In defensive positions, Toulouse's Guillaume Restes (€28.8M) dominates among goalkeepers, while Parisian Lucas Beraldo (€70.3M) and Citizens' Rico Lewis (€87.2M) stand out respectively in central defense and at the full-back position.
This ranking reflects not only the market value of these young talents but also the evolution of the transfer market in modern football, where the greatest prospects reach record valuations even before their twentieth birthday.
The 100 most expensive U21s in the world according to the Football Observatory
Lamine Yamal (FC Barcelona) = €180.9 million
Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United) = €114.8 million
Warren Zaire-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain) = €109.0 million
Sávio Moreira (Manchester City) = 101.0 M€
João Neves (Paris Saint-Germain) = 99,8 M€
Endrick Felipe (Real Madrid) = 97,7 M€
Rico Lewis (Manchester City) = 87,2 M€
Arda Güler (Real Madrid) = 76.7 M€
Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United) = 74,8 M€
Kenan Yildiz (Juventus FC) = 72.3 M€
Lucas Beraldo (Paris Saint-Germain) = €70.3 million
Jhon Durán (Aston Villa) = €69.7 M
Giorgio Scalvini (Atalanta BC) = €65.1 million
Evan Ferguson (Brighton & Hove) = 61,4 M€
Mathys Tel (Bayern Munich) = 58.1 M€
Facundo Buonanotte (Leicester City) = €58.1 million
Jamie Bynoe-Gittens (Borussia Dortmund) = 58,1 M€
Leny Yoro (Manchester United) = 54,5 M€
Aleksandar Pavlović (Bayern Munich) = €54.1 million
Carlos Baleba (Brighton & Hove) = €52.1 million
Yankuba Minteh (Brighton & Hove) = 51,0 M€
Samu Omorodion (FC Porto) = €50.8 million
Pau Cubarsí (FC Barcelona) = €50.7 million
Ousmane Diomandé (Sporting CP) = €48.8 million
Jorrel Hato (AFC Ajax) = 48.2 M€
Pablo Gavi (FC Barcelona) = €46.8 million
Hugo Larsson (Eintracht Francfort) = 46.8 M€
Vitor Roque (Real Betis) = €43.1 million
Désiré Doué (Paris Saint-Germain) = €42.2 million
Milos Kerkez (Bournemouth AFC) = 39,3 M€
Lewis Hall (Newcastle United) = 39,0 M€
Malick Fofana (Olympique Lyonnais) = €38.2 million
Arthur Vermeeren (RB Leipzig) = €38.0 M
Archie Gray (Tottenham Hotspur) = 37,6 M€
Issahaku Fatawu (Leicester City) = €37.1 million
Antonio Nusa (RB Leipzig) = 36.7 M€
Eliesse Ben Seghir (AS Monaco) = €36.1 million
Orri Óskarsson (Real Sociedad) = €36.0 M
George Ilenichen (AS Monaco) = 35.8 M€
Youssoufa Moukoko (OGC Nice) = €35.2 million
Wilson Odobert (Tottenham Hotspur) = €34.5 million
Santiago Castro (Bologna FC) = €34.1 million
Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace) = 34,1 M€
Lewis Miley (Newcastle United) = 33,6 M€
Lucas Bergvall (Tottenham Hotspur) = €33.3 M
Lamine Camara (AS Monaco) = €32.6 million
Karim Konaté (RB Salzburg) = €29.2 million
Habib Diarra (RC Strasbourg) = 29,1 M€
Oumar Diakité (Stade de Reims) = €29.1 million
Semih Kiliçsoy (Beşiktaş JK) = 28.8 M€
Guillaume Restes (Toulouse FC) = €28.8 million
Jack Hinshelwood (Brighton & Hove) = 27,9 M€
Konstantinos Koulierakis (VfL Wolfsburg) = €27.3 million
Julio Enciso (Brighton & Hove) = €27.0M
Bilal El Khanouss (Leicester City) = 26,6 M€
Oscar Gloukh (RB Salzburg) = 26.4 M€
Mohamed-Ali Cho (OGC Nice) = €26.1 million
Michael Kayode (ACF Fiorentina) = 25,7 M€
Patrick Dorgu (US Lecce) = €25.4 million
Andrey Santos (RC Strasbourg) = 25,4 M€
Roméo Lavia (Chelsea FC) = €25.0 million
Ilias Akhomach (Villarreal CF) = €24.9M
Can Uzun (Eintracht Francfort) = 24.4 M€
Jeanuël Belocian (Bayer Leverkusen) = 24,3 M€
Kendry Páez (Independiente del Valle) = €24.1 M
Estêvão Willian (SE Palmeiras) = R$22.3 million
Sergey Pinyaev (Lokomotiv Moskva) = 22.3 M€
Ruben van Bommel (AZ Alkmaar) = €22.1 million
Brajan Gruda (Brighton & Hove) = €21.7 million
Dean Huijsen (Bournemouth AFC) = 21,4 M€
Claudio Echeverri (River Plate) = 20,5 M€
Valentín Barco (Seville FC) = €19.8 million
Cristhian Mosquera (Valence CF) = €19.6 million
Franculino Gluda (FC Midtjylland) = €19.5 million
Ibrahim Osman (Feyenoord) = 19,2 M€
Yaser Asprilla (Girone FC) = 19.0 M€
Pedro Henrique (FK Zenit) = 18,9 M€
Marc Guiu (Chelsea FC) = 18.9 M€
Andreas Schjelderup (SL Benfica) = 18.5 M€
Joel Ordóñez (Club Brugge) = €18.3M
Jobe Bellingham (Sunderland AFC) = 18,1 M€
Darío Osorio (FC Midtjylland) = €18.0 million
Anan Khalaili (Union SG) = 17.6 M€
Mario Stroeykens (RSC Anderlecht) = €17.4 million
Williot Swedberg (Celta Vigo) = 17,3 M€
Valentín Carboni (Olympique Marseille) = €17.2 million
Gustavo Sá (FC Famalicão) = €16.9 million
Diego Coppola (Hellas Verona) = 16,6 M€
Antoni-Djibu Rivers (Feyenoord) = 16.3 M€
Pietro Comuzzo (ACF Fiorentina) = €16.3 million
Nico Paz (Come 1907) = €16.2 M
Jordan James (Stade Rennais) = €16.2 million
Mateus Fernandes (Southampton FC) = 16,1 M€
Matías Fernandez-Pardo (LOSC Lille) = €15.6 M
Malick Diouf (Slavia Prague) = 15,5 M€
Noah Sadiki (Union SG) = €15.3 million
Kacper Urbański (Bologne FC) = €15.0 M
Yasin Özcan (Kasimpaşa SK) = 14.8 M€
Mathias Delorge (KAA Gent) = 14,5 M€
Roger Fernandes (SC Braga) = 14,4 M€
