Lukaku in top 10 with Messi, Neymar and Mbappe as world’s 100 most valuable footballers revealed

KYLIAN MBAPPE is the most valuable footballer in the world while Romelu Lukaku is worth more than Antoine Griezmann, Paul Pogba and Cristiano Ronaldo.

That is according to CIES Football Observatory’s algorithm which has calculated the transfer value of the players in Europe’s top five leagues.

Kylian Mbappe is the world’s most valuable footballer according to CIES Football Observatory’s algorithm

Kylian Mbappe is the most valuable footballer in the world while team-mate Neymar is third

Mbappe – who turned 20 last month – unsurprisingly leads the way in the list of the top 100 with a value of £196.1million.

He enjoyed a stellar 2018, winning the domestic treble with Paris Saint-Germain and of course helping France win the World Cup.

The rest of the top five is made up of Harry Kane, Neymar, Raheem Sterling and Mohamed Salah.

Paulo Dybala’s inclusion at sixth may raise a few eyebrows, especially with five-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi in seventh – still worth more than £150m.

Of the players in the 21-40 category, 13 ply their trade in the Premier League

Manchester City wingers Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling both make the top ten with Bernardo Silva and Gabriel Jesus not far behind

Romelu Lukaku was calculated as eighth on the list ahead of some of football’s best players

But it is Lukaku’s in eighth that is most shocking of the top names, with the algorithm calculating his worth at £145.3m.

Philippe Coutinho has endured a difficult first year at Barcelona but comes in ninth while Manchester City winger Leroy Sane completes the top ten.

The Premier League has 12 of the top 20 players, with Dele Alli, Pogba and Eden Hazard all ahead of Ronaldo in 19th – the Juventus forward is worth £114.1m, £15m more than what the Old Lady paid for him in the summer.

CIES uses a complex method of working out how much a player is worth, taking into consideration 2,241 transfers over the past eight seasons as well as variables such as age, position, league, contract length and nationality.

Not many would say Eric Dier is worth more than John Stones in today’s transfer market

Liverpool’s front three of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino have a combined transfer value of £419.2million

He may be the best paid Juventus player but Cristiano Ronaldo is not the most valuable at the club

Trent Alexander-Arnold – one of 11 English players – is surprisingly high with an estimated value of £105.1m, £4m more than fellow youngster Jadon Sancho.

But Bernardo Silva in 16th at £119.5m, Eric Dier’s £72.8m placing him 46th and Granit Xhaka at 82nd worth £56.4m are certainly the main shocks.

At the other end of the scale, Kevin De Bruyne can feel aggrieved with his value of £85.8m placing him 30th, as can Alex Sandro who – at £51.9m – finds himself 94th on the list.

But the biggest shock of all is Raphael Varane’s lowly placement.

Raphael Varane being ranked 73rd is the most shocking revelation of the top 100

English pair Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jadon Sancho both made the top 30

The Champions League and World Cup winner, widely considered one of the best defenders in the world, is way down at 73rd on the list.

His transfer value is estimated to be just £61.3m – the same as Naby Keita and £1.7m less than Chelsea flop Alvaro Morata.

Some of the notable omissions from the list are Real Madrid star and Ballon d’Or winner Luka Modric and Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea.

Manuel Neuer, Edinson Cavani, Marcelo, Alexis Sanchez and Lazio prodigy Sergej Milinkovic-Savic all miss out as well.

Chelsea newboy Christian Pulisic is apparently worth just £1.1m more than Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka

Rapahel Varane is somehow worth the same as Naby Keita and less than Eric Dier and Alvaro Morata

Luka Modric is the biggest name to miss out on the list with David De Gea and Edinson Cavani also omitted