The 23-year-old Liverpool midfielder, who is currently out due to a mild thigh injury, Dominik Szoboszlai has been listed among the 100 most valued football players in the world, listed by the International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES). The Neuchâtel, Switzerland-based research centre estimated the market worth of Szoboszlai’s player licence to be €138.6 million. That is the 13th highest on the list.
Szoboszlai was signed by the English Premier League side Liverpool for €70 million last summer. Liverpool triggered the release clause in his contract with RB Leipzig, a top team in the German Bundesliga. If CIES’s valuation is correct, Liverpool has nearly doubled that investment within the span of a season. However, the popular football market website Transfermarkt.com, which is generally viewed as reputable in the sports press, still puts his value at a more modest €75 million.
The Hungarian National Team captain is undeniably running a great season with Liverpool so far.
The Reds are currently on top of the Premier League, three points clear of second-place Aston Villa and five points clear of defending champions Manchester City (who have one game in hand). Meanwhile, Szoboszlai and his teammates have also made it to the semi-final of the Carabao League Cup, where they are facing Fulham for the final; and have made it through their group in the Europa League as well.
Szoboszlai has played in every Premier League game for Liverpool so far, up until his unfortunate thigh injury against Newcastle United last week. It is unclear when he could be back on the pitch—however, it is certain that he will be missing the next game against Bournemouth. Coincidentally, the other Hungarian player in the PL, left-back Milos Kerkez, is playing for Bournemouth, and he too happens to be injured.
Szoboszlai Higher Valued Than Kylian Mbappé?
Many Hungarian sports outlets picked up the story that CIES assigned a higher market value to Szoboszlai than Kylian Mbappé. That is factually correct, Mbappé is appraised at ‘only’ €106.2 million by the Swiss research centre, as opposed to Szoboszlai’s aforementioned €138.6 million.
However, that has to do with the French superstar’s contract with his club Paris Saint-Germain. It is running out at the end of the season and he has not resigned with them yet. Thus, any club could get Mbappé for free (apart from his monstrous salary, evidently) if they just wait until the end of the season. This drives his market value down.
Mbappé is still among the best football players in the world right now. At 25, he has already made history: he is among the only two players, along with the English Geoff Hurst, to have scored a hat-trick in a World Cup final.
English midfielder Jude Bellingham from Real Madrid is the highest valued player on CIES’s list, at €267.5 million. He is followed by Szoboszlai’s former teammate and current friend, the Norwegian Ering Haaland from Manchester City. He is valued at €251.2 million. Vinicíus Jr, the Brazilian forward also playing for Real Madrid, is in third place with €250.3 million.
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