Haaland and Mbappe trail Barcelona star in CIES market value table | OneFootball

FC Barcelona have not been able to compete with other top European teams in the transfer market for much of the last half-decade. While clubs like Manchester City, Liverpool, and even Real Madrid have spent freely, the Catalan club’s hands have been tied.

This has seen them resort predominantly to free-agent signings and loan arrivals, save for the odd investment such as Dani Olmo or Joan Garcia. However, thanks to La Masia, Barcelona have managed to produce players that other clubs are desperate to spend hundreds of millions on.

The club’s academy continues to produce elite-level talents whose market value far exceeds what Barcelona could realistically spend in the current landscape. No player embodies this reality more clearly than Lamine Yamal.

According to the latest transfer value report published by the CIES Football Observatory (via Mundo Deportivo), at the start of 2026, Barcelona star Lamine Yamal is in a league of his own, leaving Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland behind as the most valuable player in the world.

The Spaniard is currently valued at around €343.1 million, which is head and shoulders above Haaland’s €255.1 million and Mbappe’s €201.3 million. The only other Barcelona player in the top ten is Pedri, who sits exactly tenth with a value of €130.6 million.

Meanwhile, the defenders’ list is headed by yet another La Masia-produced Barcelona gem, Pau Cubarsi, who sits at €110 million. The Spaniard’s age makes him a very likely candidate to lead the list, much like Lamine Yamal.

The broader top ten features strong representation from Europe’s elite clubs. Jude Bellingham, who topped the same list last year, now sits fourth at €153.1 million for Real Madrid. He is followed by Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise and Liverpool midfielder Florian Wirtz. Paris Saint Germain also place two players in the top ten, Desire Doue and Joao Neves, while Real Madrid add Arda Guler to the list.

Outside Europe’s top five leagues, the most valuable player is former Barcelona forward Vitor Roque, now at Palmeiras, with a valuation of €85 million. He is followed by FC Porto striker Samu Aghehowa and Sporting CP winger Geovany Quenda, who has already been signed by Chelsea.

While market value does not always translate into on field dominance or transfer feasibility, the numbers underline the exceptional calibre of Barcelona’s young core. In Lamine Yamal, the club possess not only the most valuable player in world football, but potentially one capable of defining an era. For a club rebuilding under financial pressure, this recognition serves as both validation and hope for the future.