The latest market value update by Transfermarkt shows Lionel Messi is worth €30 million, which doubles Cristiano Ronaldo‘s current market value (€15 million). However, the difference was bigger before.
While the Portuguese striker’s price tag has been the same since June 2023, the Argentine superstar saw his value decrease by €5 million in the latest update (March 25).
This is the first time Messi’s market value drops since he joined Inter Miami. The 8x Ballon d’Or winner was worth €35 million when he left Paris Saint-Germain for MLS, with that price remaining untouched in the next two updates.
Either way, the specialized website still considers Messi way more valuable than Ronaldo, which is not exactly a surprise since age plays an instrumental role to decide a player’s market value.
Messi has had a higher market value than Ronaldo since 2009
The Al-Nassr captain turned 39 in February, while the former Barcelona player will celebrate his 37th birthday in June. Their dates of births may also explain why Messi gained the upper hand in this area for much of his career.
The last time Ronaldo had a higher market value than Messi on Transfermarkt came in 2008, when the Portuguese (by then 23) was worth €60 million while the Argentine (by then 21) was valued at €55 million.
Messi went on to surpass Ronaldo’s worth and stayed atop since then, reaching his highest market value at 30 in 2018 (€180 million). The best Cristiano did in this aspect came in 2014, when at 29 he reached a €120 million value.