Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo may no longer be competing at the top level in Europe, but the two icons remain at the center of the global soccer conversation. Both Inter Miami and Al Nassr are working to build squads capable of maximizing the final years of their stars’ careers. That effort has led to Miami’s blockbuster move for Rodrigo De Paul, while Al Nassr countered with the signing of Joao Felix.
According to Transfermarkt, the signings have dramatically boosted both clubs’ values. Inter Miami now sits at €82 million following De Paul’s arrival, while Felix’s move pushes Al Nassr’s total roster value to €174 million.
The Argentine midfielder arrived from Atletico Madrid and instantly became the most valuable player on the Herons’ roster. Transfermarkt currently lists De Paul at €25 million, placing him ahead of his teammate and compatriot Lionel Messi, who is valued at €18 million.
On the Saudi side, Felix made the switch from Chelsea and carries a market value of €20 million. While not the team’s most valuable player, he ranks third overall behind Mohamed Simakan (€23M) and new signing Kingsley Coman, who tops the list at €30M, per Transfermarkt.
Al Nassr squad poses for photos prior to prior to the Saudi Super Cup semi final against Al Ittihad. (Yu Chun Christopher Wong/Getty Images)
Messi’s market value over time
Messi’s current valuation of €18 million marks his lowest since January 2006, when his price tag was €15 million as a teenage prospect at Barcelona. At the time, Messi was only 18 years old, beginning to show flashes of the brilliance that would soon define his career. By 2007, his value had soared to €40 million as he emerged as one of the game’s brightest young stars.
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According to Transfermarkt, Messi reached his peak valuation in 2017 and 2018, when he was worth €180 million. Despite Cristiano Ronaldo winning the Ballon d’Or in 2017, Messi had a stunning campaign, scoring 54 goals in 52 games while winning both La Liga and the Copa del Rey. A year later, he collected his sixth Ballon d’Or and once again lifted the Spanish league and domestic cup.
Ronaldo’s market value over time
On the other side, Cristiano Ronaldo now holds the lowest valuation of his career at €12 million, per Transfermarkt. Still, that number makes him the most valuable player in the world over the age of 40.
Ronaldo’s market value hit its peak during his prime years at Real Madrid. From 2014 to 2015, at age 30, he was valued at €120 million — a figure he matched again in 2018 after lifting his final UEFA Champions League trophy with Los Blancos.
Since then, the numbers have steadily trended downward. His move to Juventus kept him hovering around $113 million, but by the time he left Turin to rejoin Manchester United in 2021 at age 36, his value had slipped to $40 million.
When Ronaldo made the switch to Al Nassr in early 2023, his valuation had dropped further to $17 million. The latest update in December 2024 saw another decline, setting his current market value at €12 million — the lowest point of his storied career.
