As it does every January, the CIES Football Observatory has released its ranking of the 100 most valuable players in world football, and Paris Saint-Germain are once again heavily represented. The club places nine players in the Top 100—four more than a year ago—confirming PSG’s growing weight at the very top of the global transfer market.
While player valuation is never an exact science, CIES has established strong credibility over the years, much like Transfermarkt. The research center—based at the University of Neuchâtel—uses a proprietary model combining age, performance level, contract length, positional value, and sporting context to estimate market value.
The January 2026 ranking includes:
- 9 PSG players
- 12 Real Madrid players
- 8 Barcelona players
PSG are also the only Ligue 1 club with multiple representatives, with Marseille appearing only once through Mason Greenwood (valued at €64M).
PSG’s Growth Compared to Previous Rankings
The trend is particularly telling over time:
- January 2025: 5 PSG players
- June 2025: 11 PSG players
- January 2026: 9 PSG players
Compared to last summer, PSG lost three names from the Top 100. Lucas Beraldo dropped out due to limited playing time, while Ousmane Dembélé and Achraf Hakimi—both present in June 2025—also exited the ranking, likely due to a mix of injuries, age, and the rising valuation threshold (the lowest player in the Top 100 this January is valued at €62M).
At the same time, PSG welcomed a new entry: Ilya Zabarnyi, valued at €69.7M, slightly above the fee paid by the club last summer (€63M + bonuses).
Doué and Neves Lead PSG’s Market Values
Two Paris players stand out above the rest:
- Désiré Doué: €134.6M
- João Neves: €130.6M
Both are PSG’s only representatives in the global Top 10, a ranking dominated by Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal (€343.1M).
Their progression has been striking:
- João Neves rose from €105.8M (Jan 2025) to €130.6M (Jan 2026)
- Désiré Doué jumped from €108.7M (June 2025) to €134.6M in just six months
A clear reflection of PSG’s sporting success and the rapid rise of its young core following the historic sextuple.
PSG Players in the CIES Top 100 (January 2026)
| Player | Jan 2025 | Jun 2025 | Jan 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| João Neves | €105.8M | €117.8M | €130.6M |
| Désiré Doué | — | €108.7M | €134.6M |
| Warren Zaïre-Emery | €103M | €92.5M | €86.9M |
| Bradley Barcola | €93.7M | €98.8M | €90.2M |
| Khvicha Kvaratskhelia | €70.5M | €89.1M | €91M |
| Nuno Mendes | — | €75.3M | €86.5M |
| Vitinha | — | €75M | €84.8M |
| Willian Pacho | — | €65.4M | €70.6M |
| Ilya Zabarnyi |
Bottom line
PSG’s presence in the CIES Top 100 confirms what the pitch already showed in 2025: Paris now combines elite performance with elite asset value. Younger, more stable, and increasingly dominant, the club has turned sporting success into long-term market power.