Who are the most valuable U18 players of all time? Lamine Yamal rises again in La liga update

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Yamal now Spain’s all-time MVP  

Rising superstar Lamine Yamal continues to defy his years. He has started the season like a seasoned veteran, scoring four and assisting five in nine La Liga games, which has seen Barcelona lead the table. The 17-year-old wonderkid saw his market value upgraded by 25% in La Liga’s October market value update, rising from €120 million to €150m. Yamal is undoubtedly one of the biggest talents in world football. “Lamine seems to be redefining the limits of possibilities and continues his development at an unstoppable speed,” Transfermarkt’s Spain market value coordinater Tobias Blaseio said. “All this at an age when few players reach their first professional experience. His influence on the game and his efficiency have increased enormously. After only nine league games, he is already approaching his goal-scoring figures for the whole of last season.”

Yamal is now Spain’s most valuable player of all-time. This the nation that dominated world football only 15 years ago, winning back-to-back European Championships, with a World Cup triumph sandwiched in between. Yamal of course won Euro 2024 himself with Spain last summer. He now overtakes Manchester City’s Rodri who had held that throne at €130m. To be performing at this level at 17 years old really is mind-boggling, but where does Yamal’s latest upgrade land him in the list of most valuable U18 players of all-time?

Unsurprisingly Yamal leads the way and by some distance too. Prior to the Spanish teenage sensation, no U18 player had ever reached €100m. Yamal is now worth €150m at just 17 years of age. Behind him is Kylian Mbappé, who had a market value of €90m back in 2017, aged 18, when he was at PSG. Gavi also reached €90m in 2022 when he was 18 years old. In fourth, another Barcelona youth product reached €80m at 17 years old back in 2020 in Ansu Fati, who has seen his market value plummet since to a current total of €15m. Three players reached €80m when 18 years of age, in Jude Bellingham whilst at Borussia Dortmund, Jadon Sancho whilst at Borussia Dortmund, and Pedri at Barcelona.

Vinicius Junior and Florian Wirtz both had a market value of €70m at 18 years of age, with the former reaching that value in 2019 and the latter in 2021, whilst at Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen respectively. Evan Ferguson is the sole representative in the top 10 from the Premier League – he reached a market value of €65m at 18 years of age in 2023. He has since dropped to a new total of €65m. Yamal is breaking so many records as a teenager – expect it to continue if the young Spaniard’s career stays on the same trajectory.