Tottenham beat Arsenal as star named the fifth most valuable player in the world

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Published on:

07 Jan 2016, 2:58 am

By London correspondent Tony Hughes

Harry Kane's rise to prominence has been confirmed with his ranking as the fifth most valuable player in Europe's top five leagues.

On Wednesday, the independent CIES Football Observatory published its bi-annual list of the 100 players with the highest transfer values across the top-flights of England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

Kane is ranked fifth behind Barcelona duo Lionel Messi and Neymar, with Chelsea's Eden Hazard and Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo in third and fourth respectively.

In a boost for Tottenham, the highest-placed Arsenal star is Alexis Sanchez in 10th, while Mesut Ozil, who has been one of the outstanding players of the Premier League season, is a relatively lowly 27th.

The list is calculated on an econometric model by the CIES Football Observatory research team from the analysis of over 1,500 paid transfers since 2010.

The criteria taken into account refers to both the performance and personal characteristics of a player, such as their age, position and contract duration, as well as the standing of their club and or international team based on their competition level and results.

Kane is valued at £67million after a stunning 2015 in which he scored 29 goals for Spurs in all competitions and also made his mark at international level after being fast-tracked into the England team.

Unsurprisingly, Messi tops this list with the CIES Football Observatory valuing him at a lofty £185million, ahead of team-mate Neymar, who is worth £113million.

Number one: Lionel Messi is rated the most most valuable player in the world

Despite a desperate season at Chelsea, Hazard is third with a transfer value of £96million ahead of four-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo, who is worth £84million according to the CIES Football Observatory.

Rounding up the top 10 are Raheem Sterling, Antoine Griezmann, Luis Suarez, Sergio Aguero and Alexis Sanchez.

Manchester United summer signing Anthony Martial is the 11th most valuable player in the list at £58million. The 20-year-old is one of 11 Premier League players inside the top 30.

1. Lionel Messi (Barcelona) - £185million

2. Neymar (Barcelona) - £113m

3. Eden Hazard (Chelsea) - £96m

4. Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) - £84m

5. Harry Kane (Tottenham) - £67m

6. Raheem Sterling (Manchester City) - £66m

7. Antonine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid) - £65m

8. Luis Suarez (Barcelona) - £64m

9. Sergio Aguero (Manchester City) - £60m

10. Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal) - £60m

Arsenal