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A player's market value is essentially how much it could cost for a club to purchase that particular player at a given point of time. Multiple factors influence a player's market value, some of them being the player's age, the player's quality and the remaining length of the player's contract at the given time.
Another significant factor capable of influencing a player's market value is the state of the market itself. Naturally, several of these factors are dynamic and constantly change, thereby causing the player's market value to fluctuate throughout the player's career.
Also read: Top 10 footballers with the highest market values ever
Players' market values are often lower towards the end of their careers than it is during most of it, predominantly due to their age, declining form, expiring contracts, etc. So without further ado, let's jump into our topic.
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10 footballers with the highest market values at the time of retirement:
(as per data from Transfermarkt):
#10 Martin Laursen - €8.00 million
Market value at time of retirement: €8.00 million
Retired in: May 2009
Martin Laursen was a Danish centre-back who played for Silkeborg, Hellas Verona, Parma, AC Milan and Aston Villa, appearing in a total of 234 games. He also represented Denmark 53 times.
Laursen won 4 major trophies at AC Milan across 3 seasons at the club, including the UEFA Champions League and the Serie A. He ended his career at Premier League side Aston Villa, where he played from 2004 to 2009 and also captained the side.
Plagued by injuries, Laursen retired in 2009 at the age of 31 and his market value at the time was estimated to be €8.00 million.
#9 Ignazio Abate - €8.00 million
Market value at time of retirement: €8.00 million
Retired in: November 2020
Known for his incredible speed, Ignazio Abate spent his entire club career playing for Italian clubs and made 448 appearances in his club career. A product of Milan's youth academy, the full-back was promoted to the senior side in 2003 but made only 2 appearances that season. Abate was then loaned out to five different clubs in the next five seasons before returning to Milan in 2009.
Abate spent the next 10 seasons at Milan, winning the Serie A in 2010-11 and 2 Supercoppa Italiana titles (2011, 2016). He also represented Italy 22 times. Abate played his final match for Milan in May 2019 and retired in November 2020 as a free agent. At the time of retirement, his market value was €8.00 million.
#8 Dean Ashton - €8.50 million
Market value at time of retirement: €8.50 million
Retired in: December 2009
Dean Ashton played as a forward for Crewe Alexandra in multiple divisions of English football before playing in the Premier League for Norwich City and West Ham United.
He played more than 240 matches and scored more than 85 goals in his club career. Dean Ashton last played for West Ham United in 2008 and retired the following year (at the age of just 26) due to a recurring long-term ankle injury he had sustained in 2006.
Ashton made one solitary appearance for England in 2008. At the time of his retirement, his market value was €8.50 million.
#7 Pavel Nedved - €9.00 million
Market value at time of retirement: €9.00 million
Retired in: June 2009
Widely hailed as one of the best midfielders in the world during his generation, Pavel Nedved won a Ballon d'Or in 2003 after captaining Juventus when they reached the final of the UEFA Champions League trophy, eventually finishing as runners-up.
Nedved played more than 500 matches in his club career, 327 of which came for Juventus across 8 seasons. He won the Serie A twice with Juventus and was one of their most important players. Nedved also represented the Czech Republic 91 times.
He made his last appearance in March 2009 and retired that summer with a market value of €9.00 million.
#6 Willy Sagnol - €9.50 million
Market value at time of retirement: €9.50 million
Retired in: January 2009
Willy Sagnol played as a defender for Saint-Etienne and Monaco in France before moving to Bayern Munich in 2000. He went on to play in 8 seasons for the Bavarian club, winning 12 major trophies including 5 Bundesliga titles and 1 UEFA Champions League trophy. He also represented France 58 times.
Sagnol was at Bayern Munich until 2009 but didn't play a single match in the 2008-09 season due to injury. He is believed to have retired at the start of 2009 aged 31. His market value at the time was €9.50 million.
#5 Javier Saviola - €10.00 million
Market value at time of retirement: €10.00 million
Retired in: January 2016
One of only 30-odd players to have played for both Real Madrid and Barcelona, Javier Saviola played as a forward for a host of clubs including the two Spanish giants, making more than 500 appearances in his club career.
Saviola played for Barcelona for 4 seasons before moving to Real Madrid in 2007 and winning the La Liga title with Los Blancos that season. He also represented Argentina 39 times.
He last played for River Plate in 2015 and is believed to have retired in January 2016, aged 34, with his market value at the time estimated to be €10.00 million.
#4 Marcelinho Paraiba - €10.00 million
Market value at time of retirement: €10.00 million
Retired in: December 2020
An absolute journeyman, Mercelinho Paraiba played for more than 20 clubs over the course of his club career. His longest stint was with Hertha BSC in the Bundesliga, where he played from 2001 to 2006. During his time in Germany, he was widely hailed as one of the best playmakers in the league.
He last played as a professional footballer for Treze in December 2020 and is believed to have retired immediately after. His market value at the time was €10.00 million. Marcelinho Paraiba is currently the manager of Treze.
#3 Philipp Lahm - €11.00 million
Market value at time of retirement: €11.00 million
Retired in: June 2017
Widely considered to be one of the best defenders of all time, Philipp Lahm spent most of his career at Bayern Munich. A product of the club's youth academy, Lahm started playing regularly for the German giants in 2005 and became the club captain in January 2011. He won 21 major trophies with Bayern, including 8 Bundesliga titles and 1 UEFA Champions League title. Notably, he captained the club to their first ever European treble in the 2012-13 season.
Lahm also represented Germany 113 times and was the team's captain from the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Under his leadership, Germany reached the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 2012 and won the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
He made his last appearance in May 2017 before retiring soon after at the age of 33. When he retired, Lahm was worth €11.00 million.
#2 Zinedine Zidane - €12.50 million
Market value at time of retirement: €12.50 million
Retired in: July 2006
Before Zinedine Zidane became one of the most successful managers in the world, he was one of the greatest footballers the sport has seen. Over a career that spanned 17 years, Zidane played for Cannes, Bordeaux, Juventus and Real Madrid, establishing his status as a legend.
He made more than 600 appearances in his club career and won 13 major trophies. Zidane also represented France in 49 competitive matches. He retired in 2006 (at the age of 34) following his infamous head butt on Marco Materazzi in the 2006 FIFA World Cup final, before taking up management in 2010.
At the time of his retirement, Zidane's market value was estimated to be €12.50 million.
#1 Andre Schurrle - €20.00 million
Market value at time of retirement: €20.00 million
Retired in: July 2020
Andre Schurrle played for multiple English and German clubs during his career including Chelsea, Fulham, Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen. He made more than 370 appearances in his club career and also represented Germany 57 times (and was a part of the 2014 FIFA World Cup-winning side).
Schurrle also won the Premier League with Chelsea in the 2014-15 season. In July 2020, Schurrle and Borussia Dortmund mutually agreed to terminate his contract and he announced his decision to retire at the age of just 29. His market value was believed to be €20.00 million at the time.
