#5 Kylian Mbappe – AS Monaco (Jan 2016: €0.05 million, Now: €35 million)
Increase in value: €34.95 million
Kylian Mbappe could soon become one of the most expensive transfers of all time, if not the most expensive. To imagine that the Frenchman is set to achieve that unique feat at the tender age of 18 is simply incredible and unbelievable.
18 months ago, almost 99% of the footballing fraternity didn’t even know who the Frenchman was or where he plied his trade but an incredible 12 months, or 9 to be precise has put him on the footballing map, so much so that clubs like Real Madrid, Arsenal and Chelsea are willing to pay up to €130 million for his services. The 18-year-old is a once in a generation player and has scored 26 goals while also providing 14 assists in his first season at the top level.
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No matter where he goes, Mbappe is one name that you will be hearing for a long-long time, so you might as well get accustomed to it.
I was waiting for the Frenchman to arrive and was hence refraining from explaining the difference between ‘transfer value’ and ‘market value’. A player’s market value is determined by his age, his contract status and above all his abilities and in most cases, it is very different from his transfer value.
A transfer value is the price that a club agrees to pay for a certain footballer and in most cases, it is above that player’s market value. Sometimes footballers prove that they are worth the transfer fees splashed by a club on them, while on some occasions it simply doesn’t work out. A good example of both scenarios are Cristiano Ronaldo and Angel di Maria.
