1) Barcelona: Increased by €586m
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Expenditure: €485m
Value: €1,071m
Arguably the most successful club of the past decade, Barcelona have reaped the dividends of their esteemed youth academy – La Masia. Their squad is a rich mixture of players raised within the club and signings who have seamlessly dovetailed with the philosophy of the club.
To understand how their squad’s value has more than doubled, one need look no further than five-time Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi. Signed as a teenager for free back in 2000, the Argentine is now one of the most valuable players in the world and is rated at £102m.
He is closely followed by his partners in the famed MSN trio – Neymar (£85m) and Luis Suarez (£76.5m). Other players who made the step up include Sergio Busquets (£51m), Ivan Rakitic (£42.5m) and Gerard Pique (£34m). Although Andres Iniesta’s value has dropped in recent years (now £25.5m), he was also a product of the system and hence gives the club a handsome profit even if he leaves the club.
Also read: 10 most expensive players in the transfer market today - as determined by statisticians
