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#8 N'Golo Kanté (Chelsea) - ↓€40M
Market value at the start of 2020: €100M.
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Market value at the end of 2020: €60M.
Decrease: ↓€40M.
Chelsea's ever-smiling and usually reliable bulwark in midfield, N'Golo Kante suffered a torrid and injury-hit 2019-20 season. He only made 28 appearances for Chelsea across all competitions in the entire campaign, which is nearly half the number of matches he played in the season before that.
In the ongoing 2020-21 season, the 29-year-old has been used extensively in the Premier League, starting each one of Chelsea's league matches. However, he has been used sparingly in the UEFA Champions League.
Despite there being more than two years left in his current contract (which expires in June 2023), Kante's time out of the game owing to injury has seen his market value drop by €40M in 2020.
#7 Antoine Griezmann (Barcelona) - ↓€40M
Market value at the start of 2020: €120M.
Market value at the end of 2020: €80M.
Decrease: ↓€40M.
Antoine Griezmann completed a move to Barcelona from Atletico Madrid ahead of the 2019-20 season after his €120M release clause was paid by the Catalan club. Since then, it has been evident that the 29-year-old simply hasn't been the same player he was at Atletico.
The French striker has struggled to hit the ground running, as he seemingly struggled during the 2019-20 season. By the start of 2020, Griezmann had played 23 matches in all competitions for the Blaugrana, scoring eight goals and assisting four. His market value at the time was estimated to be €120M.
However, in 2020, he made 44 appearances in all competitions, scoring just 12 goals and assisting two. In his one-and-a-half seasons at Barcelona, he has scored 20 goals - fewer than he managed in a single season at Atletico.
Understandably, his market value fell by one-third in 2020, with Griezmann ending the year at an estimated value of €80M.
#6 Lionel Messi (Barcelona) - ↓€40M
Market value at the start of 2020: €140M.
Market value at the end of 2020: €100M.
Decrease: ↓€40M.
The 2019-20 season saw Lionel Messi score 31 goals in all competitions - the fewest he has scored in a single season since the 2007-08 campaign. He did assist 27 times though, taking his total goal involvements to 58 in 44 matches for Barcelona in all competitions.
While that number is genuinely impressive for most footballers, it does indicate a decline in Messi's form, something that has been exacerbated by Barcelona's struggles on and off the pitch.
In 2020, Messi played 44 matches, scoring 26 goals and assisting 23 more. Despite his decent stats for the year, his market value dropped by €40M.
However, there are other fundamental reasons that contributed to the decrease in his market value such as his age (33) and his current contract situation: Messi's contract expires in less than six months from now, after which he will become a free agent.
#5 Kepa Arrizabalaga (Chelsea) - ↓€45M
Market value at the start of 2020: €60M.
Market value at the end of 2020: €15M.
Decrease: ↓€45M.
At the start of 2020, Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga's market value was estimated to be €60M. However, the inconsistency in his performances quickly made him out of favour with the Blues, and Willy Caballero was preferred in goal.
Between January and the end of the season in July, Kepa Arrizabalaga only played 14 matches in all competitions for the Blues. In September, the arrival of Edouard Mendy forced the Spaniard further down the club's pecking order.
In 2020, the 26-year-old shot-stopper only played 18 matches in all competitions and was left to warm the bench more often than not. As a direct consequence of being frozen out, his market value dropped steeply during the year.
