Joško Gvardiol named world’s most expensive full back
- by croatiaweek
- in Sport
Joško Gvardiol
Joško Gvardiol is the most valuable Croatian footballer and the world’s most valuable defenders, according to the International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES) Football Observatory, based in Neuchâtel.
The CIES Football Observatory published a list today of the 100 most valuable footballers in the world.
At the top is England and Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham, valued at 280 million euros.
In second place is Manchester City’s Norwegian striker Erling Haaland, with a market value of 255 million euros, and third is Real Madrid’s forward Vinicius Junior, worth 240 million euros.
Also in the top 5 are Real Madrid’s forward Rodrygo (221 million euros) and Manchester City’s midfielder Phil Foden (204 million euros).
Joško Gvardiol is the highest ranked full back coming in at 17th overall on the list with an estimated value of 115 million euros and is the only Croatian footballer among the world’s top 100 most expensive players.
A standout in Dinamo Zagreb’s youth system, the 22-year-old transferred to RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga in 2021. In 2023, Manchester City purchased him for £77 million, setting a new record for the highest fee ever paid for a defender.
As a Croatian international, Gvardiol played in both UEFA Euro 2020 and the 2022 FIFA World Cup, where he contributed to Croatia’s third-place finish.
Top 10 most valuable footballers in the world:
1. Jude Bellingham (England / Real Madrid) – 280 million euros
2. Erling Haaland (Norway / Manchester City) – 255 million euros
3. Vinicius Junior (Brazil / Real Madrid) – 240 million euros
4. Rodrygo Goes (Brazil / Real Madrid) – 220 million euros
5. Phil Foden (England / Manchester City) – 203 million euros
6. Bukayo Saka (England / Arsenal) – 195 million euros
7. Julian Alvarez (Argentina / Manchester City) – 168 million euros
8. Lamine Yamal (Spain / Barcelona) – 140 million euros
9. Martin Odegaard (Norway / Arsenal) – 135 million euros
10. Florian Wirtz (Germany / Bayer Leverkusen) – 133 million euros
17. Joško Gvardiol (Croatia / Manchester City) 115 million euros
You can see the full Top 100 list here.
