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Cristiano Ronaldo no longer one of the most valuable footballers in the world as estimated transfer prices fall – Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar make top 10

Sport is at a standstill and there has been some big changes to the football transfer market.

Players haven’t taken to the pitch since March and it is still not clear when the campaigns in the top European leagues are mere speculation at this point, with no indication when lockdowns will end.

And, as a result, transfer values are falling. A lot.

European clubs are stepping up their plans to resume their seasons, but there is still plenty of uncertainty over whether the 2019/20 campaign will resume
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European clubs are stepping up their plans to resume their seasons, but there is still plenty of uncertainty over whether the 2019/20 campaign will resumeCredit: getty

, prices have dropped so much that Cristiano Ronaldo is no longer in the top 20 most-valuable footballers in the world.

He’s not even in the top 40 – he’s 46th on the list, with a value of just £54million - down from £67.5m in December.

Lionel Messi, meanwhile, remains in the top-ten, but only just.

Cristiano Ronaldo's value has fallen quite dramatically since his move to Juventus, while Lionel Messi is still valued at over £100m
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Cristiano Ronaldo's value has fallen quite dramatically since his move to Juventus, while Lionel Messi is still valued at over £100mCredit: GETTY

This crisis, and the hiatus that has come with it, may perhaps signal the end of the Ronaldo-Messi dynasty and usher in a new age of football superstars.

And the new-look top 20 certainly indicates that, with eight of those making the list aged 25 or under.

It also shows the financial strength of the Premier League and perhaps the dwindling clout of some of football’s most powerful clubs – 11 of the players are currently playing for English clubs, while there is only one Real Madrid ace in the top 20.

In fact, there are only two other Real players in the top 50.

But surely the biggest surprise is Ronaldo’s drop in value, despite his impressive record of 53 goals and 14 assists in 75 appearances for Juventus.

So, who makes the new-look list? Check it out below…

Adrian Durham and Darren Gough try and settle the Messi vs Ronaldo debate

46. Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus) - £54m

Ronaldo's value has fallen dramatically since joining Juventus, while his rival, Lionel Messi, remains in the top ten!
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Ronaldo's value has fallen dramatically since joining Juventus, while his rival, Lionel Messi, remains in the top ten!Credit: Getty Images - Getty

14= Eden Hazard (Real Madrid) - £72m

14= Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid) - £72m

14= Paul Pogba (Manchester United) – £72m

14= Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool) - £72m

Liverpool's defensive rock Virgil van Dijk is the only centre-back in the top 20 most valuable players in football
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Liverpool's defensive rock Virgil van Dijk is the only centre-back in the top 20 most valuable players in footballCredit: Getty

14= Leroy Sane (Manchester City) - £72m

14= N’Golo Kante (Chelsea) - £72m

14= Bernardo Silva (Manchester City) - £72m

12= Kai Havertz (Bayer Leverkusen) - £72.9m

12= Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid) - £72.9m

Joao Felix won the Golden Boy Award in 2019. The young Portuguese ace has been a hit since leaving Benfica for Atletico Madrid
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Joao Felix won the Golden Boy Award in 2019. The young Portuguese ace has been a hit since leaving Benfica for Atletico MadridCredit: Getty Images - Getty

11. Antoine Griezmann (Barcelona) - £86.4m

10. Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool) – £89.1m

9. Lionel Messi (Barcelona) - £100.8m

8. Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund) - £105.3m

Sancho is one of FOUR English players in the top 20 most-valuable footballers in the world
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Sancho is one of FOUR English players in the top 20 most-valuable footballers in the worldCredit: Getty Images - Getty

4= Kevin De Bruyne (Manchester City) - £108m

4= Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) - £108m

4=Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) - £108m

Salah has scored 91 goals and provided 37 assists in 144 appearances since joining Liverpool three years ago
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Salah has scored 91 goals and provided 37 assists in 144 appearances since joining Liverpool three years agoCredit: AFP or licensors

4= Sadio Mane (Liverpool) - £108m

Mane has come from humble upbringings in Senegal to become one of the best players on the planet
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Mane has come from humble upbringings in Senegal to become one of the best players on the planetCredit: Getty Images - Getty

3. Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain) - £115.2m

Neymar has turned around his career at PSG after a tough spell to become one of the world's top players once again in Paris
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Neymar has turned around his career at PSG after a tough spell to become one of the world's top players once again in ParisCredit: AFP or licensors

2. Raheem Sterling (Manchester City) - £115.2m

Man City star Sterling is the highest-value Englishman on the list
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Man City star Sterling is the highest-value Englishman on the listCredit: getty

1. Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain) - £162m

Winning the World Cup in 2018 was just the beginning for French superstar Mbappe
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Winning the World Cup in 2018 was just the beginning for French superstar MbappeCredit: AFP - Getty

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