World's Most Valuable Young Footballers 2026: The Top Under-21 Stars

The Most Valuable Young Footballers of 2026

The most dynamic corner of football's economy is the under-21 market: clubs tie players to long contracts and agencies get involved at an early age. According to fmag.tr data, the 15 most valuable U21 footballers in the world as of 2026 carry a combined market value of €1.395 billion. The players come from eight different countries and are spread across four leagues. The Premier League leads by a distance with eight players, LaLiga has four, Ligue 1 two and Serie A one. The top of the table, however, sits in Spain and France: the entire top five is made up of players at FC Barcelona, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.

Türkiye, meanwhile, places as many players on the list as Spain, thanks to Arda Güler and Kenan Yıldız.

The 15 Most Valuable Young Footballers

1. Lamine Yamal - FC Barcelona

💰 Market value: €220M

Lamine Yamal, at 19 and valued at €220 million, leads the list by a wide margin; the gap to second place is €100 million. His contract with FC Barcelona, running until 2031, shows the club has placed him at the heart of its long-term project. He has 11 goals in 37 appearances for Spain.

• Position: Right Winger
• Age / Contract: 19 / until 2031
• Agent: Gestifute

2. Désiré Doué - Paris Saint-Germain

💰 Market value: €120M

Désiré Doué, 21, is the most valuable French player on the list at €120 million. His contract with Paris Saint-Germain runs until 2029. He has scored 4 goals in 19 appearances for France.

• Position: Right Winger
• Age / Contract: 21 / until 2029
• Agent: Represented by family members

3. Yan Diomande - Real Madrid

💰 Market value: €120M

Yan Diomande, 19, matches Doué's valuation and is Africa's most valuable representative on the list. His contract with Real Madrid, running until 2033, is one of the two longest on the list. He has 3 goals in 17 appearances for Ivory Coast.

• Position: Right Winger
• Age / Contract: 19 / until 2033
• Agent: Roc Nation Sports

4. Arda Güler - Real Madrid

💰 Market value: €100M

Arda Güler, valued at €100 million, is Türkiye's highest-placed representative on the list and Real Madrid's second player. His contract with Real Madrid runs until 2029. He has 7 goals in 36 appearances for Türkiye.

• Position: Attacking Midfielder
• Age / Contract: 21 / until 2029
• Agent: Represented by family members

5. Pau Cubarsí - FC Barcelona

💰 Market value: €100M

Pau Cubarsí is the most valuable defender on the list at just 19. He is contracted to FC Barcelona until 2029 and has made 23 appearances for Spain.

• Position: Centre-Back
• Age / Contract: 19 / until 2029
• Agent: Bahía Internacional

6. Ayyoub Bouaddi - Manchester City

💰 Market value: €90M

Ayyoub Bouaddi, 19, is the Premier League's first entry on the list at €90 million. He is under contract with Manchester City until 2031. Bouaddi has 10 caps for Morocco, and no agent appears against his name in fmag.tr records.

• Position: Defensive Midfielder
• Age / Contract: 19 / until 2031
• Agent: No registered agent

7. Warren Zaïre-Emery - Paris Saint-Germain

💰 Market value: €80M

Warren Zaïre-Emery, 20, is PSG's second player on the list at €80 million. His contract runs until 2029, and he has 1 goal in 13 appearances for France. He is Gestifute's second client on the list.

• Position: Central Midfielder
• Age / Contract: 20 / until 2029
• Agent: Gestifute

8. Estêvão - Chelsea FC

💰 Market value: €80M

Estêvão is South America's only representative on the list. At 19, his contract with Chelsea FC runs until 2033, which, together with Diomande's deal, makes it the longest commitment on the list. He has scored 6 goals in 14 appearances for Brazil.

• Position: Right Winger
• Age / Contract: 19 / until 2033
• Agent: LINK SPORTS

9. Kenan Yıldız - Juventus

💰 Market value: €75M

Kenan Yıldız is Serie A's only player on the list and Türkiye's second representative. His contract with Juventus runs until 2030. At 21, he has 5 goals in 31 appearances for Türkiye.

• Position: Left Winger
• Age / Contract: 21 / until 2030
• Agent: Represented by family members

10. Kobbie Mainoo - Manchester United

💰 Market value: €75M

Kobbie Mainoo is England's most valuable player on the list. He is contracted to Manchester United until 2031 and has made 14 appearances for England.

• Position: Central Midfielder
• Age / Contract: 21 / until 2031
• Agent: CAA Stellar

11. Junior Kroupi - AFC Bournemouth

💰 Market value: €70M

Junior Kroupi is the only centre-forward on the list and the first name from outside the elite clubs. At 20, he is under contract with AFC Bournemouth until 2030. He has 3 goals in 5 appearances for France.

• Position: Centre-Forward
• Age / Contract: 20 / until 2030
• Agent: Represented by family members

12. Nico O'Reilly - Manchester City

💰 Market value: €70M

Nico O'Reilly is the only full-back on the list. He is contracted to Manchester City until 2030 and has 13 appearances for England.

• Position: Left-Back
• Age / Contract: 21 / until 2030
• Agent: SEG - Sports Entertainment Group

13. Myles Lewis-Skelly - Arsenal

💰 Market value: €65M

Myles Lewis-Skelly, 20, is contracted to Arsenal until 2030. He has 1 goal in 10 appearances for England.

• Position: Defensive Midfielder
• Age / Contract: 20 / until 2030
• Agent: Represented by family members

14. Luka Vuskovic - Brighton & Hove Albion

💰 Market value: €65M

Luka Vuskovic, 19, is contracted to Brighton & Hove Albion until 2031. He has 1 goal in 10 appearances for Croatia.

• Position: Centre-Back
• Age / Contract: 19 / until 2031
• Agent: Gol International

15. Jérémy Jacquet - Liverpool FC

💰 Market value: €65M

Jérémy Jacquet is France's fourth player on the list. At 21, he is under contract with Liverpool FC until 2031. He has 2 appearances for France, the fewest international caps of anyone on the list.

• Position: Centre-Back
• Age / Contract: 21 / until 2031
• Agent: Unique France

What the Table Tells Us

By country, France leads with four players and England follows with three; Spain and Türkiye have two each, while Ivory Coast, Morocco, Brazil and Croatia have one apiece. By league, the Premier League accounts for more than half of the list with eight players, but the highest valuations are concentrated in LaLiga and Ligue 1: the top five alone are worth €660 million combined, almost half the list's total. By position, right wingers form the largest group with four players; centre-backs follow with three, and defensive midfielders and central midfielders have two each. There is just one centre-forward and one full-back.

The contract horizon is the table's clearest message. All 15 players are tied down until 2029 or beyond: four until 2029, four until 2030, five until 2031 and two until 2033. Diomande and Estêvão, both 19, being signed through to 2033 shows that clubs have begun protecting their young stars on a seven-year horizon. For agents, this means transfer negotiations give way to contract-renewal negotiations; the four deals expiring in 2029 (Doué, Güler, Cubarsí, Zaïre-Emery) will be the most important tables of the next two years.

On the representation side, the striking fact is how common family representation is. Five of the 15 players, a third of the list, are represented by family members rather than an agency; that group accounts for €430 million in combined value. Gestifute, with two players (Yamal and Zaïre-Emery, €300 million combined), is the strongest agency on the list; Roc Nation Sports, Bahía Internacional, LINK SPORTS, CAA Stellar, SEG, Gol International and Unique France have one player each. The absence of a registered agent for the €90 million Bouaddi is a reminder that there are still open doors in the market.

Values are based on publicly available market data and are correct as of October 2026.