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Sports
Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal top the list of the world's most expensive footballers who have never won the UEFA Champions League.
Kylian Mbappé, the Real Madrid forward, leads the ranking of the most valuable footballers who have never lifted the UEFA Champions League trophy. The Spanish giants were eliminated in this season's quarter-finals by Bayern Munich, losing 6-4 on aggregate.
Mbappé's closest brush with European glory came in 2020, when he reached the final with Paris Saint-Germain only to lose 1-0 to Bayern Munich. According to data from the global website Transfermarkt, the French star shares the top spot with Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal. Both players carry a current market value of €200 million in 2026, making them the most expensive players yet to win the "Big Ears" trophy.
In third place is former Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling, whose market value peaked at €160 million in 2019. French World Cup winner Antoine Griezmann of Atlético Madrid follows, having reached a valuation of €120 million in 2018. Griezmann came agonizingly close to UCL glory in 2016, losing the final to Real Madrid on penalties after a 1-1 draw.
Bayern Munich's Harry Kane occupies the fifth spot. The England captain was eliminated from this season's competition in the semi-finals by Paris Saint-Germain, losing 6-5 on aggregate. Kane previously lost the 2019 final 2-0 to Liverpool while at Tottenham Hotspur, with his highest market value of €150 million recorded in 2018.
Barcelona midfielder Pedri also reached a €150 million valuation this year without winning the continental title. Arsenal's Bukayo Saka, valued at €150 million in 2024, sits seventh and has a chance to exit this list if his team wins the trophy at the end of May.
Bayern Munich winger Michael Olise currently holds a €140 million valuation, placing him eighth. He is joined at that figure by Liverpool's German star Florian Wirtz, who reached that amount in 2025. Rounding out the top ten is Wirtz's Liverpool teammate, Swedish striker Alexander Isak, who also hit the €140 million mark in 2024 while playing for Newcastle.
