Neymar may be the most expensive footballer in the world after his world-record transfer in 2017 but it's his PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe who is the "most valuable" according to Jose Mourinho.

Ever since he burst onto the scene as an 18-year old with a stunning 22-goal season for Monaco as they won Ligue One and reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2016/17, Mbappe has been destined for stardom.

Now 20, he's already scored 52 goals in 79 games for PSG, won back-to-back Ligue 1 titles and played a starring role in France's first World Cup win for 20 years.



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And Mourinho believes that given his blend of abilities, coupled with his age, the 2018 Kopa Trophy winner is the most valuable player.

Image: PA

"For a player like Mbappe, when you speak about the future, you don't need to say what he's going to be like in five years' time, in 10 years' time," Mourinho said during an appearance as a pundit on beIN SPORTS.

"Just focus on now. He's absolutely incredible. I think going by his age and [and considering] the age of Cristiano, of Messi, [both] over 30, Neymar is 27... when you go to the market level and age is also a factor, I think he's the most valuable player in the world.

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"In a hypothetical transfer, he's the most expensive player in football now. In terms of his qualities, [he is] unbelievable. One word is enough. It means everything."

Mourinho on 'incredible' Mbappe the most 'valuable' player in the world now. pic.twitter.com/2UFSeOkT4C - M•A•J (@Ultra_Suristic) March 18, 2019

Mbappe is the leading contender to take over from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo when they eventually decide to drop off and a recent study from concurs with Mourinho's statement.

The Golden Boy moved to PSG for a £166 million but according to the data of CIES Football Observatory in January, Mbappe is now worth £196 million and therefore the most valuable player in world football.

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Spurs and England striker Harry Kane is second, Neymar sits in third worth £177 million, with Manchester City's Raheem Sterling and Liverpool's Mohamed Salah valued at £166 million and £165 million respectively.

Paulo Dybala, Lionel Messi, Romelu Lukaku, Philippe Coutinho and Leroy Sane make up the top ten.