Manchester United star Marcus Rashford is the most valuable footballer in the world

Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford has become the most valuable player in world football, according to a new survey.

A study by CIES Football Observatory has the England forward listed as worth €165.6million (£149.7m) – largely thanks to his age and potential according to the algorithm in the bi-annual list.

Rashford, 23, has enjoyed a prolific start to the 2020/21 campaign with 15 goals across all competitions for club and country.

Borussia Dortmund’s prolific starlet Erling Haaland and Liverpool full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold complete the top three alongside Rashford.

Elsewhere, Barcelona talisman Lionel Messi just about sneaks into the top 100 in 97th place with a valuation of only €54m (£48.8m), although the fact his contract runs out at the end of the current campaign has a large weighting on his worth.

Meanwhile, Messi’s former LaLiga nemesis Cristiano Ronaldo is even further down the pecking order in 131st with a €47m (£42.5m) valuation.

Quite incredibly, despite the aforementioned pair’s advanced ages, Rashford is worth more than both of them combined – highlighting what a star United have on their hands.

An array of international aces are included in the overall list, with England boasting the highest number of players in the top ten with Rashford, Alexander-Arnold, Jadon Sancho and Raheem Sterling all making the cut.

In total, 11 Premier League stars made the top 20 – consisting of Manchester United, Man City, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham players –  which you can check out below…