Top 10 revealed 

William Saliba equals all-time record - the most valuable centre-backs in Transfermarkt history

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The Champions League final may have ended in heartbreak for Arsenal, as they were beaten by holders Paris Saint-Germain on penalties in Budapest, but it’s been a season everyone at the club can be proud of. The Gunners won the Premier League for the first time in 22 years, made it to the EFL Cup final, and were two kicks away from winning their first ever European Cup. Behind their success, has been the bedrock of one of the most formidable defences the game has seen – and it’s been another incredible season for centre-back William Saliba.

At the beginning of the campaign, the Frenchman was already the joint-most valuable centre-half in the world at €80 million, but over the course of the season, he saw his value increase by +€20m. This week’s June Premier League market value update saw Saliba gain +€10m to make him just the second centre-back in Transfermarkt history to hit €100m. Let’s take a look at the rest of the top 10 most valuable centre-halves of all-time and how they compare to the Arsenal man.

Most valuable centre-backs of all time

Saliba actually leads the way now as the most valuable centre-back ever as he is three years younger than the other player in his position who hit €100m. That was Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk, who sky-rocketed to €100m back in 2019 when Liverpool won the Champions League; he was 28 years of age at the time. No other centre-back has even eclipsed €80m besides that imposing duo. Five centre-backs have made it to €80m however.

Pau Cubarsí hit an €80m market value when he was just 18 years of age having already become a regular started for LaLIga giants Barcelona. Josko Gvardiol hit €80m when he was 21 years old. just after signing for Manchester City. Raphaël Varane hit €80m all the way back in 2018 when he was 25 and at Real Madrid, whilst Alessandro Bastoni hit the same figure at the same age last year at Inter Milan. Rúben Días had an €80m market value when he was 26 at Man City. A further five centre-halves have made it to €75m, including Matthijs de Ligt when he was 19 at Ajax, and Saliba’s teammate Gabriel.

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