With European club football's premier competition now reaching fever pitch, we decided to assemble a starting XI of the highest-valued stars, per position, currently playing in the UEFA Champions League.
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Leading the line for this team would be Manchester City's Scandinavian sensation Erling Haaland. The marksman already has four goals in as many games in this season's edition of the competition as he continues his otherworldly form since joining the Mancunians. His clinical nature in front of goal has seen his value rise all the way to €180 million (R3.5 billion).
In this 4-3-3 formation, the Norwegian will be flanked by two other young attackers. On the left would be France superstar Kylian Mbappe, while on the opposite wing is Arsenal's Bukayo Saka. In the case of the Paris Saint-Germain talisman, he has struggled to set alight what is admittedly a difficult UCL group this season. However, at the Parc des Princes he has shown he is capable of inevitably finding the back of the net, having scored against Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan in both his home matches so far. The Bondy native is the joint-highest valued footballer, alongside Haaland, in the team at €180 million.
For Saka, this is the London native's first season in the competition after he and his teammates ended a six-year wait for the Gunners to return to European club football's biggest stage. The 22-year-old has illustrated that he belongs among the elite, having already scored and provided two assists in his opening three matches of the 2023/24 season. The Englishman struggled with injuries in the early part of the campaign, but this has not stopped him from being valued at €120 million (R2.3 billion).
*Note: All valuations provided by Transfermarkt
Here is the 2023/24 UCL most valuable XI:
Feeding Saka, and the other members of the forward line, will be his compatriot, Jude Bellingham. The attacking midfielder has taken to Real Madrid like a duck to water. The Stourbridge native has not only been prolific in the Spanish top flight, but he has also scored in every UEFA Champions League game he has played for Los Blancos since arriving. Considering his performances this season, he may not only be giving the assists in this fantasy side, but he may also be the one scoring himself. His performances for arguably the biggest club in the world have seen his value go all the way to €150 million (R2.9 billion).
While this team may be densely populated by European players, there is an African representative, and he comes in at right-back. PSG defender Achraf Hakimi is regarded as the highest-valued right-back in the world at €65 million (R1.2 billion), and is an extremely important cog in the French side's operation, with a Moroccan having already scored a goal in this season's UCL.
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The Madrid-born star is one of five players in this starting XI that has actually held the European Cup aloft but the only one to not have done it with his current team, having won the 2017/18 edition with Real. He continues his world-class performances with Les Parisiens, though, and will be hoping to finally help the club win their first UCL trophy this season.
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