Valencia (Spain), Apr 19 (IANS): A study of a footballers value in a a hypothetical transfer showed that the market price of Argentine star Lionel Messi is 141 million euros ($159 million), while Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo's value is 101 million euros ($114 million).
The study was conducted within the framework of a course for valuing football players as provided by the University of Valencia, and revealed that the two players are the most expensive football professionals in the world, reports Efe.
Messi scored his 500th professional goal during FC Barcelona's La Liga 1-2 loss against Valencia on Sunday, while Ronaldo scored during his club Real Madrid's 5-1 win over Getafe in the same round of action.
Ronaldo, 31, is currently leading La Liga's goal scoring sheet with 31 goals, while Messi, 28, comes in third place with 23 goals.