RANKED: The 25 most valuable soccer players in Europe

A prominent research group in Switzerland has put together a list of "estimated transfer values" for the most expensive soccer players in Europe.The ranking makes for interesting reading as Cristiano Ronaldo, a five-time Champions League winner, barely makes the list (down from 11th last year) and Neymar, who smashed the world transfer fee record when he left FC Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain in a $260 million deal last summer, fails to make top spot.Football think tank CIES Football Observatory researched data from 5,000 paid transfers over a seven year period and used those figures to assess "fair" transfer values for active soccer players in the top five European leaguesthe Premier League (England), La Liga (Spain), Bundesliga (Germany), Serie A (Italy), and Ligue 1 (France).Factors like talent level, contract duration, and the age of each specific soccer player come into effect in this ranking, as does the status of the recruiting club.CIES discovered, through speaking with market actors (club executives operating in elite soccer), that "the status of the recruiting club has a major influence in determining the transfer price."Here are the 25 most valuable soccer players competing in Europe right now, ranked in ascending order:SEE ALSO:RANKED: The 25 most valuable footballers in Europe in 2017DON'T MISS:Neymar returned to soccer with this incredible Messi-style goal that nearly ripped the net ' and it shows he's ready for the World CupSEE ALSO:Real Madrid training photos show how impressive Cristiano Ronaldo's leg muscles are ' here's the workout routine that keeps him fit25: Marc-Andr ter Stegen, FC Barcelona goalkeeper ' '100.5 million ($117.7 million).24: Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid striker ' '103.4 million ($121.1 million).23: Lorenzo Insigne, Napoli attacker ' '104.2 million ($122 million).See the rest of the story at Business Insider
Click here to read full news..