Barcelona striker, Leo Messi is widely considered one of the most valuable players in the football world, as his injury scare set the social media and newspapers into a tailspin last Wednesday evening, but he has now been named the most valuable player in terms of market value.

In a study by Brazilian consulting firm, Pluriconsultoria, Messi was found to be the footballer with the highest market value of  $180 million, with Real Madrid forward, Cristiano Ronaldo coming in second at $124 million and Messi’s Barcelona teammate, Andres Iniesta coming in at third with $88 million.

The firm used 16 different criteria in determining their results such as age, technical quality, definition, strength, position, the level of championship titles won and international caps.

In what should come as no surprise, the top three players with the highest market value; Messi, Ronaldo and Iniesta, also happen to be the three finalists for the coveted Ballon d’Or award.

See the complete list from The Mirror