How much would the stars of the past be worth if they played today? AI has the answer

Debates about who is the greatest player of all time or whether a player’s value is real or inflated will always be open to question. Even if an official notary were to come along and expose the truth, there will always be someone who perceives a certain bias in naming a particular player or price.

Even so, and on the basis that being able to express an opinion on anything freely and with respect is always to be celebrated, at MARCA we wanted to ask someone, or rather something, impartial. We turned to artificial intelligence, specifically Grok, so that, based on its huge database accumulated in a matter of seconds, it could analyze a curious question: How much would Pele and Maradona cost today? But before getting to that point, we will not start the house from the roof.

First of all, let’s ask the AI what is, for it, the top 10 best soccer players in history: While it admits that from the top 6 there could be some kind of nuance in terms of choice, where there is no doubt is in the top 5. Leo Messi, Pele, Maradona, Cruyff and Cristiano Ronaldo.

From here, the rest of the names arrive, which, according to Grok, has been drawn up “According to the broadest consensus among historians, former players, journalists and advanced statistics (2025). It is subjective, but it is well-founded,” he explains

The rest: Alfredo Di Stefano; Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo Nazario, Franz Beckenbauer and, to round off the top 10, he points to two names George Best / Garrincha

“These names appear in 95% of serious lists (France Football, The Guardian, FourFourTwo, IFFHS, etc.),” says the AI. Then, it lists another series of names, among which it highlights “as a block Xavi-Iniesta-Busquets if collective influence is valued.”

The value, according to AI

With the top 10 already in our hands, it’s time to press the button once again and, by magic, Grok exposes how much they could cost taking into account a thousand and one statistical sections, such as goals, trophies, offensive or defensive contributions if necessary, impact in general terms…

This is even better when comparing these figures with today’s values, which are the ones taken into account to know how much the current stars are worth, such as Mbappe, Lamine or Haaland.

This was the question we asked Grok and this was his answer: “From this top 10 and based on their statistics of goals, trophies and contributions in their prime, make me the top 10 of these players according to the market value they would have in European leagues today.”

1. Pele. Estimated value: 350 million euros: 3 World Cups, ~1200 goals (official + friendly), absolute dominator in pre-global era; comparable to a Mbappe/Haaland with more historical impact. Estimated at >£300M
2. Johan Cruyff. Estimated value:€290 million.3 European Cups in a row, 3 Ballon d’Ors, ~400 goals + invention of Total Football; Reddit/Transfermarkt adjusted to >£250M for his record transfer in 1973.
3. Lionel Messi.Estimated value: €250 million. ~850 goals, 8 Ballon d’Ors, 4 UCL + World Cup 2022; prime (2010s) was worth ~€180m, adjusted to today as Yamal (€400m) but realistic at €250m for longevity/unreal statistics.
4. Cristiano Ronaldo.Estimated value: 250 million euros.
   ~900 goals, 5 Ballon d’Ors, 5 UCL; prime (2010s) peak 120M$, today ~250M like Mbappe but with more trophies/longevity.
5. Diego Maradona.Estimated value: 200 million euros.World Cup 86 (almost alone), 2 Serie A with Napoli, 350 goals; transfer adjusted 1982 (£17M) to >200M by football inflation.
6. Ronaldo Nazario.Estimated value: 200 million euros.2 Ballon d’Ors, 2002 World Cup (top scorer), ~400 goals in explosive prime; comparable to Haaland (180M) but with more magic/trophies.
7. Alfredo Di Stefano. Estimated value: 200 million euros. 5 European Cups in a row, ~500 goals, total player; similar to Cruyff in impact, adjusted ~200M for pioneering era.
8. Franz Beckenbauer. Estimated value: 190 million euros. 3 European Cups, World Cup 74, libero inventor; Transfermarkt estimates 190M€ for his prime 1974 today
9. Zinedine Zidane. Estimated value: 185 million euros. World Cup 98, Euro 2000, UCL 2002; 2001 transfer (£70M) adjusted to £158M (~185M€) by TotallyMoney/Sportbible
10. George Best / Garrincha. Ballon d’Or 68, UCL 68, ~200 goals/elite dribbling; adjusted ~150M as iconic winger. Garrincha similar, ~150M for 2 World Cups/dribbling, but Best for greater marketing).

This has been the methodology used by the AI: prime statistics (goals ~400-1200, trophies 3-8 majors, contributions such as leadership/innovation), modern comparables (Yamal 400M€, Mbappe/Bellingham 180M€ per Transfermarkt 2025 and football inflation (not only CPI, but also % of league/TV revenues). Sources: GOAL, Transfermarkt, Reddit analysis, Quora experts.

However, X’s own AI points out the subjectivity of the analysis, although it does agree that it is well-founded: “Pele/Cruyff lead by era of ‘rarity’ (less global competition); Messi/CR7 by modern stats. Defenders like Beckenbauer drop by position (less value in current market).