Messi and Ronaldo reunite, 38-year-old record for value, Messi 1, Ronaldo 2, Modric 3 - a clear dominance

2025-06-27
Even in their later years of their careers, Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the former "absolute duo of supremacy", continue to break records in world football. In the ranking of the value of players over 38 years old, they once again hold a significant lead over other players, setting records that are unlikely to be broken for many years. Now, let's take a look at where the footballing veterans stand on the list.Tenth place: Schweitzer Fulmer 3.5 million 
As a goalkeeper of Australia's golden generation, Schweizer truly deserves the title of a footballing perennial. Since joining Bradford in 1996, he has played for Middlesbrough, Fulham, Chelsea and Leicester City in England. His 20-year career in English football made him a living fossil of the rise of the Premier League. When he ended his football career in 2016, Schweizer was already 44 years old.
Ninth place: Friedel Aston Villa 3.5 million 
Friedel, who made his debut for Liverpool in 1997, was an absolute nobody in the Premier League. It wasn't until he ended his four-year stint as a substitute player for Liverpool that he made a name for himself at Blackburn. However, in the US national team, he was a goalkeeper for many years. Old fans will surely remember the bald-headed American goalkeeper who played in the World Cup. 
Eighth place: James Portsmouth 350,00 
What is remembered about James is that he was regarded as the weakest link in the then most luxurious English national team. Compared to his predecessor Shein, James was never favored by top English football clubs and always struggled to find a place in mid-level teams in the English Premier League. Coincidentally, a decade later, this current England team, which now tops the national team's value rankings and boasts many star players, has a goalkeeper, Pickford, who is also called the weakest link. 
Seventh place: Neuer, Bayern Munich - 400,000 euros 
If it weren't for his injury, Neuer's value would have been even higher. As the pioneer of the out-of-the-backfield playmaker role, the German goalkeeper who is close to achieving a double-digit success rate for both the national team and the club team is destined to be written into the history of football. 
Sixth place: Van der Sar, Manchester United - 4.5 million 
At that time, the Manchester United fans never expected that the player they bought, Van der Sar, was originally intended to be a transitional goalkeeper. They never imagined that his performance at Manchester United would cause the previously mediocre level of players to suddenly soar to the top level, making him the goalkeeper for the peak Manchester United team for many years. It has to be said that the goalkeeper position is indeed the representative of the evergreen stars, occupying more than half of this list. 
Fifth place: Zanetti, Inter Milan, 4.5 million euros 
As the current vice-chairman of Inter Milan and a holder of multiple club records, Zanetti was also the record holder for Argentina national team appearances. Considering that he was once excluded by the local team members, if Argentina hadn't had so much internal strife at that time, it would have been much more difficult to break his national team record. 
Fourth place: Ibrahimovic, AC Milan - 500,00 
After the conclusion of the MLS season, everyone thought that Ibra was no longer in top form. However, at AC Milan, he proved that he was still the 'god' who could dominate the Italian league. At the age of 39, he added another championship to AC Milan, which is truly admirable. 
Third place: Modric - Real Madrid - 1 million euros 
After Cristiano Ronaldo's departure, Luka Modric's brilliance truly shone. At the age of 35, he won the Ballon d'Or and then claimed two Champions League titles. Even at the age of 40, he remained an important member of Real Madrid. And at the age of nearly 41, he was also welcomed by a major European club like AC Milan. Luka Modric might be the true evergreen representative of forward players in top football clubs. 
Second place: Cristiano Ronaldo, Al Jazira 15 million 
Perhaps Cristiano Ronaldo's skills and achievements cannot be compared with those of Lionel Messi. However, with such a long career and his continuous pursuit of victory even in his professional twilight years, along with his professional spirit of giving his all in every game, he is undoubtedly worthy of the "absolute duo" era before Messi became the king of football. In the next World Cup, Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo will still strive for their first championship trophy. 
First place: Messi, Miami International - 18 million 
This World Club Cup once again demonstrated Messi's extraordinary talent. We all thought that Miami International would struggle to win even a single game. But we never expected that he would lead the team to defeat the Portuguese powerhouse Porto and advance to the round of 16. Could it be that Messi will still create miracles in the next World Cup?