An 18-year-old soccer player's transfer value has risen over 800% in 3 months because he's playing like the 'new Neymar'
- Jadon Sancho, a forward with a direct soccer style born in England's streets, has seen his transfer value skyrocket in the last three months.
- This is because the 18-year-old has been lighting up the Bundesliga with exciting, match-winning performances.
- Rated as a €9.7 million ($11 million) player earlier in the season, Sancho is now believed to be worth €87.9 million ($100 million) according to a think tank in Switzerland.
- He has already been heralded as England's Neymar, and so it might not be long before he closes the gap and joins Neymar as a €200 million ($227 million) athlete.
- Read all of Business Insider's coverage for the 2018-2019 European soccer season right here.
Jadon Sancho has seen his transfer market value rise 806% in the last three months.
The 18-year-old forward has excelled throughout the 2018-2019 campaign for the Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund, and his consistent quality has caught the attention of CIES Football Observatory, a soccer think tank at the International Centre for Sports Studies in Switzerland.
One of the most exciting talents in Germany's top division, Sancho has been responsible for scoring or creating one goal for every 74 minutes he has played in the league. He even made himself a Dortmund hero by scoring an incredible winner in the fiercely contested "Rivierderby" against FC Schalke 04 on Saturday.
In a report published on Monday, CIES states Sancho's transfer value is now €87.9 million ($100 million) - a massive increase of 806% or €78.2 million ($89 million) from his €9.7 million ($11 million) valuation at the start of the season on September 1.
What this means is simple. Sancho is now more valuable to Dortmund than Robert Lewandowski (€59.7 million/$67.9 million) and Gareth Bale (€65.7 million/$75 million) are to Bayern Munich and Real Madrid CF respectively, and almost as valuable as the Manchester City forward Sergio Aguero (€94.3 million).
Sancho is regarded as the new Neymar
Sancho is hot property, and has already been likened to the Paris Saint-Germain and Brazil national team forward Neymar.
Arsenal Under-15s head coach Dan Micciche, who used to train Sancho in the England youth set-up, says Sancho brings a street style of soccer to the pitch that reminds him of Neymar.
Micciche even told The Guardian in September that Sancho could be England's "Neymar-type player" because he is "unpredictable, playing on that left-hand side."
Sancho is "flamboyant" and "entertaining to watch," according to Micciche, but, crucially, he is "effective with it" just like Neymar.
"In most games he'll create something - it's not a beauty contest. He's not on the pitch flicking it over someone's head for the sake of it."
In recent weeks, though, Sancho has been creating moments of magic worthy that are not just worthy of winning soccer matches, but also beauty contests.
Watch the way he bamboozled defenders in the Freiberg match earlier this month:
Or the way he casually lifted the ball into the net to help Dortmund beat Schalke 2-1 at the weekend:
If he maintains his current form, Sancho will be the best breakout player of the 2018-2019 season.
It is therefore unlikely his transfer value will linger at the €87.9 million ($100 million) mark for very long, as he will continue to close the gap on the €201.9 million ($229.5 million) rated Neymar.