Lionel Messi vs Kylian Mbappé – Millennials vs Gen Z – Who would win out of the most valuable XI from each generation?

Messi & Co. vs Mbappé & Co. 

©TM/IMAGO

There’s a certain nostalgia that comes with memorising football players from ‘back in the day’. Supporters often discuss ‘generational talents’ or the ‘best players of their generation’. Right now, as we approach the beginning of the 2025/26 season, the majority of the best players in the world fall into the generational category of ‘Gen Z’ – players born between the years of 1997-2012. However, there are still some aging stars that fall into the previous category of ‘Millennials’ – players born between 1981-1996. But which generation boasted the best players in their primes?

To try to determine this, here at Transfermarkt, we have compiled the most valuable XIs from both the Millennials and Gen Z generations and it makes two fearsome line-ups. But which side would win in a one-off match between the two teams with all of the players at the top of their games? Let’s compare the XIs and find out which team and generation is the most valuable.

Millennials vs Gen Z most valuable XIs

Let’s begin with the Millennials and the most valuable XI of players born between 1981-1996. In between the sticks is Jan Oblak (born 1993), who reached a record market value of €100 million at Atlético Madrid in 2019. At centre-back it’s the solid duo of Raphaël Varane (born 1993) and Virgil van Dijk (born 1991) who reached €80m and €100m respectively. At left-back it’s Andy Robertson (born 1994) who reached €80m, and at right-back it’s João Cancelo (born 1994) who hit a career-high of €70m. In central midfield are the Man City duo of Kevin De Bruyne (born 1991) and Rodri (born 1996) who hit career-high market values of €150m and €130m respectively.

Lining up on the left is Brazilian legend Neymar (born in 1992) who reached €180m, with his old mate and football icon Lionel Messi (born in 1987) in the no.10 – the silky Argentine also hit €180m. On the right is a slightly less glamorous name in Raheem Sterling (born in 1994), who reached €160m when in top-form for club and country in 2019. Up front for the Millennials is England captain Harry Kane (born in 1993) who was worth €150m in 2018. Overall the most valuable Millennials XI boasts a huge market value of €1.38 billion, but will that be enough to eclipse the Gen Z team?

In goal for the Gen Zs is Gianluigi Donnarumma (born in 1999) who reached a career-high market value of €65m. Their centre-back pairing consists of Italian Alessandro Bastoni (born in 1999) and Arsenal’s William Saliba (born in 2001) who are both currently worth €80m. At right-back is new Real Madrid star Trent Alexander-Arnold (born in 1998) who boasted a €110m market value in 2019. Taking the left-back spot is Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies (born in 2000) who reached €80m. Pedri (born in 2002) holds the midfield unit with a current market value of €140m.

The other two Gen Z midfielders are Jude Bellingham (born in 2003) and Federico Valverde (born in 1998), who reached career-high market values of €180m and €130m respectively. Then comes the firepower of the front three. On the left-wing is Kylian Mbappé (born in 1998) who reached €200, in 2019. On the right-wing is teenage sensation Lamine Yamal (born in 2007) who recently hit €200m at just 17 years of age. Up top for the Gen Z XI is Erling Haaland (born in 2000) who reached €200m earlier in the season. As eagle-eyed readers may have noticed, the entire Gen Z XI has a total market value of an incredible €1.47b, eclipsing the Millennials by around €90m. Nevertheless, both line-ups are sensational and arguments could easily be made for either team to win in a one-off game with all the players at their best.