Belgium sees Jorthy Mokio, future jewel of world football, soar

Belgium sees Jorthy Mokio, an 18‑year‑old midfielder at Ajax, whose market value is estimated at €52.9 million by the CIES Football Observatory, placing the Congolese in second place in the U20 ranking outside the five major European leagues.

Ranking and competitors

In this study, only Oskar Pietuszewski, an 18‑year‑old from FC Porto, outranks Mokio with €56.3 million. The third place goes to Mateus Mané of Wolverhampton, valued at €46.1 million. None of the top ten play in the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga or Ligue 1, as the CIES excluded those leagues.

The Serbian Mihajlo Cvetkovic, a 19‑year‑old from Anderlecht, occupies ninth place with €28.8 million, while Aaron Bouwman, a defender at Ajax, sits at eighth place with €30.4 million. The top 5 also includes João Simões (Sporting Portugal, €43.2 M) and Álvaro Montoro (Botafogo, €39.3 M).

Enormous transfer value for Jorthy Mokio drives Ajax interest

Career and contract of Mokio

Born in Belgium, Mokio left Gent for Ajax in 2024, at the age of 16, and quickly established himself in the first team. In April, he extended his contract until mid‑2031, after having already played nearly fifty official matches; he now has 68.

The CIES model incorporates age, contract length, playing time, previous transfer fees and the club’s recruitment strategy, which explains the high valuation without guaranteeing that Ajax will actually receive €52.9 million.

At only 18 years old, Mokio is already regarded as one of the most valuable talents of his generation outside the major leagues, capable of playing both in midfield and defence.