Relative age effect on the market value of elite European football players: a balanced sample approach

Research question Athletes born late in the selection year are disadvantaged compared to the relatively older in youth age groups. This leads to an overrepresentation of the early-born in professional teams, which is called the relative age effect (RAE). Previous studies examine the RAE on wage or market value with contradictory results. This paper aims to estimate the partial RAE on the market value of top-level European football players with a...