What would top soccer players be worth in Adam Smith’s barter economy?

Diego Costa: 176 trips into space

Diego Costa is kind of a weird dude. He won’t stop complaining about his team or fighting opponents. It looks like he may have driven Antonio Conte to the edge and he may finally be transferred. The bravado of his playing style matches his slightly off-putting personality.

He hardly ever gives up possession. Costa kicks with power and precision. While he’s rarely perfect, he’s usually fascinating.

So, now that he’s probably getting the boot from Chelsea, a team hoping to sign him shouldn’t pay the millions he’s said to be worth. Instead, they should just give Chelsea a bunch of tickets to space

In pure monetary value, he’s worth about 176 trips into space. Here’s the basic math on that:

One trip on Virgin Galactic costs $250k. Costa’s last transfer fee was about $44 million, though this changes depending on exchange rates. Do the division, and you get 176.

Sure, 176 tickets to space wouldn’t help Chelsea win any more games. But life isn’t just about winning. Sometimes, you have to let yourself bask in the perks of your job. Sometimes you just need to go into space.

However, there is one thing Chelsea need to keep in mind before okaying this deal. Virgin has been saying that it’ll fly by a certain date, only for things to be pushed back. This goes as far back as the early 2000s, when Richard Branson said his spaceline would be operational by 2009. Thus far, all the company’s been able to do is get its crafts to glide and do some basic flying. It’s never reached space in 13 years as a company.

So maybe Chelsea need to be wary of receiving tickets that might never be useful. Then again, they might take anything to get rid of Costa.