Minus for insignia
After the conclusion of the MLS Cup playoffs, Transfermarkt revised the market values of 865 players in Major League Soccer and confirmed Lionel Messi (36) at the top. After receiving the Ballon d’Or, his significant financial impact on Inter Miami CF off the pitch and winning the Leagues Cup on the pitch, Transfermarkt has decided to keep the star player unchanged at €35 million. This means that Argentina’s World Cup-winning captain remains not only the most valuable player in the MLS, but also the most valuable footballer in the world who is 34 years old or older.
National team colleague Thiago Almada (22; remains at 27 million euros) from Atlanta United remains in second place behind Messi in the MLS ranking before the first shift takes place behind him. Orlando City winger Facundo Torres (23) benefits from FC Austin’s former third-placed Sebastián Driussi (27)’s 3 million loss to 12 million euros, while the Uruguayan remains at 14 million euros. Driussi is the biggest loser in the league. A big winner, however, is ex-Herthan player Eduard Löwen (26) from St. Louis City, who gains 1 million euros to 5.5 million euros.
Newly promoted to the top 5 and top winner is Cucho Hernández (24), the market value of the striker from champion Columbus Crew increases from 10 million to 13 million euros. Hernández scored 16 goals and seven assists in 27 games in the MLS regular season and was an important key performer for his team in the playoffs, which ended with the third championship title in the club’s history by beating defending champions LAFC. In the MLS Cup final he scored the opening goal and in the playoffs he was the top scorer with five goals along with Denis Bouanga (29).
Messi at the top: Most valuable players in the MLS
“With Cucho, Columbus has signed a top player,” says Dominic Becker, Data Administrator North America at Transfermarkt, about the Colombian attacker, who was brought in from Watford FC in July 2022 for 9.55 million euros. “Not only is he a consistent goalscorer, but he also has the second most assists on his team. This combination made him one of the main reasons for Columbus’ successful title run.”
MLS market value update: Bouanga on the rise, Acosta reaches personal best
Even though Los Angeles and Bouanga lost out in the MLS Cup final, the left winger managed to score five goals in the playoffs, continuing his streak from the regular season in which he won the Golden Boot with 20 goals in 31 games . “41 scorers in 40 appearances in the 2023 season speak for themselves,” emphasizes Becker. “He was the ultimate in the league. Whether in the Leagues Cup, in the regular season or in the playoffs, Bouanga has always been a reliable goalscorer and has the quality to decide games single-handedly.” As a result, his market value climbs by 25 percent to 10 million euros.
Bouanga wasn’t the only regular season star who missed out on winning the title with his club in the playoffs. Luciano Acosta (29) was voted MVP by the league at the end of regular time after the Argentine scored 17 goals and ten assists. He led FC Cincinnati to the first Supporters Shield trophy in club history, which is awarded to the club that finishes first in the regular season. Now he’s up 33 percent to 8 million euros, which is the highest value in the offensive force’s career.
Several young US internationals are also on the rise, including Noel Buck (18) from New England Revolution (+700,000 to 2.5 million euros), Diego Luna (20) from Real Salt Lake City (+1 million to 4 .5 million euros) and Brian Gutiérrez (20) from Chicago Fire (+500,000 to 4 million euros). This trio is the future and makes it clear that MLS is increasingly relying on younger players.
Messi, Insigne, Shaqiri & Co.: The highest paid players in the MLS
However, that doesn’t mean the league doesn’t continue to be a destination for older stars, as Messi proves. But while the 36-year-old can maintain his valuation, things are going downhill for others – such as Lorenzo Insigne (32) from FC Toronto, the Italian European champion of 2021. “The relationship between Insigne and Toronto is unsatisfactory for both sides,” stated Becker: “Insigne was never an important factor. This season he often struggled with injuries and never got going. When he played, he was just a shadow of his former self.” The consequence: a devaluation from 8 million to 6 million euros.
This is how transfer market market values work
The transfer market market values are created taking into account various pricing models as well as a strong involvement of the transfer market community, which deals with the values in detailed discussions. The transfer market market values cannot generally be equated with the transfer fees actually paid.
The goal is not to predict a price, but rather an expected value. When determining the market value, both individual transfer modalities and situational conditions are relevant to a certain extent. Examples of this are listed here. Transfermarkt does not use an algorithm (for detailed market value definition).
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