471 new market values
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Al-Nassr ‘s €77 million signing Jhon Durán has suffered a significant drop in the Saudi Pro League’s market value update, but retains his status as the most valuable player in the league. Cristiano Ronaldo has not only defended his status as the world’s most valuable over-40 footballer, but he’s also one of the league’s few stars to maintain his market value. Transfermarkt has updated the market values of 471 footballers in the Saudi top-flight following the end of the season. The league’s overall value has dropped significantly.
This update is dominated by downgrades. A total of 46 players have suffered a loss of at least €1 million, five of whom have dropped by at least €5m. The biggest loser is Aleksandar Mitrović (Al-Hilal), who drops by €7m to €18m “His loss is primarily due to his advancing age. Mitrović will soon be 31. He was sidelined for a while with injuries, but his goal tally was still good at 19 goals in 23 league games,” says Tiberius Radziejewski, Area Manager for Asia at Transfermarkt.
Former Premier League star Moussa Diaby (Al-Ittihad) and French compatriot Mohamed Simakan (Al-Nassr) have also seen their market values slashed, with both losing €5m in this update. Diaby is now valued at €30m and Simakan at €23m. Durán (€35m) and Gabri Veiga (€18m) from Al-Ahli have also seen their market values drop by €5m. The market values of Durán and Diaby are being adjusted to the league level, while Veiga is set to return to Europe with Porto and is set to move for a fee below market value. “Simakan had a poor year, being sent off twice and not being able to justify the €35 million transfer fee paid for him,” says Radziejewski.
Julián Quiñones recorded the biggest increase with an increase of €2m to €12m. The Al-Qadsiah striker scored 18 goals in 19 games and is second in the list of top scorers without penalties behind Karim Benzema. In the eyes of expert Radziejewski, Quiñones is undoubtedly one of the league’s rising stars: “Together with veteran Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, he almost shot newly promoted Al-Qadsiah into the Champions League. Champions League Two, which is comparable to the Europa League, can still be reached via the cup final,’ said the Asian football expert. Ronaldo was top scorer with 25 goals in 30 league games – at 40 years of age he confirms his market value of €12m, which is an absolute rarity in this age group. There is every indication that this may have been his last season at Al-Nassr.
In terms of squad values in the Saudi League, Al-Qadsiah (€67.9m) is the only team with a positive value – but at €1.2m, it’s a small one. The remaining 17 teams are worth less than before the update, and the total value of the league has decreased by €114 million. This means that the SPL loses its status as a multi-billion-euro league and now has a lower value than Europe’s top 10 leagues. “There are two main reasons for this,” says Radziejewski: “Firstly, hardly any of the top teams were able to consistently impress and usually fell short of their own expectations. Surprise teams that would sustainably push themselves into the spotlight were also lacking. Secondly, the key players at most clubs are already of an advanced age and generally don’t receive any upgrades – in Europe, the Saudi Pro League would be the league with the highest average age.”
How Transfermarkt market values work
The Transfermarkt market values are calculated, taking into account various pricing models. A major factor is the Transfermarkt community, whose members discuss and evaluate player market values in detail. In general, the Transfermarkt market values are not to be equated with transfer fees.
The goal is not to predict a price but an expected value of a player in a free market. Both individual transfer modalities and situational conditions are relevant in determining market values. Examples of this are listed below. Transfermarkt does not use an algorithm (you can find the detailed market value definition here).
