MLS market values: Lionel Messi drops again – Brighton prospect Diego Gomez up by 25%

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109 players updated 

With transfer activities concluded across Europe and North America, Transfermarkt has updated the market values of 109 Major League Soccer players. The latest update includes one of the most famous players on the planet: Lionel Messi. The 37-year-old Argentine remains the most prolific player in the MLS, but age is a big factor, and with that in mind, Transfermarkt has opted to downgrade Messi by -€5m to €25m in this intermediary update. 

“Messi’s downgrade was inevitable,” Transfermarkt Data Administrator North America Dominic Becker said about the Inter Miami CF star. “Despite his still incredible performances, his age is increasingly becoming a factor. Injuries took a toll last season, and he has already missed ten games this season.” The downgrade marks Messi’s lowest market value since January 2006. Despite the downgrade, Messi remains the most valuable player aged 34 or older in the Transfermarkt database. Also, with Thiago Almada sold by Atlanta United this summer, Messi remains the most valuable player in Major League Soccer. 

With Almada gone, the drop to second place is now a substantial €10m. After the update, two players share that space: LA Galaxy star Riqui Puig and Columbus Crew striker Cucho Hernández. While Puig remains unchanged, Hernández saw his market value increase by 15.4% to now €15m. “Cucho is developing towards becoming the best MLS striker the league has ever seen,” Becker said. “As a goalscorer, he is almost impossible to defend against, but he also has a good eye for his teammates. Those attributes also make him very interesting for clubs based in Europe.” 

Diego Gómez up by 25%: Future Brighton midfielder joins MLS elite 

For Diego Gómez, that move to Europe is all but confirmed. “Gómez’s transfer to Brighton is only a matter of time,” Becker said. “The reported transfer fee of €13.2m is one of the factors in our market value analysis. The transfer aside, Gómez deserves his market value increase. He is a flexible player and has already scored six goals and seven assists in 21 games across all competitions for Inter Miami. Gómez might have seen his value increase even further without his ankle injury.” Gómez, who also scored the historic game-winner in Paraguay’s Conmebol World Cup qualifier against Brazil (1-0) saw his market value increase by 25% to now €10m. 

The new market value puts Gómez in a group of players that includes Denis Bouanga (LAFC), Aleksey Miranchuk (Atlanta), Hugo Cuypers, and, after this update, also Brazilian midfielder Evander. Portland Timbers’ Brazilian star has quietly become one of the biggest attractions in Major League Soccer. Signed from Danish side FC Midtjylland for €9.5m ahead of the 2023 season, Evander is finally having the impact the Timbers were hoping for when they made him the most expensive player in club history. Evander has scored 15 goals and 17 assists in 28 games across all competitions, enough to earn a market value increase of €2m to now €10m. 

Other notable upgrades in MLS include LAFC’s Mateusz Bogusz (+€4m to €8m), Houston Dynamo’s Ezequiel Ponce (+€2m to €7m), Minnesota United’s Tani Oluwaseyi and Columbus Crew’s Diego Rossi (+€1m to €8m). The biggest upgrade in terms of percentage goes to Sporting Kansas City striker Stephen Afrifa. Called up to the Canadian men’s national team in September, Afrifa saw his market value increase by 566.7% from €150,000 to €1m. 

Mukhtar, Driussi, and Ferreira – Prominent MLS stars downgraded

The focus is undoubtedly on Messi. But the Argentine legend isn’t the only top star in MLS with a downgrade. Among the most notable names were Nashville SC’s Hany Mukhtar (-€1m to €8m), Austin FC’s Sebastián Driussi (-€2m to €6m), FC Dallas’ Jesús Ferreira (-€2m to €6m) and his teammate Alan Velasco (-€1m to €5m). In the case of Mukhtar, the downgrades have been a reaction to a drop in production and age. In the meantime, Velasco has struggled with fitness during his entire time with FC Dallas.  

Finally, there is the curious case of Ferreira. For years, the US men’s national team striker has been the most productive player for Dallas. But this season, his productivity has dropped to just five goals and three assists in 18 games. Furthermore, Ferreira seems to have missed the right time to move to Europe. Spartak Moscow offered $13m in the winter, but MLS blocked the move because of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. Other than the interest from Russia, there seems to be no interest from European clubs wanting to sign the forward. With his productivity slowing down this year, the drop in market value was only consequential. 

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).