141 players updated 

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Halfway through the Liga MX Clausura, Transfermarkt has updated the market values of 141 players playing in the Mexican first division, and there has been a change at the very top. After joining  Cruz Azul from Atlanta United, Greek striker Georgios Giakoumakis quickly became the most valuable player in Liga MX with a market value of €9 million. But following today’s update, Giakoumakis is no longer the number one as his value dropped by €1.5m to now €7.5m.

“Giakoumakis became the most valuable player in the country after being signed from MLS, but now at 30, he has yet to establish himself in Cruz Azul’s attack, where competition is getting tougher,” Transfermarkt Area Manager in Mexico, Osvaldo González Camacho, said. Giakoumakis now dropped to fourth spot with Club América’s Álvaro Fidalgo (+€500,000 to €8.5m), Luis Malagón (+1m to €8m), and Toluca’s Alexis Vega (+€2.5m to €8m) leapfrogging the Greek national team striker. 

The Cruz Azul star isn’t the only high-profile player with a significant drop in market value. In  Sergio Canales (-€500,000 to €6.5m), Lucas Ocampos (-€1m to €6.5m) and Sergio Ramos (-€300,000 to €1.5m) CF Monterrey top stars with a glorious European past have also seen their market values drop as part of this market value update. Coached by former Bayern and Man City legend Martin Demichelis, Los Rayados are stuck in mid-table and kicked out of the Concacaf Champions Cup (3-3 on aggregate) by the Vancouver Whitecaps. 

Liga MX market values: Ups and downs for US men’s national team stars 

New in the top ten is US men’s national team forward Álex Zendejas. After scoring five goals and five assists for Club América in the Clausura, Zendejas sees his market value increase by 40% from €5m to now €7m. “He has revived his career with América, and I have no doubt that at some point, his performances will make him a bigger consideration for the US men’s national team,” Camacho said. “As of today, he’s América’s best player this season, which is shaping up to be the best football we’ve seen from the three-time champion.”

One of his USMNT teammates is trending the other direction, however. “As for Cade Cowell, after the failed project with Óscar García, he couldn’t get the playing time he used to in previous seasons, which led to him losing his spot in the US men’s national team,” Camacho said about the Chivas striker. “He’s still young and has potential to grow—if Chivas doesn’t give him minutes this season, I wouldn’t be surprised if he looks for an exit, most likely back to MLS.” With Cowell struggling, his market value dropped by 20% from €5m to €4m.

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).