233 players updated 

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Argentina’s Torneo Apertura becomes the final major division with a spring update ahead of the Major League Soccer update on April 17. Overall, 233 players playing in the Torneo Apertura were updated. While River Plate’s Franco Mastantuono remains the most valuable player at the top with a market value of €15 million, there is some movement behind the 17-year-old midfielder. Estudiantes’ midfielder Cristian Medina now has to share second place with Vélez Sarsfield defender  Valentín Gómez after seeing his market value drop by €2m to €10m. 

“Medina is a strange case,” Transfermarkt Area Manager Argentina and South America Scott Christensen said. “After some conflicts with Boca, he was purchased by an investor called Foster Gillett and is now playing in Estudiantes, when it’s usually the other way around—with top players from clubs like Estudiantes going to Boca or River. Gillett is a controversial case in Argentina as he’s the first investor we’ve had in our football and he’s made some big impact deals, Medina being the first and most important one.” Estudiantes paid €14.6m for Medina but the midfielder has struggled to make an impact and, as a result, his market value dropped. 

Other prominent downgrades include two players who arrived from LaLiga recently. Playmaker Iker Muniain (-€500,000 to €4m) joined San Lorenzo from Athletic Bilbao last September but has struggled with injuries. “At the age of 32 and considering he’s arrived from one of Europe’s top five leagues, his value deserved a downgrade,” Christensen said. Then there is Marcos Acuña. The 33-year-old World Cup winner returned home to join River Plate last summer. “Unfortunately, he hasn’t lived up to the expectations,” Christensen said. “He isn’t showing his offensive skills and has really slowed down, struggling to make an impact at River.” Acuña saw his market value drop 28.6% from €3.5m to €2.5m. 

Torneo Apertura: Upgrades for Independiente’s Loyola and Lomónaco

Meanwhile, two Independiente stars have significantly increased market value: Felipe Loyola and Kevin Lomónaco. “Loyola is one of the biggest winners of the upgrade,” Christensen said about the 24-year-old midfielder whose market value increased by 100% from €3m to €6m. “He’s a key player for his club and has scored three goals and two assists in 11 games. He is fast and usually makes the correct decisions. He was very good at Huachipato, but his easy adaptation and impact in a club like Independiente made his market value rise. He’s also a regular on the Chilean national team now.” 

Lomónaco, in the meantime, saw his market value rise by 50% from €4m to €6m. “Lomónaco is a technically gifted center-back, who almost ruined his career about two years ago as he was involved in an issue regarding online betting,” Christensen said. “Together with Loyola, he is one of the most important players Independiente have, leading the team to the league’s top. He is very good in aerial duels and often leads the charge from the back. Plus, he is very good with his feet.”

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).