{"id":440883,"date":"2025-12-11T20:37:26","date_gmt":"2025-12-11T20:37:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/440883\/"},"modified":"2025-12-11T20:37:26","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T20:37:26","slug":"major-league-soccer-market-values-lionel-messi-down-heung-min-son-hits-10-year-low","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/440883\/","title":{"rendered":"Major League Soccer market values: Lionel Messi down &#8211; Heung-Min Son hits 10 year low"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>837 upates\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>                                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/major-league-soccer-market-value-spotlight-dec-2025-1765317181-184740.jpg\" title=\"Major League Soccer market values: Lionel Messi down - Heung-Min Son hits 10 year low\" alt=\"Major League Soccer market values: Lionel Messi down - Heung-Min Son hits 10 year low\"\/><\/p>\n<p>\n                                       \u00a9TM\/IMAGO\n                                    <\/p>\n<p>With the conclusion of the <a title=\"MLS Cup Playoffs\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/mls-cup-playoffs\/startseite\/wettbewerb\/POUS\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">MLS Cup Playoffs<\/a> Final in Fort Lauderdale, Transfermarkt has updated the market values of 827 <a title=\"Major League Soccer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/major-league-soccer\/startseite\/wettbewerb\/MLS1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Major League Soccer<\/a> players. The most significant changes are once again at the top and involve several superstars who, despite their considerable contributions this year, saw their market values negatively affected by age-related downgrades. This involves MLS Cup winner and <a title=\"Inter Miami CF\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/inter-miami-cf\/startseite\/verein\/69261\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Inter Miami CF<\/a> star <a title=\"Lionel Messi\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/lionel-messi\/profil\/spieler\/28003\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lionel Messi<\/a>, as well as <a title=\"Los Angeles FC\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/los-angeles-fc\/startseite\/verein\/51828\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">LAFC<\/a> superstar <a title=\"Heung-min Son\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/heung-min-son\/profil\/spieler\/91845\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Heung-min Son<\/a>. The league\u2019s most valuable player, <a title=\"Riqui Puig\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/riqui-puig\/profil\/spieler\/331511\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Riqui Puig<\/a>, who missed all of 2025, also saw his market value downgraded by 10% from \u20ac20 million to \u20ac18m.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/major-league-soccer\/marktwertaenderungen\/wettbewerb\/MLS1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"MLS: All new market values at a glance\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/mls-market-value-update-in-news-dec-2025-1765317985-184741.jpg\" alt=\"MLS: All new market values at a glance\" width=\"503\" height=\"148\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Although Transfermarkt tries to avoid downgrading injured players, the slight downgrade for Puig was necessary. After missing an entire season with an ACL tear suffered in the 2024 Western Conference finals, the <a title=\"Los Angeles Galaxy\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/los-angeles-galaxy\/startseite\/verein\/1061\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">LA Galaxy<\/a> star has been back in training but failed to feature in a single game. There is no doubt that when fully fit, he is one of the best players in the league. But his market value will certainly be impacted by the prolonged abstinence. Furthermore, the 26-year-old Spaniard will now have to confirm his lofty market value, which he received following the Galaxy\u2019s 2024 MLS Cup-winning campaign.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, all the focus in this year\u2019s playoffs has been on Messi. Although the Argentine broke record after record, a downgrade was unavoidable for the 38-year-old megastar. \u201cMessi once again played a fantastic season,\u201d Transfermarkt Data Administrator North America Dominic Becker said. \u201cHe remains the vocal point of Miami\u2019s game and was crucial for the club to win its first-ever MLS Cup. But he is also getting older, even if you don\u2019t notice it with his performances, and despite the downgrade, he remains the most valuable player of his age category.\u201d Indeed, the downgrade was widely discussed, but <a title=\"Cristiano Ronaldo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/cristiano-ronaldo\/profil\/spieler\/8198\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cristiano Ronaldo<\/a>&#8216;s similar downgrade at the same age made it unavoidable for Messi to go down by \u20ac3m, from \u20ac18m to \u20ac15m.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/vergleich\/spielervergleich\/statistik\/def\/spieler\/28003&amp;8198\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"spielervergleichLink\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<p>Player Comparison<\/p>\n<p>\n                Inter Miami CF            <\/p>\n<p>\n                Al-Nassr FC            <\/p>\n<p>\u20ac15.00m<\/p>\n<p>Market Value<\/p>\n<p>\u20ac12.00m<\/p>\n<p>        <br class=\"clearer\"\/><\/p>\n<p>        <br class=\"clearer\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Right Winger<\/p>\n<p>Position<\/p>\n<p>Centre-Forward<\/p>\n<p>        <br class=\"clearer\"\/><\/p>\n<p>31\/12\/2028<\/p>\n<p>Contract until<\/p>\n<p>30\/06\/2027<\/p>\n<p>\n            Full Player Comparison\n        <\/p>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<p>\nMLS market values: Ups and downs for Inter Miami &#8211; Son and M\u00fcller downgraded<\/p>\n<p>Messi isn\u2019t the only Inter Miami star to be downgraded. Defensive midfielder <a title=\"Rodrigo De Paul\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/rodrigo-de-paul\/profil\/spieler\/255901\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rodrigo De Paul<\/a> saw his second market value drop in as many updates. Signed as an enforcer to strengthen the Miami midfield, De Paul was one of the heroes in the MLS Cup final. But the Argentine isn\u2019t getting any younger, and the \u20ac5m drop from \u20ac20m to \u20ac15m better represents the \u20ac15m purchase option in his loan agreement. But while Messi and De Paul are down, the news was better elsewhere. Among the upgrades are wonderkid <a title=\"Mateo Silvetti\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/mateo-silvetti\/profil\/spieler\/1213080\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mateo Silvetti<\/a> (+\u20ac1m to \u20ac6m), <a title=\"Tadeo Allende\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/tadeo-allende\/profil\/spieler\/872184\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tadeo Allende<\/a> (+\u20ac2m to \u20ac5m), who broke the MLS Cup Playoff record with nine goals, and <a title=\"Telasco Segovia\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/telasco-segovia\/profil\/spieler\/858719\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Telasco Segovia<\/a> (+\u20ac1.5m to \u20ac4.5m).<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Away from Inter Miami, two other former European stars saw their market value downgraded. At LAFC, Son has been sensational since he arrived in MLS, scoring 12 goals and providing four assists. \u201cHe didn\u2019t need any time to get used to his new environment,\u201d Becker said. \u201cTogether with <a title=\"Denis Bouanga\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/denis-bouanga\/profil\/spieler\/236045\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Denis Bouanga<\/a> (unchanged at \u20ac8m) he created a dangerous duo and without a doubt, the two will also be dangerous next season. But Son is now 33, which means an age-related downgrade is unavoidable at this stage.\u201d Indeed, the Korean, who has been popular on and off the pitch, breaking all sorts of jersey sale records in Southern California, saw his market value downgraded by \u20ac3m to \u20ac17m, which makes him the second most valuable player in MLS. It is the lowest market value for Son since June 2015, when he was still playing in the Bundesliga for Bayer Leverkusen.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"MLS market value update for ageing stars\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/mls-market-value-update-aging-stars-own-the-down-1765318170-184742.jpg\" alt=\"MLS market value update for ageing stars\" width=\"503\" height=\"629\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Son wasn\u2019t the only summer arrival to bring instant success to his new team. At the <a title=\"Vancouver Whitecaps FC\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/vancouver-whitecaps-fc\/startseite\/verein\/6321\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Vancouver Whitecaps<\/a>, <a title=\"Thomas M\u00fcller\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/thomas-m-ller\/profil\/spieler\/58358\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Thomas M\u00fcller<\/a> helped his team reach the first-ever MLS Cup Final, where they lost narrowly to Messi\u2019s Inter Miami. Despite the defeat, M\u00fcller became the most decorated German player in history after winning the Canadian Championship earlier this season. \u201cM\u00fcller\u2019s impact could be felt from the first day,\u201d Becker said. \u201cHis footballing ability and character have lifted the Whitecaps to a new level both on and off the field. He leads, takes on responsibilities, and is an integral part of a very strong team. Despite a small downgrade from \u20ac6m to \u20ac5m he remains one of the most valuable players in his age category.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>MLS market values: Many upgrades for Vancouver \u2013 Dreyer leads San Diego<\/p>\n<p>While M\u00fcller saw his market value downgraded, the same wasn\u2019t true for many of his teammates. Leading the charge among the upgrades is US men\u2019s national team midfielder <a title=\"Sebastian Berhalter\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/sebastian-berhalter\/profil\/spieler\/734761\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sebastian Berhalter<\/a>. The 24-year-old has been sensational this season and will be in high demand this winter, and, as a result, saw his market value increase by 66.7% from \u20ac3m to \u20ac5m. Other notable upgrades at the Whitecaps are <a title=\"Ali Ahmed\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/ali-ahmed\/profil\/spieler\/995642\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ali Ahmed<\/a> (+\u20ac500,000 to \u20ac4m), <a title=\"Yohei Takaoka\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/yohei-takaoka\/profil\/spieler\/309196\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Yohei Takaoka<\/a> (+\u20ac500,000 to \u20ac3.5m), <a title=\"Tristan Blackmon\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/tristan-blackmon\/profil\/spieler\/562383\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Tristan Blackmon<\/a> (+\u20ac300,000 to \u20ac3.5m), <a title=\"Math\u00edas Laborda\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/math-as-laborda\/profil\/spieler\/577405\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Math\u00edas Laborda<\/a> (+\u20ac1.5m to \u20ac3.5m), <a title=\"\u00c9dier Ocampo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/-dier-ocampo\/profil\/spieler\/958473\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u00c9dier Ocampo<\/a> (+\u20ac1m to \u20ac3m), and <a title=\"Emmanuel Sabbi\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/emmanuel-sabbi\/profil\/spieler\/381187\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Emmanuel Sabbi<\/a> (+\u20ac1m to \u20ac2.5m).<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, at Western Conference finalist <a title=\"San Diego FC\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/san-diego-fc\/startseite\/verein\/114977\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">San Diego FC<\/a>, <a title=\"Anders Dreyer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/anders-dreyer\/profil\/spieler\/342389\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Andres Dreyer<\/a> has been one of the biggest winners of the update. \u201cWe are running out of words to describe his performances,\u201d Becker said. \u201cThe 41 direct goal involvements speak for themselves, and he is an important member of Denmark\u2019s national team. Still only 27, he has now hit his peak and for good reason was one of the MLS MVP finalists.\u201d Dreyer saw his market value increase by 25% from \u20ac12m to \u20ac15m.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"MLS: The ten most valuable players after the update\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/mls-the-most-valuable-players-after-the-update-1765409182-184903.png\" alt=\"MLS: The ten most valuable players after the update\" width=\"503\" height=\"629\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Dreyer headlines what has been an excellent first season by the club. The noticeable update concerns <a title=\"Hirving Lozano\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/hirving-lozano\/profil\/spieler\/316889\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hirving Lozano<\/a>, whose market value was downgraded by \u20ac2m from \u20ac10m to \u20ac8m. Although they were knocked out by the Whitecaps in the Western Conference final, there is no doubt that it has been a special season for the expansion side. As a result, several upgrades have been made to the Southern California-based club. Notable upgrades include <a title=\"Luca Bombino\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/luca-bombino\/profil\/spieler\/1137865\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Luca Bombino<\/a> (+\u20ac1.2m to \u20ac2.5m), <a title=\"Manu Duah\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/manu-duah\/profil\/spieler\/1355954\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Manu Duah<\/a> (+\u20ac900,000 to \u20ac1m), <a title=\"Christopher McVey\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/christopher-mcvey\/profil\/spieler\/321155\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Christopher McVey<\/a> (+\u20ac1m to \u20ac2m), and <a title=\"Onni Valakari\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/onni-valakari\/profil\/spieler\/407663\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Onni Valakari<\/a> (+\u20ac1m to \u20ac5m).<\/p>\n<p>MLS market values: Cavan Sullivan receives initial market value \u2013 Talents to watch<\/p>\n<p>As always, there are several wonderkids to keep an eye on, and the most prominent is <a title=\"Cavan Sullivan\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/cavan-sullivan\/profil\/spieler\/1009732\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cavan Sullivan<\/a>. The 16-year-old Philadelphia Union talent<a href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/already-signed-by-man-city-cavan-sullivan-becomes-the-youngest-player-in-mls-history\/view\/news\/440952\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> became the youngest player in MLS history<\/a> during the 2024 season and continues to make significant progress. \u201cHe is considered the biggest talent in US football,\u201d Becker said. \u201cThis season, he has been a regular in the Union squad and has featured on several occasions. Plus, he has been excellent in MLS Next Pro.\u201d It is an open secret that Sullivan will join Man City when he turns 18 for a deal worth in the region of $5m (\u20ac4.3m). With that in mind, Transfermarkt has set Sullivan&#8217;s opening market value at \u20ac3.5m.<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Other notable young stars with upgrades include <a title=\"New England Revolution\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/new-england-revolution\/startseite\/verein\/626\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">New England Revolution<\/a> wing-back <a title=\"Peyton Miller\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/peyton-miller\/profil\/spieler\/1016918\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Peyton Miller<\/a>. The 18-year-old saw his market value upgraded by 500% from \u20ac500,000 to \u20ac3m. At LAFC, 19-year-old Venezuelan striker <a title=\"David Mart\u00ednez\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/david-mart-nez\/profil\/spieler\/988222\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">David Mart\u00ednez<\/a> saw his market value increase by \u20ac1m to \u20ac4m. Furthermore, <a title=\"Charlotte FC\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/charlotte-fc\/startseite\/verein\/78435\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Charlotte FC<\/a>\u2019s 19-year-old midfielder <a title=\"Baye Coulibaly\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/baye-coulibaly\/profil\/spieler\/1132631\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Baye Coulibaly<\/a> received a starting market value of \u20ac1.5m. Other teenagers to watch are New England\u2019s <a title=\"Allan Oyirwoth\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/allan-oyirwoth\/profil\/spieler\/1202417\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Allan Oyirwoth<\/a> (+300% to \u20ac400,000), <a title=\"Columbus Crew\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/columbus-crew\/startseite\/verein\/813\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Columbus Crew<\/a>\u2019s T <a title=\"Taha Habroune\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/taha-habroune\/profil\/spieler\/1093277\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">aha Habroune<\/a> (+166.7% to \u20ac400,000), and Vancouver\u2019s <a title=\"Rayan Elloumi\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/rayan-elloumi\/profil\/spieler\/1273985\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rayan Elloumi<\/a>, who received a starting market value of \u20ac300,000.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How Transfermarkt market values work<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>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 (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.transfermarkt.com\/market-value-definition\/thread\/forum\/357\/thread_id\/3433\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">you can find the detailed market value definition here<\/a>).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"837 upates\u00a0 \u00a9TM\/IMAGO With the conclusion of the MLS Cup Playoffs Final in Fort Lauderdale, Transfermarkt has updated&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":440884,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[55904,203470,21478,34675,72399,6074,5506,6068,79140,6071,89028,147657,8895,203471,77458,15520,221,62,145658,65859,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-440883","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-soccer","8":"tag-anders-dreyer","9":"tag-cavan-sullivan","10":"tag-charlotte-fc","11":"tag-columbus-crew","12":"tag-heung-min-son","13":"tag-inter-miami-cf","14":"tag-lionel-messi","15":"tag-los-angeles-fc","16":"tag-los-angeles-galaxy","17":"tag-major-league-soccer","18":"tag-new-england-revolution","19":"tag-peyton-miller","20":"tag-philadelphia-union","21":"tag-riqui-puig","22":"tag-rodrigo-de-paul","23":"tag-san-diego-fc","24":"tag-soccer","25":"tag-sports","26":"tag-tadeo-allende","27":"tag-thomas-muller","28":"tag-united-states","29":"tag-unitedstates","30":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115702862090831385","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/440883","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=440883"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/440883\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/440884"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=440883"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=440883"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=440883"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}