Lionel Messi is the main figure of the latest update of the Major League Soccer (MLS) market values, the top tier of football in the United States of America, which came into effect this Monday.

This is because the Argentine saw his rating decrease for the first time since he swapped PSG for Inter Miami, on a free transfer, after his contract with the French club expired: his market value dropped from 35 to 30 million euros.

This devaluation is easy to justify: Messi is now 36 years old (turning 37 in June this year), so the tendency is for his financial evaluation to continue to decrease with age.

Nevertheless, we highlight Messi’s good start to the 2024 season: in the current edition of the MLS, ‘La Pulga’ scored three goals in as many games, as well as providing an assist.

It is also worth mentioning that this is the lowest market value recorded by the Argentine in over 17 years. In January 2006, when he still played for Barcelona, Messi was valued at 15 million euros, seeing his rating increase to 40 million in the summer of 2007. Since then, he had already experienced some depreciations, but never to values as low as 30 million euros.

However, as can be seen in the gallery below, Messi remains the most valuable player in the current MLS.

In addition to Messi, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, who also play for Inter Miami, were also devalued in this market value review. Both 35 years old, the Spanish players were valued at 3 million euros each, now dropping to 2.5 million.

Luis Muriel also lost market value. At 32 years old, and a few weeks after moving from Atalanta to Orlando City, the Colombian forward saw his rating drop from 3.5 to 3 million euros. In the early stages of the season, Muriel has yet to score a goal – playing four games – in the MLS.

On the appreciation side, Patrick Schulte stands out. The 23-year-old American goalkeeper has been linked to several English clubs due to his good performances for Columbus Crew. As a result, his market value doubled from 1.5 to 3 million euros, making him the most valuable goalkeeper in the current MLS, on par with Maxime Crépeau of the Portland Timbers.

This is how Transfermarkt market values work.

The Transfermarkt market values are calculated taking into account various pricing models. An important factor is the Transfermarkt community, where members discuss and evaluate player market values in detail. In general, Transfermarkt market values should not be equated with the actual transfer fees paid.