QSL update
Transfermarkt has updated the market values of the Qatar Stars League, revaluating a total of 323 players. In the process, James Rodríguez of Al-Rayyan SC maintains his status as the league’s most valuable player, but drops by €5 million to €15 million. For the Colombian, it is the fourth consecutive downgrade since October 2020, when his market value was €35 million. Now he has left European football and therefore could not maintain his high value. Following his departure from Everton, James has made seven appearances, in which he scored one goal and provided four assists.
With 13 goals in eleven matches, Michael Olunga of Al-Duhail SC is the league’s top scorer. The Kenya international is maintaining his form from the AFC Champions League, where he scored the most goals in last year’s competition. For the forward, it goes up by €2 million to €7 million, making him the biggest winner of this update, in which other veterans besides James also lose value. This includes former Spurs defender Toby Alderweireld, who plays in a team with Olunga. The Belgian defender has been active in the capital Doha since last summer – his contract runs until 2024. His market value drops by €2 million to €8 million, which was last the case in 2012 when he was still at Ajax.
The situation is similar for Steven Nzonzi, who is a regular at Al-Rayyan in the position behind James. The World Cup winner is now worth €6 million after a minus of €2 million. Things are also going downhill for ex-Arsenal midfielder Santi Cazorla. The Spaniard is in his second season in Qatar at Al-Sadd SC, who were recently still coached by Xavi. The 37-year-old scored one goal and contributed one assist in six appearances this season. Also posting a minus is former Leeds forward Pierre-Michel Lasogga, who is the only German playing in Qatar. The Al-Khor SC attacker’s market value drops from €700,000 to €300,000, his fourth consecutive devaluation.
€179m between James & 1st place – The highest cumulative transfer fees
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).
