Lionel Messi has lost his position at the top of Major League Soccer's market value rankings following Transfermarkt's latest update of 801 MLS players. The Argentine superstar dropped €2 million to €18m, now sharing second place with Atlanta United's Emmanuel Latte Lath.
"Despite his age, Messi continues to perform consistently well this season," explains Transfermarkt Data Administrator North America Dominic Becker. "But of course you can't ignore the fact that he is getting older. With a market value of €18m, he is still by far the most expensive player of his age despite his downgrade."
The decline in Messi's valuation comes as "Inter Miami" has struggled to maintain the consistent form they showed last season. Currently sitting third in the Eastern Conference, the David Beckham-owned club also suffered a heavy 5-1 aggregate defeat to "Vancouver Whitecaps" in the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals.
Messi's teammates have also seen their market values decline. Federico Redondo dropped €1.5m to €5m, while veterans Luis Suárez, Jordi Alba, and other Miami players experienced similar downward adjustments.
Interestingly, the "Vancouver Whitecaps" have benefited from their impressive Concacaf Champions Cup run, despite ultimately losing 5-0 to Cruz Azul in the final. Striker Brian White has been particularly impressive, seeing his value rise by €500,000 to €5m after scoring 15 goals in 22 games this season, including five in the continental competition.
"White is currently playing a really strong season," notes Becker. "His goals so far have ensured that the Whitecaps have made it to the CCL final and are undisputedly in first place in the MLS' Western Conference."
Several other Whitecaps players also received significant market value boosts, including Ranko Veselinović (+€1m to €3m) and Tristan Blackmon (+€800,000 to €2.8m). Not bad for a club that's currently up for sale, right?
Expansion side "San Diego FC" has also made waves in the Western Conference, sitting second behind Vancouver with 30 points from 17 games. Danish winger Anders Dreyer has been exceptional for the newcomers, earning a 12.5% increase from €8m to €9m after scoring 13 goals in 17 games.
However, San Diego's Mexican star Hirving Lozano saw his value drop by €2m to €10m. "Lozano's start to the season was unfortunately interrupted by yet another muscle injury," explains Becker. "However, he has been fit again since matchday six and has performed well since then. But Lozano will soon be 30, which is why we have decided to downgrade him due to his age."
Age has affected other prominent MLS players too, with Atlanta's Miguel Almirón dropping €2m to €10m. Meanwhile, "LA Galaxy" stars Gabriel Pec, Joseph Paintsil, and former Dortmund legend Marco Reus all saw decreases, reflecting the club's disastrous start with just seven points from 17 games.
Can these players reverse their declining valuations with improved performances in the second half of the season? For aging stars like Messi, maintaining even this high valuation is remarkable – though I'm sure he's more focused on helping Miami climb back to the top of the Eastern Conference than worrying about market numbers.
