Liga MX market values: Toluca's Fernández closes in on Thauvin - 8 downgrades for Monterrey

Ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, all players of Mexico's Liga MX have received a new market value. The two Uruguayans, Fernando Gorriarán (Santos Laguna) and Leonardo Fernández (Toluca), are now closing in on the league's most valuable player Florian Thauvin (Tigres). The Frenchman was able to defend first place with a market value of €10 million.

Fernández was the main reason for Deportivo Toluca's positive season, in which the club had a good run in the Liguilla Apertura, eliminating Club América in the semifinals. Toluca was not stopped until the final, where they lost 8-2 on aggregate to Pachuca. Despite the final loss, Fernández was one of the positive stories of the season and received an upgrade from €7m to €8m. Altogether, eight Toluca players received an upgrade—the squad value went up by €4.3m or 10%.  

At Santos Laguna, who were eliminated in the quarterfinals by Toluca, Gorriarán was one of the players of the season. The midfielder received a market value upgrade from €8m to €9m. Signed for just €2.5m from Hungarian side Ferncváros, the midfielder is under contract until 2026 and now has the opportunity to further increase his market value at the upcoming World Cup. Santos Laguna saw eight players upgraded and seven players downgraded, and, as a result, the squad value saw just a slight increase of €2.3m. 

Other players involved in the Liguilla who have seen their market value increase are Henry Martín from América (+€1.5m to €6m), Javier López from Pachuca (+€1m to €3.5m) and Arturo González from Monterrey (+€0.5m to €6m), Top players from champions Pachuca like Érick Sánchez (€8m), Nicolás Ibáñez (€7.5m) and Luis Chávez (+0.5m to €6.5m) were able to hold or increase their market values slightly. 

Eight Monterrey players downgraded - Rodolfo Pizarro down to €3.5m

But there were also downgrades. The two teams from Nuevo Leon, Tigres UANL and CF Monterrey, in particular, were hit hard. Monterrey saw eight players downgraded, which means the most valuable squad in Liga MX has dropped by €4.2m. Argentine winger Maximiliano Meza was signed for €13m from Independiente in 2019 but has dropped in market value from €9m to €8m. Despite reaching the semifinal, several players were unable to reach their full potential. Meanwhile, Rodolfo Pizarro, who is on loan from MLS side Inter Miami CF saw his market value drop to €3.5m—his lowest market value since 2015.

Tigres were not hit quite that hard, but several top players like Guido Pizarro (-€0.2m to €3m), Diego Reyes (-0.5m to €2m), Luis Quiñones (-€0.5m to €2.5m) and Javier Aquino (-€0.2m to €2.3m) saw their market value decrease in this update. Older players like América goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa (-€0.3m to €1.2m), Julio César Domínguez (-€0.2m to €1m) from Cruz Azul and Avilés Hurtado (-€0.2m to €1m) from champions Pachuca saw their market value decrease because of age. 

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).