Saudi Pro League market values: Ronaldo unchanged - Mané and Neymar drop

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Transfermarkt has updated or confirmed the market values of the 514 players playing in the Saudi Pro League. As was the case with the last update in October, downgrades once again dominate the headlines. While the world’s best-paid player, Cristiano Ronaldo, remained unchanged at €15m, three other players, Sadio Mané, Roberto Firmino, and Neymar, who were previously megastars in one of Europe’s top 5 leagues, were downgraded. 

While several top stars have been downgraded to reflect the reality that they are now playing in a league with a level significantly below Europe’s top leagues, Cristiano Ronaldo, for now, remains unchanged after the December upgrade. The main reason for this has been his significant contribution to his club Al-Nassr. Ronaldo has scored 20 goals and 10 assists in 22 games across all competitions. The 38-year-old also leads the Saudi Pro League in scoring with 16 goals in just 15 games and Ronaldo also keeps performing for the Portuguese national team (10 goals in nine European qualifiers). As a result, Ronaldo remains one of the four most valuable over 34-year-old players on the planet. 

Indeed, by signing a contract that made Ronaldo the highest-paid athlete on the planet with a reported annual salary of $215m, the Portuguese superstar acted as a door opener for the Saudi Pro League to sign other stars to big contracts. Mané (Al-Nassr), Neymar (Al-Hilal) and Firmino (Al-Ahli SFC) all signed lucrative contracts with Saudi Pro League teams last summer. All three have seen their market values downgraded as part of the December upgrade. 

Saudi market values: Neymar injured after just five games

Neymar managed just five appearances across all competitions (one goal and three assists) for Al-Hilal before he went down with a cruciate ligament tear that will keep him out until the spring. It was the Brazilian star’s third major injury over the last three seasons, as he has previously struggled with ankle problems at PSG, which required surgery last February (to Neymar’s injury history). Considering his age, the injury history and the fact that he no longer plays in a top league, a downgrade by 10% to now €45m was only consequential. Despite the downgrade, Neymar remains the most valuable player in the Saudi Pro League. 

In Firmino and Mané, two former Liverpool stars, also saw their market values downgraded. Firmino dropped by 33% from €15m to €10m. Firmino had options to stay in Europe and could have also headed to Major League Soccer, where St. Louis CITY SC were interested. Instead, the Brazilian accepted a lucrative offer from Al-Ahli, where he has struggled, scoring just three goals and three assists in 16 games across all competitions. Mané, in the meantime, continues his downward trend after struggling in the Bundesliga after making a high-profile move from Liverpool to Bayern. Playing with Ronaldo, Mané has scored ten goals and six assists in 23 games across all competitions for Al-Nassr. Not enough to maintain his market value as he dropped from €25m to now €20m. 

Despite all the downgrades, however, the Saudi Pro League maintained its status as one of the most valuable leagues outside of Europe’s top competitions. Indeed, Al-Hilal, despite several downgrades to star players that accumulated to a drop of €11.4 million to €222.33m, remains the most valuable club outside of Europe ahead of Brazilian club Palmeiras.

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).