Pedro Oliveira
Over the years, MLS has not only grown economically, it has also become a more interesting challenge for a greater number of players who may not be so comfortable playing in a European league, or who want to move from the big South American leagues to something more stable, comfortable and with a better proposal for themselves.
Therefore, more talent has come to the American competition, with players who also represent a higher value in terms of their price in the market. In this list, we bring you the five most valuable players in MLS at a financial level according to the specialized portal Transfermarkt.
5.- Luiz Araújo – Atlanta United
One of the Eastern Conference side’s newest acquisitions in the latest transfer window, the 25-year-old Brazilian winger arrived from French champions Lille OSC for €10,000,000 million. This is the value with which he is also categorized in Transfermrkt today.
Araújo was a key player for the Ligue 1 champions, contributing with four goals and two assists in 28 games played. Currently, he has already taken part in 15 matches with Atlanta, scoring four goals and assisting three more.
4.- Emanuel Reynoso – Minnesota United
After 3 successful seasons at Boca Juniors, the midfielder from Córdoba sealed his move to Minnesota United in 2020 for around €4,000,000 million (making it the most expensive transfer in the club’s history). Today, he has doubled his value thanks to his performances with the American club.
In two seasons so far, the 25-year-old has six goals and ten assists in 42 games played.
3.- Alan Velasco – FC Dallas
Becoming the most expensive transfer in the club’s history, the Argentine left-winger left in January for the amount of €6,300,000 million with the possibility of reaching €8,000,000 million if certain variables established between Dallas and Independiente, the club where Velasco comes from, are fulfilled.
Scoring eight goals and assisting on ten occasions during his 69 games played with the Avellaneda team, Velasco has become the great promise of the Dallas team, who lost their offensive reference with the departure of Ricardo Pepi to FC Ausburg of the German Bundesliga, for a total of €20,000,000 million.
Josef Martínez – Atlanta United
The team’s biggest star since his arrival in 2017, Josef has been one of the players who have seen an incredible growth in value thanks to his MLS performance. Coming from Torino for a fee of around €4,500,000 million and with a value estimated by Transfermarkt of €3,000,000,000 million, the Venezuelan quickly made an impact for the Eastern Conference side with a 19-goal debut season.
The following season would be the striker’s breakthrough, scoring 31 goals and five assists, winning the MLS Cup for his team and being named MVP of the season. He was on the same path in 2019, with 27 goals and three assists, taking his estimated value to a peak of €17,500,000 million.
Unfortunately, Josef missed the rest of the season along with most of the 2020 season with a torn ligament in his right knee. Since his return in 2021, he has scored 12 goals in 24 games played.
1.- Thiago Almada – Atlanta United
The Argentine star from Velez Sarsfield was sought after by many clubs not only in MLS but also in Europe, but Atlanta United made every effort to sign the player, and it ended up happening at the beginning of 2022. For a fee of approximately €14,550,000 million, the midfielder will become the new star of one of the most powerful teams in North American soccer.
In 100 games, the Velez youth player scored 24 goals and dished out 11 assists, and has been acclaimed throughout Latin American soccer for his speed, dribbling ability and great shooting from outside the box. Few have doubts about whether he will succeed in Major League Soccer, and rather, it would not be surprising if sooner rather than later, Almada could leave the club for a new European adventure in the future.
