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477 updates
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With the season over and the World Cup just around the corner, Transfermarkt has updated the market values of 477 Liga Portugal players. With the update concluded, Portuguese football has a new most valuable player in the form of Victor Froholdt from champions Porto. The Danish national team midfielder saw his market value increase by €20m from €30m to €50m, placing him ahead of his compatriot Morten Hjulmand from Sporting (unchanged at €45m).
“With this update, Froholdt became the most valuable player in Liga Portugal,” Transfermarkt Area Manager Portugal, Gonçalo Tristão Santos, said. “He reaches that status after being one of the most important players - if not the most important - in FC Porto’s title-winning campaign this season. He was even voted by Transfermarkt readers as the Liga Portugal 'Player of the Season', which reflects the level of quality he displayed throughout the campaign.”
Alongside Froholdt, two other stars from Porto also benefited from the club’s strong season: Polish national team players Jakub Kiwior and Oskar Pietuszewski. “Kiwior was one of the best players of the season in Portugal,” Tristão Santos said. “He immediately established himself at FC Porto, and his presence in defence was one of the keys to the club’s success in 2025/26. He was virtually unbeatable and is now one of the most important names in the FC Porto squad.” While Kiwior saw his market value improve by €8m from €27m to €35m, Pietuszewski’s market value is up by €5m from €20m to €25m. “Pietuszewski played a very important role in FC Porto’s title win,” Tristão Santos said. “Despite only joining the club during the January transfer window, he quickly established himself as a starter and is currently one of the most promising players in the Portuguese league.”
Liga Portugal market values: Upgrades and downgrades at giants Sporting
At Porto’s rivals, Sporting, the season ended in disappointment. Not only did the club finish second behind Porto in the league, but they also lost the Taça de Portugal final to second-tier club SC União Torreense (1-2 AET). Star defender Ousmane Diomande was very much a symbol of Sporting’s inconsistency this season. “Diomande lost market value following a season in which he struggled with some physical problems and showed a degree of inconsistency, as reflected by the fact he only featured in 17 Liga Portugal matches,” Tristão Santos said about the defender whose market value dropped by €3m from €45m to €42m. “Even so, he remains one of the most promising and valuable players in Sporting’s squad and continues to be regularly linked with Premier League clubs.”
The news was better elsewhere for Sporting stars. Going up by €5m from €35m to €40m is midfielder Francisco Trincão. “Trincão finished the season in outstanding form, which is why he received a market value increase in this update,” Tristão Santos said. “He had an excellent season and was consistently one of Sporting’s best players, arguably even their best during the final stretch of the campaign. He is in excellent form at the moment and could potentially play an important role for Portugal at the World Cup.”
While Trincão saw his market value increase by 14.3%, teammate Maxi Araújo saw it rise by a significant 40%, from €25m to €35m. “Maxi Araújo was one of the standout performers this season,” Tristão Santos said. “He was among the best left-backs in Europe and also managed to showcase all of his quality on the biggest stages of the UEFA Champions League.”
Liga Portugal market value update: Schjelderup and Zalazar among the big winners
At Benfica, Andreas Schjelderup is one of the biggest winners of the market value update. “Schjelderup had a fantastic second half of the season,” Tristão Santos said. “He was not a regular option during the opening months and even came very close to leaving Benfica during the winter transfer window. However, José Mourinho started giving him more opportunities and a bigger role within the team, and that proved to be the right decision. He finished the season as, very likely, Benfica’s player in the best form.”
Finally, at Braga, one of the big rising stars is playmaker Rodrigo Zalazar. “Zalazar established himself as one of the best players in Liga Portugal outside of the so-called 'big three',” Tristão Santos said. “It has already been officially confirmed that he will leave SC Braga to join Sporting next season for €30m. He is a very complete player, capable of operating in several positions, and finished the season with outstanding numbers.” As a result, Zalazar’s market value increases by €8m from €22m to €30m.
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).
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