Most valuable player in 2019/20: Maguire sets new benchmark - Liverpool with three players

The COVID-19 pandemic overshadowed the 2019/20 season. For several weeks, there was no football until the Bundesliga became the first top league in the world to restart sport. But while football in Germany returned, Ligue 1 was ended prematurely. Bayern Munich (squad value €757m) won the Champions League final tournament in Lisbon by beating Paris Saint-Germain (€847m) in the final to complete a treble. As part of 20 years of market values on Transfermarkt, we review the most valuable players of every season starting with 2004/05. 

At the very top, Kylian Mbappé once again confirmed his place as the most valuable player in the world with a market value of €200m. The Frenchman scored 30 goals in 37 games and assisted another 18, ranking him third among Europe’s top scorers behind Robert Lewandowski and Lionel Messi. The Bayern forward scored 55 times in 47 games and assisted ten more. Despite that, the Polish star was denied the Ballon d’Or as France Football decided not to award the trophy that season because of the pandemic. Messi was directly involved in 58 goals in 44 games. 

The defense of the most valuable XI was dominated by Liverpool (€979m) players, who also set new records regarding market values. Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold became the first defenders with market values of €100m and €110m, respectively, to break through the €100m benchmark. The Reds collected 99 points to win a league title in England for the first time in 30 years. In the Champions League, Liverpool were eliminated by Jan Oblak and Atlético Madrid (€710m). After an impressive season, Oblak became the first goalkeeper with a market value of €100m. The Slovenian star managed 22 clean sheets in 49 games and only conceded a total of 38 goals. 

Three €100m deals bust – Maguire becomes the most expensive defender

Spanish top clubs Real Madrid (€889m), Barcelona (€853m), and Atlético Madrid had the highest expenses that season. Real invested €361m in new players, including €120m for Eden Hazard and €63m for Frankfurt’s Luka Jovic. The only player more expensive than Hazard that season was João Félix for whom Atlético paid €127m to Benfica. In their continued attempt to compensate for Neymar’s departure, Barca paid €120m to Atlético for Antoine Griezmann. All three €100m deals would ultimately disappoint. The Frenchman scored 15 times in 48 games, Félix managed just six goals in 30 games, and Hazard scored just once in 22 games. 

There was also a new transfer record for a defender. Manchester United (€648m) paid €87m to sign Harry Maguire from Leicester City, making him the most expensive defender in history. After playing a strong Champions League season, Matthijs de Ligt joined Juventus (€615m) from Ajax in a deal worth €85.5m. Bayern too, invested big in a defender. The club made Lucas Hernández the most expensive signing in Bundesliga history. But injuries meant that the Frenchman managed just 25 games that season.