La Liga remains the crucible of football, with a majority of world superstars plying their trade for Barcelona and Real Madrid. Cristiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi remain the most iconic names in the world of football, with the Argentine currently valued the highest in the world – at a staggering £102 million, way higher that the world record fee of Paul Pogba (£89.6 million)
A move to a top team in La Liga does not always guarantee an increase in transfer value, with multiple players struggling for game time and consequently being valued poorly.
Here are the top 10 La Liga stars with the largest decrease in transfer value in 2016. (Stats courtesy: Transfermarkt)
#10 Nico Gaitan – Atletico Madrid: £6.80m decrease
Forever linked with Manchester United, Nico Gaitan surprised everyone with a move to Atletico Madrid in the summer. The Argentine midfielder was once considered on of the hottest prospects in the world when he moved from Boca Juniors to Benfica in 2010, but has failed to set the world alight.
Benfica managed to eke out a €25 million fee from Atletico Madrid in the summer for Gaitan’s services. It was viewed as a smart buy by Rojiblancos fans, but the midfielder has been restricted to substitute appearances for Atletico.
Having only managed 918 minutes in 19 appearances for Atletico (avg 48 min per appearance) this season in all competitions, Gaitan’s 4 goals and 2 assists does not seem to cut muster, thus reducing in a 26.7% drop in his transfer value, which is also precipiated by the fact that Gaitan will turn 29 in February.
Jan 2016 value: £25.50 million
Jan 2017 value: £18.70 million
#9 Ezequiel Garay – Valencia – £6.80m decrease
The presence of another over-hyped Argentinian footballer forever linked with Manchester United who played for Benfica in this list is not really surprising. Garay was once considered one of the most promising young defenders in the world when he moved from Racing Santander to Real Madrid in 2008, but things have gone downhill since then.
The player enjoyed a revival at Benfica, subsequently moving on to Zenit St. Petersburg for €6 million. Eyebrows were raised when Valencia parted with a cool €20 million for a declining 30-year-old in the summer of 2016. His performances subsequently have ensured his transfer value has gone down, with Valencia languishing in 15th place in La Liga.
Garay has played over half the games for Valencia in La Liga, totalling 990 minutes in 11 appearances for the club. Los Che have conceded a staggering 33 goals in just 18 games of La Liga, which is the fourth-worst defence in Spain – with Garay often a culprit for the concession of goals. It’s no wonder that he’s experienced a 34.8% drop in transfer value.
Jan 2016 value: £19.55 million
Jan 2017 value: £12.75 million
#8 Jeremy Mathieu – Barcelona – £7.65m decrease
Jeremy Mathieu’s presence in this list would not come as a surprise to Barcelona fans, with the Frenchman hardly a fan-favourite. It’s a steep decline in reputation for Mathieu after moving to Barcelona, but that is hardly surprising considering he is 33 years old.
When Unai Emery signed Mathieu for free in 2009, Valencia fans grew to love the centre-back quickly – with his all-action performances often a lone shining star in a declining Valencia side. That prompted Barcelona to part with €20 million for the Frenchman in 2014, and set a staggering €50 million as his buyout clause.
You’d be hard pressed to even find a Chinese Super League club willing to part with that amount for Mathieu now. The Frenchman has only managed 8 appearances for Barcelona this season, and coupled with him turning 33 last October, Mathieu experienced a 64.3% drop in transfer value.
Jan 2016 value: £11.9 million
Jan 2017 value: £4.25 million
#7 Isco – Real Madrid – £8.50m decrease
A 24-year-old who has experienced a decrease in transfer market value should seriously re-evaluate the direction of his career, but the amout of times that it has been the story of a Real Madrid youngster is not surprising. Isco’s talent is still undeniable, having showed flashes of brilliance on the rare occasion he has been called upon by Zinedine Zidane.
The Spanish midfielder has made 20 appearances this season under Zinedine Zidane, although it has often been as a substitute, averaging 54 minutes per appearance, with most of his 90 minute appearances in the cups. A return of 4 goals and 4 assists is fairly decent, although that has still resulted in a 22.2% drop in transfer value.
Ironically enough, Isco’s valuation of £38.25m at the start of 2016 was his highest ever, with many expecting the youngster to take La Liga by storm as he reaches his peak football years. If Real Madrid do decide to sell the Spaniard, they are likely to recoup the €30 million fee they paid Malaga in 2013.
Jan 2016 value: £38.25 million
Jan 2017 value: £29.75 million
#6 Enzo Perez – Valencia – £8.50m decrease
Not many would guess Enzo Perez when asked to name to 10th most expensive Argentine player of all time, but the defensive midfielder’s performances for Benfica in Europe gained him worldwide notoreity and thus, a €25 million fee when Valencia came calling in the summer of 2015.
The tough-tackling midfielder has proceeded to endure a miserable time at Los Che, missing a staggering 31 games through injury, while another 4 through suspensions in just 2 and a half seasons at the club. It’s no wonder then, that Perez has lost 50% of his transfer value, escpecially after turning 30 years old.
There’s not much hope for Perez – while he has been ever present for Valencia this season, racking up 1300 minutes on the pitch in 16 appearances. Given the La Liga side’s poor position in the table due to a poor defensive output, it doesn’t seem like his transfer value will be going up anytime soon.
Jan 2016 value: £17 million
Jan 2017 value: £8.50 million
#5 Cristiano Ronaldo – Real Madrid – £8.50m decrease
Cristiano Ronaldo described 2016 as the best year of his career, which is quite the feat for the multiple Champions League, La Liga and Premier League winning superstar. The past year has seen Ronaldo lift Euro 2016 with Portugal, the UEFA Champions League and Club World Cup with Real Madrid and also win the Ballon d’Or, being crowned the FIFA BEST Men’s Player of 2016 as well.
The only explanation for Ronaldo’s decrease in transfer value is perhaps his age – he will turn 32 in February. Despite a ton of criticism in the 2016/17 season, Ronaldo has been involved in 24 goals (18 goals, 6 assists) in 23 appearances for Real Madrid this season – although there seems to be a reduction in his effectiveness for teammates the past couple of months.
Ronaldo is still the 2nd most valuable player in the world though, tied with Neymar. And with his personal ‘brand’ having doubled in value in the last two years according to a study by Portuguese market research centre IPAM, Ronaldo should be fine, despite a 9.1% decrease in transfer value.
Jan 2016 value: £93.5 million
Jan 2017 value: £85 million
#4 Fabio Coentrao – Real Madrid – £8.93m decrease
Real Madrid fans on Twitter have only one response to Coentrao making an appearance in a Los Blancos shirt – ‘HE’S ALIVE!’
For a player to have made just 56 appearances in 5 and a half seasons at the club is downright awful. Coentrao being injury prone has also been a factor, as the left-back has missed 51 games for Real Madrid through injury.
It’s a poor return for the €30 million Real Madrid paid Benfica in 2011, with Coentrao just managing a paltry 150 minutes on the pitch in 4 appearances for Real Madrid this season. No wonder then, that the Portuguese defender has seen his value fall by 58.3% in 2016. He’s still 28 years old though, and can perhaps reverse the downward trend of his career.
Jan 2016 value: £15.3 million
Jan 2017 value: £6.38 million
#3 Lucas Silva – Real Madrid – £9.35m decrease
Cruzeiro were paid €14 million for Lucas Silva by Real Madrid in January 2015 – a deal that looks like daylight robbery right now. Brazilian youngsters are always a gamble, but Lucas came with a burgeoning reputation.
He was loaned to Marseille, but that quickly proved to be a disaster as he refused to cut short the loan deal despite not shining on the pitch and was relegated to the reserves. To put his current plight in perspective, Lucas has not even been named in Real Madrid’s squad for the 2016/17 season.
It’s hardly a surprise then, that his value has fallen 84.6% in 2016. Real Madrid would find it difficult to find any suitors for the 23-year-old.
Jan 2016 value: £11.05 million
Jan 2017 value: £1.7 million
#2 Eliaquim Mangala – Valencia (on loan from Manchester City) – £11.05m decrease
News of Eliaquim Mangala’s loan deal with Valencia was met with positive reactions from Manchester City fans in the summer. The talented young defender could have time away from the pressures of English football to develop technically, La Liga’s strong suit.
It’s gone pear-shaped. Mangala has been part of a Valencia defence that has conceded 33 times, with the Frenchman making 16 appearances for Los Che. 15th place in La Liga is hardly where you would expect a player who is expected to be part of Manchester City’s title challenge next year to be.
The 42 million that City parted with for Mangala’s services look increasingly like a blunder of epic proportions, which has consequently seen his value reduce by 46.4 % in 2016.
Jan 2016 value: £23.8 million
Jan 2017 value: £12.75 million
#1 James Rodriguez – Real Madrid – £25.50 decrease
James Rodriguez’ presence in the list makes it 5 Real Madrid players to have dropped the most in transfer value in 2016. The Colombian was the fourth-most expensive player in the world when Real Madrid paid AS Monaco €80 million after an impressive 2014 FIFA World Cup.
The Colombian took his time to adapt to La Liga, but has shown flashes of brilliance. Zinedine Zidane’s system does not seem to suit James, who has consequently seen his time on the pitch reduce massively. Yet, he has impressed when called upon, being involved in a goal every 70 minutes.
James has scored 4 and assisted 10 goals in 18 appearances for Real Madrid this season, playing just 982 minutes, most of which came in the Copa del Rey. With his situation unlikely to change, the Colombian has seen his value fall by a staggering 37.5% in 2016.
Jan 2016 value: £68 million
Jan 2017 value: £42.5 million
