According to the latest estimates from the renowned transfer market website Transfermarkt, Nguyen Xuan Son is valued at €700,000, becoming the most valuable Vietnamese player in history. Xuan Son also ranks among the top 15 most valuable players in Southeast Asian football.
Transfermarkt’s statistics show that in the list of the top 15 most valuable players in Southeast Asia as of now, the first six positions are held by Indonesian players. This list includes Mies Hilgers (€9 million, almost 13 times the value of Xuan Son), Kevin Diks (€4.5 million), Jay Idzes (€3 million), Calvin Verdonk (€2.5 million), Marten Paes (€1.8 million), and Thom Haye (€1.5 million). This is understandable given that these players are naturalized stars currently playing in Europe.
The six most valuable players in Southeast Asia are naturalized Indonesian players.
Meanwhile, the 7th and 8th positions in the top 15 list are held by two Thai players, Supachai Jaided (€1.2 million) and Chanathip Songkrasin (€1 million).
The following positions are occupied by Sandy Walsh (Indonesia, €1 million), Dion Cools (Malaysia, €800,000), Supachoke Sarachat (Thailand, €800,000), Suphanat Mueanta (€800,000), Jordi Amat (Indonesia, €750,000), Gerrit Holtmann (Philippines, €700,000), and Nguyen Xuan Son (Vietnam, €700,000).
Many players in the above top 15 list were absent from the AFF Cup 2024, especially the naturalized Indonesian stars, as well as the Thai duo of Supachai and Chanathip. This is one of the reasons why Indonesia and Thailand couldn’t compete for the championship with Vietnam.
Of course, transfer value is just one factor in assessing the development of football in a region or a national team. In Southeast Asia, for example, the total transfer value of the Indonesian team far surpasses that of Vietnam, but this does not correlate with the gap in the level of play between the two national teams.
For the Vietnamese team, apart from Xuan Son, most of the other players have relatively modest transfer values. However, the team can still combine their strengths to form a powerful collective, as evidenced by their convincing AFF Cup championship.
Xuan Son ranks 15th among the most valuable players in Southeast Asia.
- Mies Hilgers (Indonesia, €9 million)
- Kevin Diks (Indonesia, €4.5 million)
- Jay Idzes (Indonesia, €3 million)
- Calvin Verdonk (Indonesia, €2.5 million)
- Marten Paes (Indonesia, €1.8 million)
- Thom Haye (Indonesia, €1.5 million)
- Supachai Jaided (Thailand, €1.2 million)
- Chanathip Songkrasin (Thailand, €1 million)
- Sandy Walsh (Indonesia, €1 million)
- Dion Cools (Malaysia, €800,000)
- Supachoke Sarachat (Thailand, €800,000)
- Suphanat Mueanta (Thailand, €800,000)
- Jordi Amat (Indonesia, €750,000)
- Gerrit Holtmann (Philippines, €700,000)
- Nguyen Xuan Son (Vietnam, €700,000)
