The Value of Players in the Top Five Football Leagues for the 24-25 Season Based on Multiple Factors

Abstract

The top five football leagues, as one of the most high-profile sporting events, entail enormous commercial value, making player valuation in these leagues a focal point. Analyzing the influencing factors of transfer values helps clubs formulate strategies and promotes the development of the football market. This study leverages descriptive statistics and the XGBoost regression model, analyzing a Kaggle dataset of 2024-25 season player performance. Key findings show 20-28-year-olds command higher transfer values, with a general decline after 30. The Premier League leads in player valuation, with other leagues 40-60% lower. Attacking positions far outpace defensive roles in market price. The eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) weight analysis for four positions—forwards, midfielders, defenders, and goalkeepers—reveals that offensive-type data tailored to each position (such as scoring opportunities created for forwards, average carrying distance for defenders, etc.) are critical determinants of player transfer values. Specifically, defensive players now require offensive integration to achieve high valuation, with key factors including forward ball carries and long-pass organization. Traditional defensive metrics have lost weight in valuation models, while offensive attributes have emerged as primary value drivers.