CanMNT star on the rise
Stephen Eustaquio continues to see his market value rise. The Canadian men’s national team player and Porto midfielder saw his market value upgraded by another 25% in the recent Liga Portugal update. For Eustaquio, it is the second update in a row as the 26-year-old native from Leamington, Ontario, has seen his market value double since joining Porto from Paços de Ferreira in January 2022.
“There isn’t much we can add,” Transfermarkt Area Manager Portugal Marcel de Almeida said when asked about the Canadian. “He continues to be an important starter for Porto and recently scored twice. Altogether we felt that he deserved a market value increase to €10m, especially when you compare him to other players.”
Indeed, among Porto midfielders, only Otávio (€30m) has a higher market value than the Canadian central midfielder. Eustaquio now has the same market value as Mateus Uribe (-€2m to €10m) and is ahead of fellow midfielder Marko Grujić (€9m). In fact, when it comes to central midfielders in Portugal, Eustaquio is now the most valuable, ahead of Benfica’s Chiquinho (overview). Not surprisingly, Eustaquio also ranks high among Canadian players, where he has now further established himself in the top 5.
Eustaquio in the top 5 – The most valuable CanMNT players
Stephen Eustaquio: CanMNT continues to impress for Porto
It is easy to see why Eustaquio’s market value continues to trend upwards. Since joining Porto, Eustaquio has become a key player in midfield and, this season, has scored seven goals and five assists in 29 games across all competitions for Porto. But it is the defensive work rate over his attacking prowess that has made Eustaquio stand out for Porto.
Numbers on Wyscout, where we compared Eustaquio to Grujić and Uribe, underlines the importance of the Canadian to Porto’s defensive game this season. Eustaquio leads the three with 7.78 defensive duels per 90 minutes, and 59.3% won defensive duels—in comparison, Uribe won 56.04% of his 7.56 defensive duels per 90 minutes and Grujić 54.81% of his 7.58 defensive duels per 90 minutes.
Those underlying numbers have been the main reason why Porto have the second-best defense in the league, with just 14 goals conceded in 22 league games. Only Benfica, who have dominated Liga Portugal this season, have been better at their own end, conceding just one goal less than second-placed Porto. That defensive effort starts with Eustaquio in midfield, and the Canadian will be the foundation for success. At the same time, he continues to improve his market value season after season.
Ramos and Costa at the top : The most valuable players in Portugal
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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