K League 1's 10 top valued players February 2025 | OneFootball

Jesse Lingard's sudden arrival in K League last year propelled him to the very top of K League's list of most valuable players, as ranked by Transfermarkt. It'll be no surprise to learn that the former Manchester United star is still K League's highest-valued player, but who else makes up the top 11?

Top 11

11. Park Seung-wook, 27 (€1 million)

Pohang's versatile Park Seung-wook, currently on loan at Gimcheon for military service, is one of three players worth €1 million - hence the top 11 and not 10. Park's value is up from 750,000 a year ago and is the highest it's been in his career. The two-capped Korea international will end his military service midway through the 2025 season.

10. Song Min-kyu, 25 (€1 million)

Still only 25, Song Min-kyu seems to have been around forever. His stay in the top 10 most valued players in K League has a similar feel. His current market value is down a tad from when he left Pohang and joined Jeonbuk (€1.5 million) and is down by 200,000 euros since this time last year when he was ranked sixth. Song is facing a crucial season ahead.

9. Oberdan, 29 (€1 million)

Pohang's key man and midfield general, Oberdan, makes it into the top 10 at €1 million. Now in his third season with the Steelers, the Brazilian midfielder has appeared 81 times for the club, scoring six and assisting five. His current market value is the highest it has been in his career. In fact, when he first joined Pohang in early 2023, Oberdan was valued at €100,000 and has increased by €400,000 since last winter.

8. Lee Dong-gyeong, 27 (€1.2 million)

Lee Dong-gyeong is another player whose market value is currently the highest it has ever been. It's gone up from €500,000 this time last year, and by €200,000 since the summer. The 27-year-old joined Gimcheon midway through last year and will leave the army side towards the tail-end of the upcoming season.

7. Jasir Asani, 29 (€1.2 million)

Gwangju's Albania international Jasir Asani's performances in the second half of last season have helped push his market value back up to December 2023 levels, having dipped by around €200,000. €1.2 million is Asani's highest market value and is nearly double the €700,000 he was worth when first joining Gwangju two seasons ago. Seventh place is exactly where Asani was ranked this time last year.

6. Um Won-sang, 26 (€1.2 million)

Ulsan's Um Won-sang's market value has recovered from a slight dip around this time last year when it fell a touch to €1.1 million. This equals his career-best market value. After some injury problems last year, a good run in the team in 2025 might just see the 26-year-old's market value creep up even further. Um has moved up from 10th this time a year ago.

5. Darijan Bojanic, 30 (€1.2 million)

Enjoying more playing time at the Munsu these days, Swedish midfielder Darijan Bojanic starts off the top five. His value, however, has dropped since he joined Ulsan - down from €2 million at his peak in December 2022, and €1.6 million in June 2023. He was ranked third this time last year.

4. Gustav Ludwigson, 31 (€1.3 million)

Winger Gustav Ludwigson is just ahead of teammate and compatriot Bojanic. His value has dropped slightly, however, from the €1.5 million he was valued at when first arriving at Ulsan - the highest of his career. The Swede was ranked fifth this time last year.

3. Nana Boateng, 30 (€1.4 million)

Despite something of a lacklustre campaign from Jeonbuk, their Ghanaian midfielder Nana Boateng ranks third at €1.4 million. It's down from the €1.7 million he was valued at in the summer and €2 million he was valued at when arriving in Jeonju. Boateng's highest market value was 2.2 million in June 2023. Boateng was ranked second this time last year

2. Andrea Compagno, 28 (€3.5 million)

New Jeonbuk signing Andrea Compagno enters the top 10 straight in at number two. The 28-year-old joined the Green Warriors on a free transfer having left CSL side Tianjin Jinmen Tigers where he scored 17 in 26 outings. He's played for FC Steaua București, now known as FCSB for legal reasons, where he won the league in 2023-2024, as well as a handful of clubs in his native Italy and San Marino and has an overall goal record is 117 in 303 games. His market value is currently the highest it has ever been, even higher than the €2.5 million when he was a Romanian top-flight champion.

1. Jesse Lingard, 32 (€4 million)

The newly-appointed FC Seoul captain remains the highest-valued player in K League, after a stellar debut season in Korea that saw him record six goals and three assists. Lingard, now 32, was valued at €6 million this time last year and was worth €40 million in the summer of 2019 at the peak of his powers.

Each K League 1 club's highest-valued player

FC Anyang - Matheus Oliveira€700,000

Daegu FC - Cesinha€700,000

Daejeon Hana Citizen - Ha Chang-rae, Kim Moon-hwan€850,000

Gangwon FC - Lee Sang-heon€900,000

Gimcheon Sangmu - Lee Dong-gyeong€1.2 million

Gwangju FC - Jasir Asani€1.2 million

Jeju SK - Jang Min-kyu€750,000

Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors - Andrea Compagno€3.5 million

Pohang Steelers - Oberdan€1 million

FC Seoul - Jesse Lingard€4 million

Suwon FC - Anderson Oliveira€750,000

Ulsan HD - Gustav Ludwigson€1.3 million

Total squad market value

1. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors€19.96 million

2. FC Seoul€17.08 million

4. Gimcheon Sangmu€14.93 million

5. Daejeon Hana Citizen€13.3 million

6. Gangwon FC €10.68 million

7. Pohang Steelers€8.88 million

8. Jeju SK€8.78 million

9. Gwangju FC €8.6 million

10. Suwon FC €8.45 million

11. Daegu FC€8.08 million

12. FC Anyang €7.13 million

How does Transfermarkt calculate market values?

"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."