V. League third most valuable championship in Southeast Asia

Transfermarkt valued 437 players of 14 clubs in V. League 2021 at €34.66 million ($42 million), up €1.76 million compared to the last season. The top three players boasting the highest league value are Vietnamese-American midfielder Lee Nguyen, Brazilian forward Pedro Paulo and Brazilian striker Bruno Cantanhede, at €415,000 each. The three players joined V. League clubs last month.

Placing above Vietnam is Liga Indonesia and Thai League. Although the top Indonesian league dropped €12.43 million compared to last year, it remains in second at €47.8 million. Thai League is the most valuable Southeast Asia championship at €67.33 million.

Following Vietnam closely in fourth is Malaysian Super League at €33.32 million. The highest spike in value involved Laos Premier League, which went from €580,000 last year to €6.58 million this year to peak at seventh.

Domestic league values in Southeast Asia 2021. Photo courtesy of ASEAN Football.

At present, V. League 2021 remains postponed due to the recent outbreak of Covid-19 in Vietnam. If the situation is brought under control, the next three league rounds would resume in March. In April, four more rounds will take place, with clubs only allowed four days of rest between matches. All games are expected to commence behind closed doors.

The league will pause in May for the national team to prepare for the World Cup Asian qualifiers in June, before continuing in July.