The study on inflation trends in Bundesliga player market values by the Rockwool Foundation Berlin was featured in several major media outlets, including Süddeutsche Zeitung, MSN, and Hasepost, highlighting growing public and journalistic interest in shifting football economics.
The research by Rockwool Foundation Berlin, featured in Süddeutsche Zeitung, analyzes two decades of player market value trends in Germany’s Bundesliga. The study finds that, after years of growth, top player values have recently stagnated or declined, despite ongoing consumer price inflation. Based on data from transfermarkt.de, the researchers describe this as a rare case of “deflation” in the transfer market, with important implications for the economics of professional football.
MSN, Microsoft’s global news portal, also covered the findings. The article highlights that Bundesliga player market values have declined in recent seasons, even as inflation has risen. The study suggests that this decoupling reflects broader structural changes in football; including shifting TV revenues and increased international competition for top talent.
The regional German news outlet Hasepost reported that Bundesliga market values dropped by 2.1% between summer 2024 and March 2025, while consumer prices increased by 1.3%. Citing the RFBerlin study by Lukas Tohoff (Rockwool Foundation Berlin) and Mario Mechtel (Leuphana University Lüneburg), the article explores contributing factors such as pandemic-related losses, flatlining broadcast income, and the departure of top players to international clubs.
This research builds on earlier work by the authors on talent selection biases in football academies, published in the Journal of Sports Economics.
