# Transfermarkt Scraper (`automation-lab/transfermarkt-scraper`) Actor Scrape football player profiles from Transfermarkt. Extract market value, position, nationality, club, contract details & transfer history. Search by name or URL. Export JSON/CSV/Excel. - **URL**: https://apify.com/automation-lab/transfermarkt-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [Stas Persiianenko](https://apify.com/automation-lab) (community) - **Categories:** Sports - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, NaN bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing Pay per event This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events. Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Actors are written with capital "A". ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## Transfermarkt Scraper Scrape football/soccer player profiles from [Transfermarkt.com](https://www.transfermarkt.com) — the world's leading football database. Extract market values, player stats, contract details, transfer history, and more. No API key required. ### What does Transfermarkt Scraper do? This Apify actor scrapes player profile data from Transfermarkt.com, the most comprehensive football/soccer database with market valuations for over 800,000 players worldwide. You can either **search by player name** or provide **direct profile URLs**. The scraper extracts structured data including: - Current market value (with numeric conversion for analysis) - Personal details (age, nationality, height, preferred foot) - Career info (position, current club, contract dates) - Shirt number and profile image - Optional: full transfer history with fees The scraper uses plain HTTP requests with Cheerio for HTML parsing — no browser needed, keeping costs minimal. ### Who is Transfermarkt Scraper for? - **Football analysts** tracking player valuations and career trajectories - **Sports journalists** researching player profiles for articles - **Fantasy football players** comparing player stats and values - **Data scientists** building football analytics datasets - **Scouts and agents** monitoring player market values - **Betting analysts** tracking player movements and contract status - **Academic researchers** studying football economics and transfer markets ### Why use Transfermarkt Scraper? - **No anti-bot protection** — Transfermarkt serves plain HTML, so scraping is fast and reliable - **Structured data** — Raw HTML is parsed into clean, consistent JSON fields - **Market value parsing** — Converts "€15.00m" into numeric EUR values for analysis - **Multi-language support** — Scrape in English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, or Portuguese - **Search + direct URL modes** — Find players by name or scrape specific profiles - **Transfer history** — Optionally include full transfer records with fees - **Low cost** — HTTP-only, 256 MB memory, ~$0.002 per player profile - **Export anywhere** — JSON, CSV, Excel, or integrate via API/webhooks ### Data extracted | Field | Type | Description | |-------|------|-------------| | `url` | string | Transfermarkt profile URL | | `playerId` | string | Unique Transfermarkt player ID | | `name` | string | Player display name | | `fullName` | string | Full name (home country format) | | `dateOfBirth` | string | Date of birth | | `age` | number | Current age | | `nationality` | string | Citizenship/nationality | | `height` | string | Player height | | `position` | string | Playing position | | `preferredFoot` | string | Preferred foot (left/right/both) | | `currentClub` | string | Current club name | | `clubJoinDate` | string | Date joined current club | | `contractExpiry` | string | Contract expiry date | | `marketValue` | string | Market value display string (e.g., "€15.00m") | | `marketValueNumeric` | number | Market value in EUR (e.g., 15000000) | | `shirtNumber` | number | Current shirt number | | `imageUrl` | string | Player profile photo URL | | `transferHistory` | array | Transfer records (if enabled) | | `scrapedAt` | string | ISO timestamp of when data was extracted | ### Pricing Transfermarkt Scraper uses Apify's pay-per-event pricing: | Event | Price | |-------|-------| | Run started | $0.005 (one-time) | | Player scraped | $0.002/player (varies by plan) | **Volume discounts** are available on higher Apify plans: | Plan | Price per player | |------|-----------------| | Free | $0.0023 | | Bronze | $0.0020 | | Silver | $0.00156 | | Gold | $0.00120 | | Platinum | $0.00080 | | Diamond | $0.00056 | **Example cost**: Scraping 100 players on the Bronze plan costs ~$0.205 ($0.005 start + 100 x $0.002). ### How to use 1. Go to the [Transfermarkt Scraper](https://apify.com/automation-lab/transfermarkt-scraper) page on Apify Store 2. Enter player names in **Search queries** (e.g., "Lionel Messi", "Kylian Mbappe") 3. Or paste direct Transfermarkt profile URLs in **Direct URLs** 4. Set **Max players per query** to control how many results per search 5. Click **Start** and wait for results 6. Download data as JSON, CSV, or Excel from the Dataset tab ### Input #### Search mode ```json { "searchQueries": ["Lionel Messi", "Kylian Mbappe", "Erling Haaland"], "maxPlayersPerQuery": 5 } ```` #### Direct URL mode ```json { "startUrls": [ "https://www.transfermarkt.com/lionel-messi/profil/spieler/28003", "https://www.transfermarkt.com/kylian-mbappe/profil/spieler/342229" ] } ``` #### Full input with all options ```json { "searchQueries": ["Messi"], "startUrls": [], "maxPlayersPerQuery": 10, "language": "en", "includeTransferHistory": true } ``` ### Output Each player profile is returned as a JSON object: ```json { "url": "https://www.transfermarkt.com/lionel-messi/profil/spieler/28003", "playerId": "28003", "name": "Lionel Messi", "fullName": "Lionel Andres Messi", "dateOfBirth": "Jun 24, 1987", "age": 38, "nationality": "Argentina", "height": "1,69 m", "position": "Right Winger", "preferredFoot": "left", "currentClub": "Inter Miami CF", "clubJoinDate": "Jul 15, 2023", "contractExpiry": "Dec 31, 2025", "marketValue": "€15.00m", "marketValueNumeric": 15000000, "shirtNumber": 10, "imageUrl": "https://img.a.transfermarkt.technology/portrait/header/28003.jpg", "scrapedAt": "2026-03-26T12:00:00.000Z" } ``` ### Tips for best results - **Use specific names** — "Lionel Messi" works better than just "Messi" (which may return multiple players named Messi) - **Combine modes** — Use search queries for discovery and direct URLs for known players - **Set maxPlayersPerQuery** wisely — Lower values (1-5) for specific players, higher (10-50) for broader searches - **Enable transfer history** only when needed — It doubles the number of requests per player - **Use language settings** — German (`de`) is the original Transfermarkt language and may have the most complete data - **Rate limiting** — The scraper adds 500ms delay between requests to be respectful to the server ### Integrations Connect Transfermarkt Scraper to hundreds of apps and services: - **Google Sheets** — Automatically export player data to spreadsheets - **Slack/Discord** — Get notifications when scraping completes - **Webhooks** — Trigger downstream workflows with player data - **Zapier/Make** — Connect to 5,000+ apps - **Data warehouses** — Push to BigQuery, Snowflake, or PostgreSQL ### API usage #### Node.js ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; const client = new ApifyClient({ token: 'YOUR_API_TOKEN' }); const run = await client.actor('automation-lab/transfermarkt-scraper').call({ searchQueries: ['Lionel Messi', 'Kylian Mbappe'], maxPlayersPerQuery: 5, }); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); console.log(items); ``` #### Python ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient client = ApifyClient("YOUR_API_TOKEN") run = client.actor("automation-lab/transfermarkt-scraper").call(run_input={ "searchQueries": ["Lionel Messi", "Kylian Mbappe"], "maxPlayersPerQuery": 5, }) items = client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).list_items().items for player in items: print(f"{player['name']}: {player['marketValue']}") ``` #### cURL ```bash ## Start the actor curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/automation-lab~transfermarkt-scraper/runs?token=YOUR_API_TOKEN" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{ "searchQueries": ["Lionel Messi"], "maxPlayersPerQuery": 5 }' ## Get results (replace DATASET_ID with the actual ID from the run) curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/datasets/DATASET_ID/items?token=YOUR_API_TOKEN&format=json" ``` ### Using with MCP (Model Context Protocol) Transfermarkt Scraper can be used as a tool in AI agents via Apify's MCP server. This allows LLMs like Claude, GPT, or Gemini to search for football player data on demand. ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@anthropic/apify-mcp-server"], "env": { "APIFY_TOKEN": "YOUR_API_TOKEN" } } } } ``` Then ask your AI assistant: *"Search Transfermarkt for Erling Haaland's market value and contract details."* ### Is it legal to scrape Transfermarkt? Transfermarkt.com serves publicly available football data. This scraper accesses only public pages that are available to any web browser visitor. The scraper: - Uses standard HTTP requests (same as a browser) - Respects rate limits with built-in delays between requests - Does not bypass any authentication or access controls - Does not scrape personal/private user data - Collects only publicly displayed player information Always review Transfermarkt's Terms of Service and ensure your use case complies with applicable laws in your jurisdiction. Apify provides this tool for legitimate data collection purposes. ### FAQ **Q: Does this scraper work without a proxy?** A: Yes. Transfermarkt has minimal anti-bot protection. Plain HTTP requests with a User-Agent header work fine. No proxy is needed for normal usage. **Q: How many players can I scrape?** A: There is no hard limit. The default timeout is 5 minutes (300 seconds), which is enough for ~500 players at 500ms delay per request. Increase the timeout for larger jobs. **Q: Can I scrape club/team data?** A: The current version focuses on player profiles. Club data support may be added in future versions. **Q: What languages are supported?** A: English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese. The language setting changes the Transfermarkt domain used. **Q: How fresh is the market value data?** A: Market values on Transfermarkt are updated by the community, typically every few months per player. The scraper extracts whatever is currently displayed on the profile page. **Q: Can I schedule regular scraping?** A: Yes. Use Apify's built-in scheduling to run the scraper daily, weekly, or at any custom interval. ### Related scrapers - [Football Data Scraper](https://apify.com/store?search=football) — More football/soccer data tools - [Sports Data Scrapers](https://apify.com/store?search=sports) — Scrapers for other sports # Actor input Schema ## `searchQueries` (type: `array`): Enter player names to search on Transfermarkt. Each query runs a separate search and scrapes the top matching profiles. Examples: 'Lionel Messi', 'Kylian Mbappe', 'Erling Haaland'. ## `startUrls` (type: `array`): Provide direct Transfermarkt player profile URLs to scrape. Use this if you already know which players you want. Format: https://www.transfermarkt.com/{slug}/profil/spieler/{id} ## `maxPlayersPerQuery` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of player profiles to scrape per search query. The search page returns up to 10 results per page. ## `language` (type: `string`): Transfermarkt website language. Affects player names, positions, and other text. The domain changes per language (e.g., transfermarkt.com for English, transfermarkt.de for German). ## `includeTransferHistory` (type: `boolean`): If enabled, scrapes the player's transfer history (all past clubs, transfer fees, and dates). This adds an extra request per player. ## Actor input object example ```json { "searchQueries": [ "Lionel Messi", "Kylian Mbappe" ], "maxPlayersPerQuery": 10, "language": "en", "includeTransferHistory": false } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `overview` (type: `string`): No description # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "searchQueries": [ "Lionel Messi", "Kylian Mbappe" ], "maxPlayersPerQuery": 10 }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("automation-lab/transfermarkt-scraper").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "searchQueries": [ "Lionel Messi", "Kylian Mbappe", ], "maxPlayersPerQuery": 10, } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("automation-lab/transfermarkt-scraper").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "searchQueries": [ "Lionel Messi", "Kylian Mbappe" ], "maxPlayersPerQuery": 10 }' | apify call automation-lab/transfermarkt-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=automation-lab/transfermarkt-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Transfermarkt Scraper", "description": "Scrape football player profiles from Transfermarkt. Extract market value, position, nationality, club, contract details & transfer history. Search by name or URL. Export JSON/CSV/Excel.", "version": "0.1", "x-build-id": "8gftN5t5kInQJUbSs" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/automation-lab~transfermarkt-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-automation-lab-transfermarkt-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/automation-lab~transfermarkt-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-automation-lab-transfermarkt-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/automation-lab~transfermarkt-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-automation-lab-transfermarkt-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "searchQueries": { "title": "Search queries", "type": "array", "description": "Enter player names to search on Transfermarkt. Each query runs a separate search and scrapes the top matching profiles. Examples: 'Lionel Messi', 'Kylian Mbappe', 'Erling Haaland'.", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "startUrls": { "title": "Direct URLs", "type": "array", "description": "Provide direct Transfermarkt player profile URLs to scrape. Use this if you already know which players you want. Format: https://www.transfermarkt.com/{slug}/profil/spieler/{id}", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "maxPlayersPerQuery": { "title": "Max players per query", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 100, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of player profiles to scrape per search query. The search page returns up to 10 results per page.", "default": 10 }, "language": { "title": "Language", "enum": [ "en", "de", "es", "fr", "it", "pt" ], "type": "string", "description": "Transfermarkt website language. Affects player names, positions, and other text. The domain changes per language (e.g., transfermarkt.com for English, transfermarkt.de for German).", "default": "en" }, "includeTransferHistory": { "title": "Include transfer history", "type": "boolean", "description": "If enabled, scrapes the player's transfer history (all past clubs, transfer fees, and dates). This adds an extra request per player.", "default": false } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```