Filip Stojchevski won Štip a league match on Wednesday. Before Sunday tea, he was a Zacatecas player.

The 27-year-old defensive midfielder completed his move at 16:35:12 UTC on August 23 for 555,501 SVC. This is done, not transfer chatter.

303 days quiet — then 93 seconds of fury

Stojchevski had been available since October 18, 2025, at a 65,610 SVC minimum. The bidding trail reads:

• August 18: Campinas Black lodged the first bid after 303 full days — 65,610 SVC.
• Two hours later: Zacatecas answered with 66,267 SVC.
• August 22: Campinas Black suddenly jumped to 550,000 SVC.
• Just 93 seconds later: Zacatecas won the duel at 555,501 SVC.

The completed price was 8.47 times the minimum and 4.36 times Stojchevski’s current 127,447.43 SVC game value. Among six Season 4 transfers involving natural DMCs who are currently 27 and rated 63, his was the highest fee.

Why did Štip let him go?

Here is the bit to check before blaming HordeZla21: the listing was not made under the current manager.

Štip’s manager history shows the club was unmanaged when Stojchevski went onto the market. The official backend rules allow unmanaged clubs to make automated transfer attempts, prioritising positions above their ideal squad size. HordeZla21 did not arrive until January 25, more than three months after this listing.

Selection then made the eventual sale easier to swallow. Stojchevski played only 180 of 900 available league minutes this season — 20%. The younger Ljupche Kudev, rated five points lower at 58, logged 720 minutes in the same DMC role.

Yet the exit carries a sting. Stojchevski started at Makedonija on August 19 and scored the 12th-minute winner in Štip’s 1-0 victory. He had also been a regular before this season: 39 league appearances in each of Seasons 1 and 2, then 24 starts and two substitute outings in Season 3.

The ledger provides another important check. Zacatecas paid the full 555,501 SVC, but Štip received 527,725.95 SVC. The unlabelled difference is 27,775.05 SVC, exactly 5%. Štip’s cash rose from 7.809M to 8.337M SVC, so this does not read like a rescue sale.

What changes now

• Štip: Stojchevski would have been joint-second in the squad’s rating order. Their remaining natural DMCs are rated 58 and 55, while the club has already conceded a division-worst 18 goals in ten matches. They sit seventh on 13 points, only three behind the leaders, and have ample replacement money. Whether it is used is another matter: the game feed records HordeZla21’s last activity on April 16.
• Zacatecas: Rossoneromx now has the squad’s only home-based player whose main position is DMC. Lucas da Silva can cover there at rating 71 but is primarily a CM; 60-rated José Muñoz León is out on loan. Stojchevski is therefore useful specialist depth for a side that recently used 4-2-3-1 three matches running. His 63 rating sits below Zacatecas’ 66.9 best-XI average, but his 2,590 SVC wage is well below the club average of 4,520.94.

Zacatecas remain unbeaten in five and have conceded only eight league goals. Their 15 returned Season 4 deals show 13.329M SVC paid and 14.949M received in gross fees, a 1.620M surplus. Still, this purchase consumed 31.4% of their pre-deal cash and leaves 1.213M.

My read: Štip sold high on an automated old listing for a player they had largely sidelined. Zacatecas paid a bidding-war premium for a precise squad role. If Wednesday’s winner was the start of genuine form, though, Štip may feel this one yet.