Players with the highest market (transfer) value at the FIFA 2014 World Cup in Brazil
Market values of players at the World Cup 2014 - additional information
The market/transfer value of a football player is determined by a number of statistics, including the player’s age, salary, playing stats and recent performances. As such it is subject to change frequently depending on the player’s current situation.
As of the World Cup held in Brazil 2014, Argentina’s Lionel Messi was the most expensive player among the 32 national squads and he is commonly rated as one of football’s all-time best players. He is the first player in history to win four FIFA/Ballons d’Or (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012) and the first to win three European Golden Shoe awards (2010, 2012, 2013).
Second on the list is Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo whose market value was estimated at 100 million euros as of the start of the World Cup. In 2009 Ronaldo’s transfer from Manchester United to Real Madrid for 94 million euros broke the world transfer record which Madrid previously held for their purchase of Kaká from Milan. Real Madrid have since broken their own transfer record again having bought Gareth Bale from Tottenham Hotspur for 100 million euros in 2013. However, as Wales failed to qualify for the World Cup in 2014, Bale does not feature on this list.
Paul Pogba, aged 21 at the time of the 2014 World Cup, is the youngest player on the list. At the 2014 FIFA World Cup awards he was named Best Young Player after several impressive performances for France. Germany leads the way with 6 national players on the list with their high market value seemingly validated by the fact that Germany went on to win the 2014 World Cup.