The 26 players called up by Fernando Santos for the World Cup are estimated at 937 million euros, according to the valuation of the transfer market website. A value that places the national team as the fourth most valuable of the 32 that will be present in the Qatar World Cup, which starts on the 20th, just behind England (1.26 billion), Brazil (1.13) and France ( 1.07).
Of the 26 selected Portuguese players, the footballer with the highest market value is Rafael Leão (85 million euros), a 23-year-old striker from AC Milan, who dethroned Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva to become the most valuable Portuguese player in the world. This is evident from the latest transfer market update on Friday.
In the national team list, the top 5 most valuable is complete with Bernardo Silva (Manchester City, 80M), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United, 75M), Rúben Dias (Manchester City, 75M) and João Cancelo (Manchester City, 70M).
Cristiano Ronaldo, captain of the national team, appears in 17th place, valued at 20 million, something that can be explained by his age (37 years) and the fact that this season, unlike others, he plays less, which also reflected in the low number of goals (only one in the Premier League and two in the Europa League) by Manchester United. The least valuable of the chosen ones is center back Pepe (1M), 39 years old.
The sector that concentrates most of the total pie of 937 million is midfield (also because it has the most players). Together, the 10 football players are valued at 383M. The defense is worth 273M and the offense is worth 223M. The three called-up goalkeepers have a market value of 58 million, the highest matching starter Diogo Costa, worth 35 million.
Click here to see the value of all players in the national team.
The current Portuguese team is more valuable than the previous one present in a major competition, in this case Euro2020, which was played only a year later due to the pandemic (64.5 million less than the current one).
Bruno Fernandes (90 million) was the most valuable player in the Portuguese team at the time, followed by João Félix (80 million), Rúben Dias (75 million) and Bernardo Silva (70 million).
The England team is, of the 32 that will be present in Qatar, the most valuable – 1.26 billion euros – where the market prices of the young midfielders Phil Foden (Manchester City, 110M) and Jude Bellingham (B. Dortmund, 100M ) lying down.
Brazil follows (1.14 billion), whose most valuable players are the Real Madrid duo formed by Vinicius Jr. (120M) and Rodrygo (80M). In third place is the French national team (1.07 billion). The French footballers with the highest market value are Mbappé (160 million, the most valuable in the league) and Nkunku and Tchouameni (80 million each).
The selection of Portugal, worth 937 million euros, occupies the fourth position in this ranking, ahead of Spain (902 million), Germany (885.5 million), Argentina (633.2 million), the Netherlands (587.2 million ) and Belgium (563.2 million).
delegation met today
The operation in Qatar starts today, with the delegation still open until Wednesday to train in Cidade do Futebol, in Oeiras, with a preparatory match scheduled with Nigeria, the African team coached by José Peseiro, on Thursday in Alvalade (18.45, RTP1). The departure to Qatar is on Friday.
The national team resides in Doha, at the Al Samriya Autograph Collection Hotel, and trains daily at the Al-Shahania sports complex.
António Silva, a 19-year-old central defender from Benfica, was called up and is an absolute debut in the squad. But there are two more players who have never played with corner kicks to the chest: goalkeeper José Sá and striker Gonçalo Ramos
Portugal is in Group H at Mundial2022. The debut is scheduled for November 24 against Ghana. On December 28, the national team will meet Uruguay and will close the group stage on December 2 against South Korea led by Paulo Bento. The 2022 World Cup, the first to be held in the winter, will start on November 20 and the final is scheduled for December 18.
Of the selection crowned European champions in 2016, seven are resistant: Rui Patrício, Pepe, Raphäel Guerreiro, Danilo, William Carvalho, João Mário and Ronaldo.
Source: DN
