With the 2022 World Cup mere days away, the CIES Football Observatory has been busily raking through the data to estimate which players taking part in Qatar would move for the highest transfer fee if they were to switch clubs in the upcoming winter window.
The CIES uses its bespoke algorithm to assign transfer values to each player called up by one of the 32 national teams taking part, and together they have a combined value of €15 billion.
The most valuable player in each squad has also been named based on age, experience, the level at which they play their club football and the remaining duration of their current contract.
Having scoured the latest report, here are the main talking points.
– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)
Most valuable player at the World Cup
Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham is ranked by CIES as the most valuable player at the 2022 World Cup with an estimated transfer value of €202m.
The 19-year-old England international is narrowly ahead of Vinicius Junior, with Real Madrid‘s star Brazil forward valued at €201m, making him the most coveted player in the Selecao‘s 26-man tournament selection.
Despite his Paris Saint-Germain contract being due to expire in the summer of 2024, Kylian Mbappe still emerges as Les Bleus‘ most valuable player and the third-highest overall at €185m.
