Sometimes, winning the tournament is not the only prize at the World Cup with some players making huge career moves shortly after starring at the competition.
With the Qatar World Cup set to get underway, there is no clear favourite with the likes of Brazil, Argentina and even England some of the early runners looking to make it their year. But each player will no doubt be playing their hearts out for their countries, no matter what.
And a string of fine performances could lead some of those players to making the move of their career – seeing their valuations skyrocket, according to Saxo. So, who ended up forking out big fees for World Cup heroes?
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Marcos Rojo – £18million
When Manchester United forked out £18m for Rojo back in 2014, 300% more than his original value, the defender was named in the Castrol Index Top 11 for the tournament after Argentina reached the final. However, at Old Trafford, Rojo never truly lit up the stage – though he did make a few fans for his aggressive tackling and all-round mood in the camp.
Prior to the tournament, Rojo was worth just £4.5m as he finished his second season at Sporting Lisbon while injuries were not kind to the centre-back at United, as he made just 76 Premier League appearances in seven years.
Harry Maguire – £78.3million
United had been hot on Maguire’s heels for a number of years, including when Jose Mourinho was in charge but they only pushed ahead with a move in 2018 with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
But after starring at the 2018 World Cup for England, the Red Devils forked out £78.3m for the then-Leicester defender, 248% more than his £22.5m valuation before the tournament. Solskjaer made Maguire his captain but since Erik ten Hag’s arrival, the Englishman has dropped down to fourth-choice.
Keylor Navas – £9million
(Image: GETTY)
England fans will not look back at the 2014 World Cup with much joy after finishing bottom of their group without winning a match. However, where the Three Lions faltered, Costa Rica flourished – topping a group that also included Uruguay and Italy.
That was partly down to the heroics between the sticks from Navas, who earned a move to Real Madrid from Levante shortly after the tournament. Originally worth £3.6m, his £9m move to the Bernabeu saw his value fly up 150%.
Daley Blind – £15.75million
(Image: Getty Images)
Louis van Gaal went on a big summer spree in 2014 when he joined United as manager, taking Blind with him after leaving as Netherlands manager the same summer. At the time, the defender was worth just £5.4m at Ajax.
But the Red Devils splashed out £15.75m – a 192% increase from his original value. Now aged 32, Blind is back at Ajax after four years at Old Trafford where he made 141 appearances.
Ramires – £19.8million
Ramires was one of the breakout stars of the 2010 World Cup where he became a huge success with Brazil, so much so that then-manager Dunga said it was his suspension that was the reason for their quarter-final loss to the Netherlands.
It was enough to convince Chelsea to fork out for his services from Benfica for £19.8m – though he was worth just £8.1m at the time. That is an increase of 144%.
James Rodriguez – £67.5million
Everyone’s favourite World Cup hero, the Colombian lit up the 2014 World Cup – including a sublime strike against Uruguay. Real Madrid took note and decided to splash top dollar on the playmaker from Monaco.
Worth just £31.5m before the tournament, Real signed Rodriguez for £67.5m – an increase of 114% from before the Brazilian tournament got underway.
Alexsandr Golovin – £27million
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Russia had themselves a barnstorming campaign at their own tournament back in 2018 – led by the mercurial Golovin, who had enticed Chelsea with his charms. However, it was Monaco that won the race for the midfielder – forking out £27m for his services.
That was an increase of 67% on his original £16.2m valuation when he was plying his services for CSKA Moscow.
Benjamin Pavard – £31.5million
Another World Cup player that everyone fell in love with – particularly after his jaw-dropping strike against Argentina that seemed to defy physics. Pavard quickly earned a mammoth move from Stuttgart after starring for France in the 2018 World Cup.
Already worth a pretty penny, the defender had a total valuation of £27m before Bayern Munich signed him for £31.5m – an increase of 17%.
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