World Cups have been prominent for raising the prices of players who are seen to perform well on the big stage, and as the 2022 edition of the competition is over, it’ll likely be no different than before.
You can take a look at some of the potential transfers on the cards after impressive performances in Qatar this month here.
We’re taking a look at 8 signings made after recent World Cups and seeing if they were worth the prices paid, after an impressive tournament. However, not all players who had a strong WC campaign lived up to their expectations when getting their big move, but some still did.
Aleksandr Golovin – Monaco
When Alexandr Golovin netted Russia’s fifth goal against Saudi Arabia in the opening match of World Cup 2018, the 23-year-old looked like a player with the game at his feet.
The host nation’s wonder kid had come to life at the perfect time, with the eyes of the world on him and his country, after months of controversy leading up to the tournament.
After the Russians made the quarter-finals of the World Cup, Golovin stood out the most, and big clubs came knocking on the door with the likes of Real Madrid and Juventus chasing the signature of the CSKA Moscow man.
However, it was Russian-owned Monaco in Ligue 1 that landed the move, in a deal that was worth €30 million.
Официально: Александр Головин покидает #ЦСКА и переходит в Монако
Спасибо за всё, Голова! Это было круто! Удачи в Европе!https://t.co/a1eMi4m7La pic.twitter.com/wGpDh96cVK
— ПФК ЦСКА Москва (@pfc_cska) July 27, 2018
Unfortunately for both parties, it was a signing that turned sour quite quickly. He ended up becoming one of the flops of European football in recent seasons, only scoring 17 goals with 23 assists in 117 games for the club so far. It doesn’t look all that bad on paper but other than the 20/21 where he got 5 goals and 9 assists, the 26-year-old has averaged just 3 goals and 3 assists over the course of his tenure in France.
It’s fair to say that Golovin hasn’t been worth the price paid by the French club.
James Rodriguez – Real Madrid.
In the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Colombia had a famous run to the quarter-finals, where they were eventually knocked out by the hosts. During the tournament, the Colombia side was driven by the talented James Rodriguez, who was one of the top performing players that summer.
He scored 6 goals in 5 games including a sensational volley against Uruguay which eventually went on to win the Puskas Award.
Six years ago today, James Rodriguez scored one of the all-time great World Cup goals!
It won goal of the tournament and the Puskas award 🏆
(via @FIFAWorldCup)pic.twitter.com/AcuYDKQkAz
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) June 28, 2020
His performances on the big stage saw him join Spanish giants Real Madrid later that summer from Monaco for a whopping fee of £67.5 million. It was a big increase of 114% from his pre-tournament value of £31.5m.
However, he never fulfilled his full potential in the Spanish capital, and had problems on and off the field with injuries and other things. He eventually left Madrid after six years, only making 85 appearances.
Rodriquez never lived up to the hefty price paid to bring him to the Bernabéu.
Ramires – Chelsea
Ramires had a great 2010 World Cup campaign for Brazil before they were dumped out at the quarter-finals. It was his performances that drew Chelsea to the signing of the holding midfielder.
The Blues paid Benfica £19.8 million, and Ramires went on to spend six years at Stamford Bridge winning a famous Champions League trophy. He was nominated for the Chelsea player of the year that season, scoring 12 goals and 9 assists in the process. He also won the clubs goal of the year with a chip against Barcelona, which topped off a terrific campaign for the little Brazilian.
Throwback to when Ramires scored this insane goal against Barcelona.
The pass from Lampard is amazing and the finish is even better. That chip over the keeper is so classy! 👌🔥pic.twitter.com/E1qYiLHS59
— Transfer HQ (@Transfer__HQ) March 24, 2020
It’s clear that Ramires was worth every penny that Chelsea paid to secure his signature.
Daley Blind – Manchester United
The Netherlands were one of the surprise packages of the Brazil World Cup back in 2014, in a run up to the semi-finals which seen them hammer Spain 5-1 in their opening game of the tournament
One of their key players in the tournament was Daley Blind, a versatile left-back who was running the left hand side of the pitch. He famously got one of the greatest World Cup assists of all time leading to one of the greatest goals of all time in that win over Spain when he pinged a ball forward from left back all for Robin Van Persie to gracefully head past the Spanish goalkeeper.
Since it’s Thursday
Let me bring back this amazing throwback of Robin van Persie’s flying header vs Spain at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. 🚀One of the best goal ever
What. A. Goal. 🇳🇱🔥
pic.twitter.com/q7cFIWx3Kz— Olamide💰🇳🇬🇳🇬 (@Just_cash04) September 8, 2022
The Oranje’s performance in the competition earned manager Louis van Gaal the Manchester United job and with him he took Daley Blind. United paid £15.74 million for the versatile defender, and he spent four years up in Manchester making 90 appearances. He enjoyed a fairly successful stay, and was used in multiple positions across the backline and even played in defensive midfield.
For the price United paid, they certainly got their worth out of him.
Mesut Ozil – Real Madrid
In arguably one of the most career-changing tournaments World Cup history, Mesut Ozil burst onto the scene after catching the eye of many in the 2010 addition of the tournament. He was a rising prospect for German side Werder Bremen at the age of only 21
Soon after the World Cup ended, Ozil would go on to join Real Madrid for a fee of just £15 million, which was ridiculously good value. He went on to become a global sensation in the world of football. He finished his debut season with a record-breaking 25 assists for a player his age, and this just added more value to his ever-growing price tag.
Mesut Ozil at Real Madrid was just 🤤pic.twitter.com/UFaT2q8LDZ
— GOAL (@goal) May 17, 2020
After three seasons he left the Spanish capital to join Arsenal, becoming one of their all-time greats spending 8 years in north London.
Alexis Sanchez – Barcelona
Sanchez was a well known young talent already going into the 2014 edition of the World Cup, and starred with Chile in Brazil that year as they made it to the last-16.
His performances were that good in the tournament that they earned him a big money move to Arsenal shortly after. They payed Barcelona just £31.7 million, and for a player of that quality they got very good value for what they paid.
Sanchez scored 60 goals in 122 games for the Gunners and overall had a very successful career in European football.
Marcos Rojo – Manchester United
Marcos Rojo had a very strong 2014 World Cup campaign in which he made it all the way to the final with Argentina, eventually losing.
However, it was the performances of Rojo that earned him his dream move to Manchester United in the summer of 2014, and became Louis van Gaal’s third purchase at the club alongside Daley Blind – so it’s clear Van Gaal was watching more than just his own side very closely at the tournament, where he was then the Netherlands manager, before moving onto Old Trafford.
The Red Devils payed just £16 million to Sporting CP for the Argentine defender, however he never really had the most fruitful time in a red shirt, and was often used as a scapegoat – only making 76 appearances in 7 years on the books.
Enner Valencia – West Ham United
Many thought after Enner Valencia’s first few games at this years World Cup in Qatar that he may find himself on the move again after impressing, scoring three times in the group stages, becoming Ecuador’s top goalscorer in World Cup finals with six goals.
However, he actually did get a move after impressing at the 2014 edition of the tournament. The striker was rewarded with an impressive campaign with a move to east London to sign for West Ham United, for just £12 million. In his first season for the Hammers, he formed a strong partnership with Diafra Sakho scoring five goals in 37 appearances.
He was only at his former club Pachuca for six months before signing for the Londoners, however he only ended up playing 54 times for West Ham in three years, scoring an underwhelming 8 goals. He was another example of a player that flopped after impressing on the big stage.
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