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The World Cup so often has such a pivotal role to play in the transfer business of the respective transfer window that ties to each edition of football’s greatest competition. A good World Cup can turn a player into a true superstar of the game, landing them a big-money move to one of the biggest teams in the game.
The Russia-held tournament helped to put several names on the global map this summer, and it also helped to enhance the lofty reputation of some impressive talents. And make no mistake about it, there will be a whole slew of transfer activity playing out over the next month or two purely because of what took place in Russia.
With all of that in mind, then, here are five players whose value has skyrocketed due to their exploits in Russia.
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Hirving Lozano
Going into this summer’s World Cup, many had earmarked Mexico’s Hirving Lozano as having the potential to be one of the tournament’s biggest stars – much like how James Rodriguez shone for Colombia at the 2014 World Cup, securing a big-money move to Real Madrid in the process.
Credit where credit’s due, Lozano lived up to the hype and was a major factor in Mexico reaching the last 16; in particular in how he tore through the German defence in his nation’s 1-0 group stage win over the 2014 World Cup winners.
Lozano was on fire for PSV last season, but so many times we’ve seen players hyped up before a tournament, only for them to fail to deliver anything of note. The flying forward most certainly did everything he could to enhance his reputation, though – not to mention enhance his ever-increasing price tag.
Most recently, Lozano has been linked with a summer transfer to Manchester United, in addition to Barcelona being in the hunt. Wherever he ends up plying his trade in the 2018/19 season, Lozano’s exploits in Russia have boosted his value massively.
Nicknamed Chucky, the electric Lozano finished his World Cup campaign with four appearances, one goal, and one assist to his name.
Harry Maguire
Affectionately known as “Slab Head” to some right now, Leicester City’s Harry Maguire has been one of the standout defenders of the World Cup. A big, strong centre-back who isn’t afraid to carry the ball out of defence, the former Sheffield United and Hull City man has all of the English Premier League’s big boys on notice.
Before the World Cup started, Maguire had already been linked with the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, and Arsenal, and his performances for Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions will only serve to increase his value and increase the interest in him.
Despite an initially uneasy start in the first game of the World Cup, Maguire went from strength-to-strength in each game, even popping up with the opening goal in the last 16 match against Sweden.
At 25, Maguire is at the perfect age to move to one of European football’s biggest clubs, and if that does indeed happen, Leicester City will be laughing all the way to the bank – even if it means losing another key figure so shortly after Riyad Mahrez’s move to Manchester City.
Maguire and England would eventually be bested by Croatia at the semi-final stage of the World Cup, with the 1966 World Cup winners eventually coming fourth overall after Belgium defeated them in the third-place playoff. For Maguire, the 2018 World Cup saw him rack up seven appearances, one goal, and one assist.
Aleksandr Golovin
It seemed as if Russian midfielder Aleksandr Golovin was destined to leave CSKA Moscow before the World Cup had even begun. But fortunately for CSKA, the playmaker’s performances on world football’s grandest stage will have done nothing if not inflate his value.
Many had predicted that Russia – the competition’s lowest ranked team – wouldn’t even make it past the group stage, but the home nation proved all naysayers wrong by progressing through to the quarter-finals. There, they would ultimately go out to Croatia, but they’d impressed many along the way – not least in how their spirited side knocked out Spain in the last 16. And throughout it all, Golovin was the man so often pulling the strings.
Throughout the tournament and beyond, Golovin has been linked with a slew of top-tier European sides, and at times it seemed as if Chelsea was his most likely destination. Now though, it looks as if the creative, free-flowing 22-year-old could well find himself lining up alongside Cristiano Ronaldo at Juventus next season.
In Golovin's four World Cup appearances, he was at the heart of everything positive about the Russian side - amassing one goal and two assists.
Sime Vrsaljko
Croatian full-back Sime Vrsaljko has been tipped to be one of European football’s hot young things for several years now. But before the 2018 World Cup, many weren’t sure if the right-back would ever manage to live up to the huge potential that he has so clearly had over the last few seasons.
It didn’t help that Vrsaljko has struggled to oust club legend Juanfran from Atletico Madrid’s right-back slot over the last two seasons, with the Croatia man having only made 54 appearances for Atletico in all competitions over those two campaigns.
Still, for those wondering whether Vrsaljko was the real deal, his performances in Russia this summer have shown that he can deliver on the big stage. Solid defensively and a constant threat going forward, the energetic former Sassuolo defender has his fair share of suitors, and the current speculation seems to indicate that his future could lie in England.
Reports earlier this year had the Croat linked to Manchester City, before the early goings of the World Cup saw Manchester United in the hunt for the full-back. Now, the latest news is that Chelsea and their new manager Maurizio Sarri are desperate to bring Vrsaljko to Stamford Bridge.
A World Cup that saw Sime Vrsaljko shine as arguably the best right-back in the entire competition will have done his value no harm, and it seems that the ball is firmly in Atletico Madrid’s court on this one; do they stick with 33-year-old stalwart Juanfran at right-back, or do they decide to keep hold of Vrsaljko and make him their first choice in that position?
Croatia may have been losing finalists, but Vrsaljko won many admirers in his six tournament appearances.
Kylian Mbappe
Seriously, how do you increase your price tag when you’re already touted at £166 million? Well, if you’re Kylian Mbappe, you absolutely blow opponent after opponent away on the grandest stage in world football – to the point where you’re actually embarrassing opposing players, such is your ridiculous skill set and creative dynamism.
Mbappe, of course, spent last season on loan at Paris St-Germain, with a deal in place for the Ligue 1 champions to sign the player from Monaco this summer for a staggering £166 million. However, the Paris club are currently being investigated for potentially breaching Financial Fair Play rules. As such, PSG may not be signing Mbappe after all!
If that permanent move to Paris St-Germain doesn’t happen, it’s no exaggeration to say that Kylian Mbappe would have his pick of clubs. Already, the 19-year-old Frenchman has been touted for a move to the biggest clubs in the world, with the latest speculation having him pegged as Real Madrid’s top pick to replace Cristiano Ronaldo.
It’s kind of befuddling to say that the World Cup has boosted Mbappe’s £166 million valuation, but that is indeed the case. If that already-agreed-in-principal move to PSG has the breaks put on it, you’d now be looking at a figure of £200 million or more for the lightning-quick forward – and that’s down purely to his performances in Russia this summer, in which he led France to World Cup triumph, nabbing himself the FIFA Young Player Award and scoring four goals in only six starts.
