The most expensive international teams in the world
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In a recent study, the Telegraph, using data from Transfermarkt, looked at the combined transfer fees paid for players from each international side and found out which sides are the most expensive.
They totted up all of the money that has been spent on each player to get a grand total, although the 11 players they chose from each side are subjective as some will disagree that they’ve picked the best sides for each nation,
Either way, here’s the countdown of the 30 most expensive international teams in the world.
30. Peru - £13.56m
Peru, who are ranked 18th in the world, are the 30th most expensive side.
Gallese £0.43m, Advincula £1.84m, Rodriguez £1.39m, Ramos £0m, Trauco £0m, Yotun £0m, Tapia £2.13m, Hurtado £0m, Cueva £1.88m, Carrillo £0.59m, Guerrero £5.3m.
29. Costa Rica - £35.08m
Costa Rica are 29th on the list, although that’s mainly due to Brian Ruiz’s previous moves.
Navas £8.76m, Gamboa £3.4m, Acosta £0.03m, Waston £0m, Oviedo £4.17m, Guzman £0m, Borges £0.1m, Campbell £1.7m, Ruiz £16.75m, Wallace £0.17m, Ortiz £0m.
28. Slovakia - £40.85m
Slovakia, the 25th ranked side in the world, are 28th on the list with Martin Skrtel’s combined fees making up a sizeable chunk of the total.
Dubravka £0m, Pekarik £0.85m, Skrtel £13.86m, Skriniar £0.85m, Hubocan £3.74m, Hrosovsky £0m, Hamsik £5.1m, Kucka £5.95m, Mak £3.44m, Weiss £6.55m, Duris £0.51m.
27. Iceland - £43.44m
Conquerors of England at Euro 2016, Iceland are next on the list, although that’s mainly due to Gylfi Sigurdsson.
Kristinsson £0m, Jonsson £0m, R. Sigurdsson 8.29m, Magnusson £3.4m, Skulason £0m, G. Sigurdsson £21.93m, Vidarsson £0m, Gunnarsson £0.21m Traustason £1.79m, Sigurdarson £2.55m, Kjartansson £5.27m.
26. USA - £58.57m
The US national side are next up on the list. A few of their players have moved both to, and around, Europe which has boosted their combined fees.
Howard £6.29m, Zusi £0m, Cameron £1.83m, Ream £4.08m, Beasley £2.72m, Jones £0.68m, Bradley £12.62m, Kljestan £0.34m, Pulisic £0m, Dempsey £14.71m, Altidore £15.3m.
25. Egypt - £59.55m
The transfers of Mohamed Salah to and from Chelsea and Mohamed Elneny’s move to Arsenal are the main reasons why Egypt are in 25th place on this list.
El Hadary £1.34m, Elmohamady £4.95m, Gabr £0m, Hegazy £1.28m, Fathi £1.84m, Elneny £11.17m, Hamed £0.6m, Said £0.68m, Salah £33.15m, Sobhi £4.25m, Warda £0.29m.
24. Hungary - £62.35m
There is a lot of money in Russian football and the combined £34.09m spent on Balazs Dzsudzsak by Anzhi Makhachkala and Dynamo Moscow sees Hungary slot into 24th place.
Gulacsi £2.55m, Korhut £0.43m, Kadar £3.66m, Fiola £0.55m, Lang £0.85m, Gera £1.91m, Nagy £1.53m, Gyurcsó £0m, Dzsudzsak £34.09m, Szalai £13.52m, Priskin £3.26m.
23. Republic of Ireland - £70.87m
Ireland have a lot of players who’ve moved around the Premier League, and as such, they’ve made 23rd place.
Randolph £0m, Coleman £0.06m, O’Shea £3.83m, Clark £5.1m, Arter £0.12m, Whelan £0.64m, McCarthy £17.34m, McClean £4.4m, McGeady £11.9m, Walters £3.19m, Long £24.29m.
22. Ecuador - £77.2m
The Valencias, Antonio and Enner, make up a big chunk of the combined fees paid for Ecuadorian players.
Banguera £0m, A. Valencia £20.15m, Arboleda £0m, Aimar £0m, Bagui £0m, Quinonez £1.28m, Noboa £9.35m, Bolanos £3.83m, Montero £7.65m, E. Valencia £15.53m, Caicedo £19.41m.
21. Turkey - £91.22m
Arda Turan’s £40.38m in combined fees, most of which was paid by Barcelona, sees the value of Turkey’s side rocket into 21st place.
Babacan £0m, Gonul £1.19m, Calik £2.13m, Topal £9.35m, Kaldirim £3.27m, Ozyakup £0.43m, Inan £1.7m, Calhanoglu £14.45m, Sen £6.25m, Turan £40.38m, Yilmaz £12.07m.
20. Mexico - £93.36m
Mexico break into the top 20 and do so without any huge fees. The likes of Gio Dos Santos, Carlos Vela and Javier Hernandez have all moved for decent fees.
Ochoa £0m, Moreno £9.78m, Salcedo £2.13m, Marquez £9.14m, Layun £6.29m, Molina £1.11m, Herrera £9.35m, Pineda £4.68m, Dos Santos £17.3m, Vela £14.45m, Hernandez £19.13m.
19. Poland - £102.98m
If Robert Lewandowski is ever sold, this total will be much higher but for now, Grzegorz Krychowiak and Arkadiusz Milik help Poland crack the top 20.
Szczesny £0.04m, Piszczek £0.1m, Pazdan £0.6m, Cionek £0.7m, Bereszynski £1.8m, Krychowiak £34.14m, Zielinski £11.99m, Blaszczykowski £7.7m, Grosicki £9.56m, Milik £31.98m, Lewandowski £4.37m.
18. Senegal - £112.18m
Sadio Mane’s three big moves added to Moussa Sow’s £22.1m fee puts Senegal at 18th.
Diallo £0m, Gassama £0m, Koulibaly £7.69m, Kara £3.91m, Ciss £0.43m, Kouyate £6.38m, Gueye £14.88m, Balde £0.26m, Mane £51.17m, Diouf £5.36m, Sow £22.1m.
17. Bosnia and Herzegovina - £128.96m
Miralem Pjanic and Edin Dzeko’s big moves are the reasons why Bosnia and Herzegovina are so high on the list.
Begovic £12.54m, Vranjes £1.43m, Zukanovic £8.33m, Sunjic £2.67m, Kolasinac £0m, Jajalo £3.61m, Lulic £3.12m, Hajrovic £2.98m, Pjanic £42.93m, Ibisevic £4.68m, Dzeko £46.67m.
16. Wales - £168.6m
Mainly thanks to Gareth Bale, Wales come in 16th place.
Hennessey £3.1m, Gunter £6.97m, Collins £9.27m, Williams £12.36m, Taylor £0m, Allen £29.33m, Ledley £2.98m, Ramsey £5.44m, Bale £98.35m, Robson-Kanu £0m, Vokes £0.8m.
15. Switzerland - £172.17m
A lot of Swiss players have commanded decent fees in recent years, with Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka being the most expensive.
Sommer £7.65m, Lichtsteiner £10.07m, Schar £3.4m, Djourou £2.72m, Moubandje £0.85m, Xhaka £45.48m, Behrami £27.03m, Fernandes £5.44m, Shaqiri £37.23m, Mehmedi £15.13m, Drmic £17.17m.
14. Spain - £195.08m
Perhaps surprisingly low on the list, Spain have had some expensive players but a few of their stars have either never moved or moved early in their careers.
De Gea £21.25m, Carvajal £9.78m, Ramos £22.95m, Pique £8.71m, Monreal £13.6m, Busquets £0m, Thiago £21.25m, Iniesta £0m, David Silva £24.44m, Isco £30.6m, Morata £42.5m.
13. Croatia - £217.33m
Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic and Mario Mandzukic are the main reasons why Croatia’s side is so expensive.
Subasic £1.19m, Juranovic £0m, Vida £7.4m, Jedvaj £11.05m, Pivaric £0m, Modric £43.35m, Rakitic £21.68m, Kovacic £35.7m, Perisic £28.1m, Mandzukic £53.13m, Kalinic £15.73m.
12. Italy - £223.09m
Italy’s goalkeeper and back four have all commanded big fees, as has striker Ciro Immobile.
Buffon £44.95m, Bonucci £25.53m, Romagnoli £22.31m, Barzagli £13.52m, Darmian £17.51m, De Rossi £0m, Veratti £10.2m, Candreva £28.65m, Insigne £0m, Immobile £48.18m, Belotti £12.24m.
11. England - £227.82m
The big money paid by Manchester clubs for John Stones, Luke Shaw and Raheem Sterling make up a big chunk of the total combined fees paid for England players.
Hart £1.74m, Clyne £17.77m, Cahill £12.24m, Stones £50.24m, Shaw £31.88m, Henderson £15.3m, Alli £5.64m, Lallana £26.35m, Sterling £53.72m, Oxlade-Chamberlain £11.73m, Vardy £1.21m.
10. Chile - £238.01m
Alexis Sanchez, Arturo Vidal and Claudio Bravo are amongst the players who get Chile into the top ten. They could go even higher too if Sanchez leaves Arsenal this summer.
9. Uruguay - £262.09m
Uruguay have Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez to thank for getting them into 9th place. The duo have had over £170m paid for them in transfer fees.
Muslera £8.29m, M. Pereira £4.85m, Godin £7.48m, Coates £13.47m, A. Pereira £19.52m, Arevalo Rios £5.95m, Vecino £1.96m, Lodeiro £12.22m, Ramirez £15.78m, Cavani £73.53m, Suarez £99.04m
8. Portugal - £284.04m
The near £100m spent of Cristiano Ronaldo sees Portugal fall into 8th place but there have been big fees paid for a few other members of their side too.
Patricio £0m, Soares £4.68m, Pepe £27.2m, Alves £23.38m, Eliseu £3.83m, Carvalho £0m, Joao Mario £34m, Gomes £46.75m, Quaresma £38.63m, Ronaldo £96.05m, Eder £9.52m.
7. Holland - £295.95m
Holland are not playing like a team full of stars but the money says that is what they are.
Cillessen £13.79m, Brenet £0m, Van Dijk £15.9m, Bruma £13.28m, Blind £15.3m, Wijnaldum £44.63m, Strootman £19.3m, Sneijder £42.08m, Robben £69.96m, Depay £42.5m, Janssen £19.21m.
6. Colombia - £321.44m
James Rodriguez, Juan Cuadrado and Radamel Falcao have all had big money spent on them, hence why Colombia are 6th on this list.
Ospina £5.10m, Arias £1.36m, Zapata £13.52m, D. Sanchez £4.25m, Armero £7.06m, C. Sanchez £6.12m, Torres £2.7m, Rodriguez £108.49m, Cuadrado £49.98m, Bacca £35.28m, Falcao £87.58m.
5. Germany - £331.93m
Germany break into the top five with the likes of Julian Draxler and Mesut Ozil commanding big feed.
Neuer £25.5m, Mustafi £41.65m, Hummels £33.32m, Sule £17m, Hector £0m, Can £14.45m, Kroos £27.46, Ozil £59.5m, Draxler £70.55m, Muller £0m, Sane £42.5m.
4. Belgium - £333.7m
Belgium have some top players so it’s no surprise to see them so high on the list.
Courtois £8.63m, Alderweireld £19.55m, Vertonghen £10.63m, Kompany £16.15m, Nainggolan £15.40m, Dembele £25.71m, Witsel £58.65m, De Bruyne £88.78m, Carrasco £14.67m, Hazard £29.75m, Lukaku £45.78m.
3. France - £380.38m
With the most expensive player in the world, France break into the top three. They could go even higher in the summer too if Antoine Griezmann moves.
Lloris £17.94m, Sidibe £14.88m, Umtiti £21.25m, Koscielny £11.9m, Kurzawa £21.25m, Kante £30.08m, Pogba £89.25m, Payet £56.1m, Griezmann £25.5m, Martial £46.75m, Gameiro £45.48m.
2. Brazil - £386.18m
Willian, Neymar and Thiago Silva are just three of the Brazilians who have demanded big fees.
Weverton £0m, Dani Alves £31.07m, Marquinhos £32.81m, Thiago Silva £49.3m, Marcelo £5.53m, Fernandinho £40.63m, Paulinho £33.46m, Coutinho £14.28m, Douglas Costa £32.3m, Willian £71.83m, Neymar £74.97m.
1. Argentina - £437.06m
Even without Lionel Messi ever moving, Argentina are the most expensive international side in the world. Angel Di Maria and Gonzalo Higuain combine for over £270m!
Romero £3.2m, Zabaleta £10.37m, Otamendi £51.5m, Demichelis £11.05m, Mas £1.28m, Mascherano £59.27m, Biglia £9.69m, Banega £18.7m, Messi £0m, Di Maria £152.15m, Higuain £119.85m.