In a recent survey conducted, it was found out that France national football team are the eight most expensive national side in world football. Les Bleus have finished ahead of the Dutch national side
In the world of football where big-money moves and expensive signings are become a normal custom, football clubs have the biggest payrolls. However, the same can’t be said of national teams. A study published by a Brazilian consulting firm Pluri Consultoria
released a list of the top ten most expensive national football sides in the world.
Understandably, Spain national side lead the standings. The Spaniards are currently the World and European champions and arguably boast some of the best players world football has seen in a decade. Their gross value is 662 million Euros which is certainly
not surprising given that six Spanish players are in FIFA’s team of the year for 2011.
Behind Spain, come Germany with a gross value of 451 million Euros. Then come five-time FIFA World Cup winners Brazil (442 million Euros). The two archrivals finished in the top eight in 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
In the list, out of 10 teams, eight are from Europe (Spain, Germany, Italy, England, Netherlands, France, Belgium, Portugal) while two are from South America (Brazil and Argentina).
France rank at eight place with a gross value of 298 million Euros and lead the likes of Netherlands and Belgium. What’s surprising is the fact that Les Bleus have finished ahead of Netherlands who played in the final of the 2010 World Cup.
Furthermore, the Dutch currently boast the likes of Wesley Sneijder, Kuyt, Arjen Robben, Rafael Van der Vaart, Van Bommel, Klaus-Jan Huntelaar and Ibrahim Afellay who are big earners for their respective clubs.
The surprising name in the list is of the Belgian national side. The Belgians have not qualified for either the World Cup or the European Championships in recent time but boast the likes of Eden Hazard, Vincent Kompany, Steven Defour, Witsel and Romelu Lukaku
which is a young generation of footballers who are bound to make it big in the near future.
1. Spain: 662 M €
2. Germany: € 451 million
3. Brazil: 442 M €
4. Argentina: 371 M €
5. Portugal: € 349 million
6. England: 346 M €
7. Italy: € 332 million
8. France : 298 M €
9 Netherlands: 256 M €
10. Belgium: € 216 million