Glory. History. Football immortality. That’s the promise of the World Cup.
Starring in the largest sporting spectacle on earth offers players the opportunity to become legends in their home country, regardless if they were considered among the best coming into the tournament.
One goal and a clinching penalty in 2006 elevated Fabio Grosso to deity status in Italy.
It’s something that can never be taken away from him, or anyone who has a great month every four years in the middle of the summer.
But with the dust settled and the trophy lifted, life goes on. And for the players at the World Cup, life means club football. An impressive tournament can be parlayed into a big transfer and increased wages. While the hopeless romantic in all of us would like to wish players aren’t thinking about that during the tournament, the foolish amount of money involved in today’s game makes it inevitable.
This summer is no different. Here are ten players (ordered by World Cup group) that could turn a solid tournament into an expensive transfer.
All valuations courtesy of transfermarkt.com.
Ivan Rakitic - Croatia and Sevilla (€20 million)
The strength of the Croatian side is in their midfield, with Real Madrid star Luka Modric garnering most of the attention given his refined brilliance and status as a key contributor with arguably the most recognizable club in the world.
But while Modric will be the focus of most opposing teams, it could be his partner in crime that does most of the damage going forward in Brazil. After a fantastic season leading Sevilla to the Europa League title, Ivan Rakitic is poised for an expensive move this summer, with Barcelona heavily rumored to be interested in acquiring his services.
Audacious on the ball and always looking for the killer pass (see: ridiculous 40-yard volleyed through ball), Rakitic should be able to parlay his success this past season into a solid World Cup - even if the team struggles in the opening match of the competition against Brazil.
While that would almost certainly resign Sevilla to losing their most influential player, the incoming transfer fee would mitigate a lot of that pain.
Juan Cuadrado - Colombia and Fiorentina (€24 million)
With the exception of Dmytro Chygrynskiy (and possibly Alex Song), Barcelona tend to pursue only elite talent in the transfer market.
When they do miss, though. Yikes.
The likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Cesc Fabregas and Neymar all arrived at the club in recent years, and the latest reports suggest that Fiorentina winger Juan Cuadrado could be next in line.
That should tell you everything you need to know about the versatile Colombian.
With Radamel Falcao out of the competition due to a knee injury, the proverbial dark horse of the tournament will be looking for someone to step up and help fill the rather large attacking void left by the Monaco striker.
That Cuadrado is capable of being that man from his wide position says a lot about just how dangerous he is going forward.
The 26-year-old completed 3.7 successful dribbles per game this past season with Fiorentina, more than any other player in Serie A. That ability to beat defenders translated into 11 goals and five assists on the campaign.
If Colombia is to make good on its promise as a sleeper pick, Cuadrado will have to be a star, which would, consequently, force Barcelona to dig a little bit deeper into their pockets.
Serge Aurier - Ivory Coast and Toulouse (€6.5 million)
Rumored to be Arsene Wenger’s desired replacement for Bacary Sagna, the 21-year-old commanded a €2 million transfer fee as a teenager when Toulouse snapped him up from fellow French side Lens.
It's not hard to see why.
As ESPN FC notes in their analysis of the rampaging right-back, Aurier is "a powerhouse who just goes up and down that flank ceaselessly."
Demonstrated by his six goals and six assists in Ligue 1 this season, Aurier has a knack for getting forward, and his incredible work rate allows him to do so at will.
His willingness to bomb forward will leave his team exposed at the back on occasion, but he has the necessary speed to make up for that most of the time.
To showcase his skills for an extended period of time, Les Elephants need to make it out of a convoluted Group C, which is proving to be one of the most difficult to forecast ahead of the tournament. Didier Drogba, Gervinho and Yaya Toure may garner all of the attention for their attacking exploits, but Aurier will make a name for himself as the next big star to come out of the African nation.
Adam Lallana - England and Southampton (€7.5 million)
Since the departure of Mauricio Pochettino to Tottenham, the prevailing thought is that Southampton will find it difficult to keep hold of their most important players this summer after a surprising season rife with entertaining football.
Striker Rickie Lambert already left for Liverpool, and many expect Lallana to be the next domino to fall as the Saints' squad is picked off one by one.
Lallana, who went from relative unknown to potential starter at the World Cup in short order, was at the heart of everything his team created this past season. The 26-year-old was directly responsible for 68 chances and provided 1.8 key passes per game, according to Squawka and WhoScored.
He may not have that type of impact with the Three Lions, but all it takes is one moment of class in an important match to catapult his transfer value.
He's more than capable of making that happen.
Mario Balotelli - Italy and AC Milan (€30 million)
The most established player on the list, Mario Balotelli would already command a handsome transfer fee should somebody come knocking at AC Milan's door. According to recent reports, the role of Walter White is currently being played Arsenal, who are weighing up a bid to bring the mercurial striker back to the Premier League.
With Milan now on their third manager since his arrival and missing out on European competition for next season, all the variables are in place for Balotelli to be the subject of a substantial bid from someone in need of help in attack.
If Balotelli can lead Italy on a deep run at the World Cup with a few goals along the way, his previous transfers of €29.5 million (Manchester City, 2010) and €20 million (Milan, 2013) will pale in comparison to the fee paid out this summer by any team with aspirations of securing his signature.
A miserable season the club may have endured, Balotelli did still manage to score 14 goals in 30 league matches, willing his team to victory by his lonesome on more than one occasion.
With significantly better talent around him at the World Cup, he could very easily be the star of the tournament - assuming his common sense doesn't desert him in Brazil.
Ricardo Rodriguez - Switzerland and Wolfsburg (€20 million)
At a time when the world has simply been unable to produce elite left-backs the way it once did, players who show proficiency at the position - particularly at a young age - are in very high demand.
Ricardo Rodriguez looks destined to be one of those players.
A rugged defender whose broad shoulders and brute strength give many the impression on first viewing that he is a center-back, the 21-year-old Wolfsburg man has genuine attacking quality in his left foot.
Scoring five goals and providing 9 assists this past season, he showcased time and again that he is adept at both ends of the pitch.
With Switzerland harboring legitimate hopes of being the true dark horse in Brazil, Rodriguez could be in for an extended run of action to show the world that he is the next big thing at his position.
After signing him from FC Zurich for €8.5 million in 2012, Wolfsburg could very well be looking to triple their investment by the time the World Cup is over.
Jefferson Montero - Ecuador and Monarcas Morelia (€3.3 million)
The time has come for Jefferson Montero to be signed by a top European side.
The dynamic winger, 24, is simply too talented to continue bouncing between clubs as he did during the early part of his career - Montero played with five different teams since 2010.
Not the career trajectory you would expect out of someone who already drew the highest of praise, from the highest of sources. Tim Vickery of the BBC, considered by many to be the world's foremost authority on South American football, proclaimed that the Ecuadorian star is the third-best player on the continent behind only Lionel Messi and Neymar.
Boasting blazing speed and great skill with the ball at his feet, it's time the crest on the front of his club team jersey reflects that enormous billing.
Given his relatively low profile that stems from playing in Mexico, he could be one of the steals of the transfer window.
Antoine Griezmann - France and Real Sociedad (€25 million)
Nobody wants to gain their big opportunity simply because a teammate suffered an injury, but chances like this don't come around very often, something that won't be lost on French winger Antoine Griezmann.
The 23-year-old winger, who impressed in France's final World Cup tune-up with two goals off the bench against (a hapless) Jamaica, is giving manager Didier Deschamps plenty to think about ahead of Les Bleus' opening match.
Even if he isn't called upon to start on Sunday against Honduras, the Real Sociedad star should be able to make an impression on that - or any - contest as a substitute, with his dribbling ability and quickness the perfect combination to brutalize tired defenders who have already spent much of the day chasing the likes of Karim Benzema and Mathieu Valbuena around.
There's also the little issue of his willingness to try and score preposterous goals like this.
Now imagine the whirlwind if he did that in a World Cup match. Real Sociedad would never be able to make the phone stop ringing.
Nani - Portugal and Manchester United (€16 million)
Zero goals. Zero assists. Just 11 Premier League matches played this past season. The statistics are damning.
With horrifying numbers like that, it's easy to forget that Nani is still a quality winger who, on his day, is a nightmare for defenders with his pace and skill.
Falling victim to the circus that was Manchester United this season, Nani, Just two seasons removed from scoring eight goals and providing ten assists for the Red Devils, withered away on the bench.
His time at Old Trafford looks destined to an end in unceremonious fashion, less than a year after he signed a five-year contract extension.
Ironic, then, that a strong showing with Portugal playing opposite Cristiano Ronaldo could help his club net a hefty transfer fee.
Aleksandr Kokorin - Russia and Dynamo Moscow (€18 million)
At Euro 2012, it was Alan Dzagoev who stole the show for the Russians, scoring three goals in the group stage and seemingly emerging as the star around which the Russian team would function for many years to come.
Two years and a barren spell later, and Dzagoev is on the back burner, replaced by another youngster who is starting to fulfill the promise that enticed Anzhi Makhachkala to pay €19 million for him last year - before allowing him to return to Dynamo Moscow for that same price.
Aleksandr Kokorin, 23, comes into the tournament after scoring five goals in nine Russian Premier League matches this season, and will look to help Fabio Capello's team navigate out of a very manageable group alongside Belgium, Algeria and South Korea.
Able to play out on the left wing or up top as the focal point of the attack, Kokorin has the kind of versatility that makes him an intriguing prospect for many teams in need of attacking help heading into next season.
If he can replicate - or even surpass - the success of his teammate from two years ago, Kokorin may be in line for his first ever transfer outside of Russia.
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