'La Roja' worth top dollar

Posted Tuesday, June 10, 2014 by Marca.com

Which team at the 2014 World Cup is the most valuable? Prestigious American magazine Time set about asking and answering this question and it turns out that none other than Spain top the pile. The 'La Roja' squad is worth a whopping $916 million, accounting for some 9.5% of the total market value of the 32 sides competing in Brazil.

The comparison between Spain and the least valuable team is quite simply mind-blowing: Honduras's total value of $31.1 million is less than the average value of a single member of the reigning world champions' squad.

After Spain come two of the leading contenders to capture the crown at the tournament kicking off on Thursday: Germany, with a value of $828 million, and host nation Brazil, who are worth some $689 million. These figures are in part down to the fact that each of these two countries can call on one of the most expensive signings from last summer's transfer window: Mesut Özil (who moved from Real Madrid to Arsenal) and Neymar (who joined Barcelona from Santos in a big-money deal).

Where players are concerned, the usual suspects head the most valuable rankings. Lionel Messi's age, at 26 compared to Cristiano Ronaldo's 29, is believed to be a key reason why he is valued at $30 million more than the Portuguese ace ($177m to $144m).