France and Spain are set to face off in a battle for a spot in the final tomorrow at 1:00 AM (Bangladesh time). Ahead of the match, the Spanish daily ‘AS’ revealed a striking statistic: the combined market value of the players from both teams exceeds $3 billion.
According to the Spanish media outlet, this clash between France and Spain is the most valuable semifinal in football history, surpassing all previous World Cup semifinals in terms of player valuation.
Despite these astronomical figures, there is a gap of approximately $350 million between the two teams. The French squad has a total market value of around $1.78 billion, while the Spanish team is valued at approximately $1.43 billion.
There is also fierce competition regarding individual player values. Spain’s young sensation Lamine Yamal is currently the most valuable player, with a market value of around $234 million. French star Kylian Mbappé is valued at approximately $210 million. Additionally, both Michael Olise and Pedri have market values of around $175 million each.
Beyond these four stars, there are seven other players across the two teams—each with a market value of $117 million or more. Furthermore, a total of 22 players between the two squads are valued at at least $58 million. Of these 22 players, 15 are from France and 7 are from Spain; this means the French have more than double the number of such high-value players compared to Spain.
When broken down by position, Spain holds the advantage in goal. While the combined market value of France’s three goalkeepers is around $67 million, the total value of Spain’s three goalkeepers stands at approximately $114 million.
However, France holds clear dominance in defense. The combined market value of French defenders is $473 million, whereas the Spanish defense is valued at approximately $337 million.
Spain, meanwhile, holds the edge in the midfield battle. The total market value of Spanish midfielders is approximately $491 million, whereas the value of France’s midfield stands at around $365 million. However, the decisive difference between the two teams lies in their attacking units.
While Spain’s Lamine Yamal alone is valued at $234 million, the combined market value of France’s wingers and strikers is approximately $877 million, compared to the $488 million total value of Spain’s attack. This vast disparity in the attacking lines is what places France ahead of Spain in terms of overall market value.
