by MaddFM.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing. While we shouldn’t shy away from the humanitarian and ethical issues surrounding FIFA’s decision to host this year’s World Cup in Qatar (here’s hoping some valuable lessons have been learned), one can’t take away from some of the outstanding individual and team efforts on display in this year’s tournament, particularly looking at performances across the younger generation of players in action. Coming into the World Cup, all eyes were on the likes of Jude Bellingham, Jamal Musiala, Pedri/Gavi, Vinicius Jr and of course that man Kylian Mbappé and rightly so as almost all of them delivered elite performances at various stages of this year’s tournament. The same can be said for likes of Joško Gvardiol, Enzo Fernandez, Mohammed Kudus, Gonçalo Ramos, Julian Alvarez, Aurélien Tchouaméni and Bukayo Saka all of whom are of course already well-known outstanding players for their respective clubs and domestic leagues and as such and are no strangers to most of us in the Football Manager community.
That said, a good World Cup usually brings about a few surprises in terms of players who shine for their nations in tournament football to absolutely rise to the occasion somewhat unexpectedly, and this year was no different as we saw a number outstanding individual efforts from some more unexpected names who as a result have done more than enough to earn a big move off the back of their World Cup exploits.
Here are 6 Players who deserve a big-money move following their performances in World Cup 2022.
1. Jakub Kiwior (Spezia/Poland)
Age: 22
Position: Defender (Left/Centre)
Value: €9.2m to €14m
Contract Expiry: 30/06/2025
Already linked with moves to the likes of Roma, Milan, Juventus and Tottenham, 22-year-old Jakub Kiwior was a shining light in a somewhat disappointing Poland side who despite reaching the Last 16 will look back in regret at some of their performances in this year’s tournament. Ranking among the top defenders for Tackles and Clearances made, Kiwior is a hot commodity as left-sided centre-halves tend to be, and in FM23 we can see the makings of a strong reliable defender for most mid-tier clubs, likely raising to top-tier should he get an attributes boost in the next data update following his performances in Qatar. In his last three transfer moves his value went from €10k to €250k to €2.2m - expect to pay double figures at a minimum if you wish to avail of his services 👌.
2. Stephen Eustáquio (Porto/Canada)
Age: 25
Position: Midfielder (Centre)
Value: €21m - €30m
Contract Expiry: 30/06/2027
While you could argue Eustáquio already had a big move when he joined FC Porto from Paços de Ferreira 18 months back, the €3.5m transfer fee looks like excellent value for money if his performances for Canada are anything to go by (not to mention his in-game value). While they somehow managed to pick up zero points despite some excellent performances in the group stages, Eustáquio was a shining light alongside Alphonso Davies and he continually offered a creative outlet for Canada - confident on the ball, linking up play, recycling possession and leading the central midfield strata for the Canadians. In FM23 he looks to be a quality playmaker with solid all round physical, mental and technical attributes - definitely potential for a move to a bigger side where he could more than do a job for many of the elite clubs in Europe.
3. Azzedine Ounahi (Angers/Morocco)
Age: 22
Position: Midfielder (Centre)
Value: €8m to €12m
Contract Expiry: 30/06/2026
With the exception of Enzo Fernandez, you could argue that 22-year-old Azzedine Ounahi was the best young player of the 2022 World Cup as well as being one of the driving forces behind Morocco’s incredible journey to the Semi-Finals. Featuring in all 7 games, averaging 41 passes per 90 minutes with an both an 83% passing accuracy and successful dribbling rate - this is a player with a huge future ahead of him especially when you consider that 4 of those 7 games came against Belgium, Spain, Portugal and France. The fact that he is at Angers (a club very close to my heart since FM21) is an added bonus having joined them in 2021 and with a value between €8m and €12m at the start of FM23 (and surely due an upgrade in the next update) - he looks a tasty versatile midfield option who will surely be at a bigger club by the time FM24 comes around.
4. Dominik Livaković (Dinamo/Croatia)
Age: 27
Position: Goalkeeper
Value: €13m to €19.5m
Contract Expiry: 15/06/2024
How is this man still playing his football in Croatia - no disrespect to the Croatian league of course, but while many football observers witnessed Livakovic’s ability for the first time in World Cup 2022, we’ve known about him for some time now in the Football Manager community and he has been a go-to keeper for the past few versions of FM based on his availability and star quality. The Croatian #1 made 4 penalty shoot-out saves in this year’s tournament and became the first keeper to make 11 saves in a World Cup game since another FM favourite Tim Howard in 2014 - his quality is equally evident in FM23 with excellent attributes and with his contract up in 2024, he is very much attainable with a valuation between €13m and €19.5m and arguably his best football ahead of him as a keeper at 27 years old.
5. Cody Gakpo (PSV/Netherlands)
Age: 23
Position: Attacking Midfielder/Forward (Left/Centre)
Value: €53m to €63m
Contract Expiry: 30/06/2026
What a World Cup this young man has had. After bagging a goal a game in the group stages and helping Netherlands reach the quarter-finals only to lose out on penalties to eventual Champions Argentina, Gakpo rose to instant stardom however many of us will already be well aware of his qualities not only based on his current league form where has racked up 9 goals and 12 assists in 14 games for PSV in the Dutch Eredivisie, but also based on his undoubted quality and potential over the last few editions of Football Manager. Already heavily linked with a move to Man Utd, at 6’2” he can be deployed in almost any wider or central role, with bags of room to be developed and improved right from the get go - the only stumbling point might be his in-game value, but if you have the funds - get it done.
6. Sofyan Amrabat (Fiorentina/Morocco)
Age: 25
Position: Midfielder (Centre)
Value: €10.5m to €13m
Contract Expiry: 30/06/2024
Another Moroccan but it had to be. Now in his third season at Fiorentina, Amrabat has gone from strength to strength year-on-year and was arguably the key ingredient in Morocco’s incredible run to the Semi-Final, so much so that he comfortably earned a place in the World Cup Best XI. Showing his class both defensively and offensively throughout the tournament, he ranked among the top 5 players for tackle completion and tackles attempted with the highest successful tackling percentage in the defensive third for the whole tournament (see his epic challenge on Kylian Mbappé for more info). In FM23 he is very much an all rounder in terms of his attributes and ability and could slot into almost any midfield role needed which is of huge value when playing a 3-man midfield. With his contract also up at the end of 2024 (and heavily linked with a move to Liverpool in real-life) - €10.5m to €13m looks a steal for his services..he may not be as attainable by the time the next FM data update comes our way 👀.
There you have it - 5 players who were outstanding in this year’s World Cup and who have very much earned a big transfer move following their exploits for their respective home nations. Of course the likes of Fernandez, Kudus, Ramos, MacAllister and Gvardiol are all stealing the headlines in terms of transfer rumours however the 6 above should be far more attainable at the start of FM23 based on their current club and contract. Who doesn’t love a bit of post-World Cup transfer chaos right? Let us know how you get on either on Twitter or in the comments below!
Thanks for reading.
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