Domestic leagues with the most players at the 2018 World Cup
Premier League players at the World Cup
The most well-represented domestic team at the 2018 World Cup unsurprisingly came from England – Manchester City had a total of 16 players taking part in the World Cup, one more than Real Madrid. In fact, only one side from the 2017/18 Premier League did not have representation at the tournament – AFC Bournemouth. Although the England national team fell just short of the final, having been beaten by Croatia in extra time in the semi-finals, the team captain, Harry Kane, went home with the Golden Boot award. The Tottenham star scored six goals throughout the tournament, but still remains some way behind the all-time record goal scorer at the World Cup, Miroslav Klose.
Big names at the World Cup
As the most prestigious national tournament in world soccer, it is unsurprising that the superstars are out in force during the World Cup. Going into the 2018 World Cup, Argentina’s Lionel Messi and Brazil’s Neymar were top of the table based on their market value. The highest ranked French player on the list was Kylian Mbappé in sixth place who, after a sterling tournament in which he scored in the final, no doubt has seen his value rise. France’s win did not come as a complete surprise as they went into the tournament with the most highly valued squad – the combined transfer value of the French squad stood at 1.08 billion U.S. dollars.