Euro 2016: Which country has the most valuable squad?
Euro 2016 kicks off on 10 June in France with 24 teams fighting it out for continental supremacy. Defending champions Spain, who won it back-to-back in 2008 and 2012, will be looking for their fourth title overall while World Cup champions Germany will be looking to add to the trophy they won in 2014.
However, one cannot count out the hosts, France, who have an enviable squad filled with world class players. Les Bleus were the last hosts to win the Euro in 1984. Can they repeat that feat again?
With so many talented players travelling to various venues across the country, CIES Football Observatory looked into which nation had the most valuable squad. Using their exclusive algorithm to calculate the worth of each player and the total worth of the squad, it turns out that England have the most valuable squad at €751.6m.
The Three Lions have all 23 players plying their trade in the Premier League (even third choice goalkeeper Tom Heaton saw Burnley achieve promotion). It is no wonder then that their worth in the transfer market is slightly inflated, knowing how much clubs increase their selling price to get the best possible deal.
The most expensive player in the England squad is Harry Kane, who is valued at a staggering €112.5m. The Tottenham Hotspur striker had taken home the Premier League Golden Boot for the 2015/16 season as well.
In second place is France valued at €696.9m. The hosts’ most valuable player is also a striker – Atletico Madrid’s Antoine Griezmann. The 25-year-old is valued at €120.2m. They are followed by Spain (€638.9m) and Germany (€601.4m). Their most expensive players are Alvaro Morata (€64.2m) and Thomas Muller (€73.5m).
Belgium, who topped the FIFA rankings before conceding top spot to Argentina, have the fourth most valuable squad. The Red Devils’ most valuable player is Eden Hazard (€78.3m) and not Kevin De Bruyne who was signed for a fee in the region of £55m.
Unsurprisingly, the most expensive player at the Euros is Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo – valued at an astonishing €137.8m (£107.8m). However, Portugal are only sixth on the list of most valuable squads.
Of all 24 teams, Hungary is at the bottom of the table and their squad is valued at just €30.1m. In all, eight teams are valued at less than €100m.
| # | Country | Value of Squad |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | England | €751.6m |
| 2 | France | €696.9m |
| 3 | Spain | €638.9m |
| 4 | Germany | €601.4m |
| 5 | Belgium | €550.3m |
| 6 | Portugal | €449.9m |
| 7 | Italy | €327.6m |
| 8 | Croatia | €291.9m |
| 9 | Switzerland | €204.8m |
| 10 | Wales | €192.6m |
| 11 | Poland | 186.1m |
| 12 | Turkey | 153.6m |
| 13 | Austria | 135.7m |
| 14 | Ukraine | 118.9m |
| 15 | Russia | 118.8m |