There is no shopping window quite like the World Cup.
Senegal’s performance in 2002 led to Salif Diao and El Hadji Diouf both moving to Liverpool. In 2006, Italy’s unlikely hero Fabio Grosso moved from Palermo to Inter. In 2010, Real Madrid picked up both Mesut Ozil and Sami Khedira after their impressive World Cup performances for Germany.
And who can forget the hype following James Rodriguez’s showing in Brazil in 2014? Real Madrid pounced on him, too, to the tune of £63m. Manchester United made the rather more unfortunate decision to sign Marcos Rojo off the back of that tournament.
This brings us to Qatar 2022 – neatly skipping over the 2018 World Cup, which was mostly dominated by established stars and, er, Denys Cheryshev – where a whole new host of players are showcasing their ability to a global audience.
Here are eight standout performers from the tournament who you can expect to see in transfer gossip columns from now until February, and probably all over again in the summer.
1. Josko Gvardiol
Already one of the most impressive defenders in Europe at the age of 20, Josko Gvardiol has been a name on the lips of transfer committees at a number of top clubs for some time.
After his stellar performances for Croatia in Qatar, however, that transfer process may now be accelerated – it is clear he would walk into the starting line-ups of pretty much any club in the Champions League.
RB Leipzig’s model is such that they will be comfortable selling the player should an appropriate offer be tabled. Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and even Bayern Munich are all reportedly interested, meaning it could be a serious battle for the player’s signature.
Well worth it though, as it could secure the left-sided centre-back position for the next decade.
2. Sofyan Amrabat
The younger brother of former Watford winger Nordin, Sofyan Amrabat is a completely different kind of footballer, a combative holding midfielder who can also dictate play with the ball at his feet.
His work rate, tenacity and technical ability have shone during the World Cup and now Fiorentina have a fight on their hands to keep their midfield anchor.
Amrabat was a Serie A standout during his time at Hellas Verona but has only recently started to hit those heights again, becoming a key player for La Viola this campaign.
With Liverpool rumoured to be interested, the Florence club have stated that they have no plans to sell in January. Will the lure of the Premier League prove too strong?
3. Enzo Fernandez
Enzo Fernandez is a player that clubs should have picked up before Benfica snatched him from River Plate in the summer. Given the way he has played in Qatar, they themselves won’t be able to enjoy his performances for long.
Fernandez scored a wonderful goal to seal Argentina’s 2-0 win over Mexico during the group stage, setting them on their way to the semi-finals of the competition. Along with Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez he has been one of their standout performers.
At 21 years of age, it is the quality and range of Fernandez’s passing that sets him apart as a future star. Benfica will try desperately to keep him as long as they can but sometimes, with a player this good, it’s a futile exercise. He likely won’t move in January but in the summer anything goes.
4. Dominik Livakovic
What a goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic is. He made 11 saves in the quarter-final against Brazil, along with denying Rorygo’s spot-kick in the shootout.
This was to follow his performance against Japan, during which he saved three penalties.
In short, Croatia’s number one has been exceptional between the sticks for Zlatko Dalić and has surely earned himself a move to one of Europe’s major leagues.
Still only 27 and with Champions League experience under his belt at Dinamo Zagreb, any club in need of a long-term number one would do well to secure his services.
5. Goncalo Ramos
Fernando Santos’ decision to drop Cristiano Ronaldo for Portugal’s round of 16 tie with Switzerland was a bold one. Thanks to Goncalo Ramos, however, the move immediately paid off.
Ramos fired in a hat-trick during the 6-1 rout, becoming the first player to score a World Cup knockout stage hat-trick since 1990 and the first player to score a World Cup hat-trick in their first start since Miroslav Klose in 2002.
He’s 21 years old and has nine goals in 11 league appearances to his name so far this season. Benfica president Rui Costa (not a bad player himself back in the day) has stated the club will not sell for anything less than his release clause – a reported £103m.
That’s obviously a lot of money and surely enough to put off even Premier League clubs…for now.
6. Azzedine Ounahi
Remarkably, Azzedine Ounahi was playing third-tier football in France for Avranches only 18 months ago.
The Angers player has started every game for Morocco on their miracle run into the World Cup semi-finals and impressed alongside Amrabat at the heart of their midfield.
Given that Angers currently sit rock bottom of Ligue 1, they are not exactly in a position to down any reasonable offers for the 22-year-old should they come in January, even as he is a key player they will be desperate to keep to help stave off relegation.
As it stands, Ounahi looks to be an extremely astute pick-up for most mid-table sides in Europe’s top five leagues, even if they have to wait until the summer.
7. Josip Juranovic
Josip Juranovic was one of Croatia’s best players during their penalty shootout victory against Brazil in the quarter-finals, constantly surging up and down their right flank and causing Tite’s team all kinds of problems with his energy and movement.
Also very solid defensively, Juranovic is clearly capable of playing at a higher level than the Scottish Premier League. He’s already been linked with a move to a host of Premier League clubs, including Newcastle, and even Atletico Madrid in the past.
It will be extremely difficult for Celtic to keep hold of such a player but given his showing at this World Cup, they will at least earn a pretty penny from his departure.
8. Jurrien Timber
Ajax will once again find themselves clinging on to some of their brilliant young prospects, including defender Jurrien Timber, who had a fine tournament for the Netherlands at just 21 years of age.
Versatile, athletic and comfortable on the ball, Timber is every bit the prototypical Ajax defender and replaced Matthijs de Ligt after only the first game of the tournament. It wasn’t hard to see why Louis van Gaal made the call given that Timber looked far better suited to the wide centre-back role in the Netherlands’ back three.
Mohammed Kudus, the 22-year-old Ghanaian midfielder, is another player the Dutch giants will not want to lose after his displays in the group stage in Qatar, where he scored two goals in three appearances.
