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France will have a lot of depth in attack at the World Cup.
About a billion dollars.
That is the total estimated value of the attacking players France are expected to bring to the tournament, from two-time World Cup final scoring sensation Kylian Mbappé to rising star Désiré Doué.
For coach Didier Deschamps the headache is not who to choose, but who to leave out of his starting lineup for France’s opening World Cup match against Senegal on June 16.
He has an enormous amount of talent to complement the prolific goalscoring of Mbappé, who is enjoying another prolific season with Real Madrid and needs one more goal to equal Olivier Giroud as France’s all-time leading scorer with 57 goals.
There is the speed and definition of Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé; the clinical scoring and exquisite passing of Michael Olise; the maverick skill of talented coach Rayan Cherki; or the fast races of the newcomer Maghnes Akliouche.
According to estimates by football website transfermarkt and the CIES Football Observatory, which take into account the remaining time on a player’s contract, France’s 10 attacking players are worth €855 million, a fraction of more than $1 billion.
Here’s a look at the best players.
Mbappé tops the list
(Photo by Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Unsurprisingly, the 27-year-old Real Madrid superstar tops the list with €200 million ($236 million).
Mbappé is followed by Bayern Munich star Olise with 140 million euros. London-born Olise’s form has been brilliant for Bundesliga champions Bayern, with 18 goals and 25 assists in 44 games.
Doué, 20, has three years left on his contract with PSG and is valued at around 115 million compared to 100 million euros for Dembélé, who has two years left in his career at PSG and is eight years older.
His fellow PSG goalscorer, Bradley Barcola, who starred against Chelsea in the Champions League, follows with €70 million, followed by Cherki with €65 million.
Cherki’s value could increase
(Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)
Cherki first attracted attention six years ago, when he was 16, when he scored twice in a French Cup match for Lyon. He has entered a new dimension since joining Manchester City in the off-season for what now looks like a bargain fee of €36m. He scored a fine solo goal against Arsenal in their Premier League top-flight clash on Sunday.
His ability to create goals with his intuitive passing has surprised even City manager Pep Guardiola, who worked alongside two of the world’s best passers, Lionel Messi and Iniesta, at Barcelona, and Cherki’s value could soar if he does well at the World Cup.
Akliouche scored in both games for Monaco against PSG in a tight Champions League playoff and his galloping runs from deep make him difficult to keep track of. He is also capable of scoring brilliant individual goals, and scored a magnificent headed goal for Monaco last season.
He is valued at €50 million along with Inter Milan striker Marcus Thuram, who has been in top form in recent weeks as Inter close in on the Serie A title.
Thuram increases France’s attacking options thanks to his heading ability, a strength shared by Jean-Philippe Mateta.
The towering striker is a consistent goalscorer for Premier League side Crystal Palace and has scored two goals in three appearances for Les Bleus.
Mateta is expected to join a bigger club next season and is valued at €35m, ahead of former PSG striker Randal Kolo Muani. He is on loan at Tottenham and, although he has lost form, he would probably reach 30 million if PSG sold him.
Kolo Muani almost wrote his name in the history of the 2022 World Cup, but he wasted an opportunity right at the end of extra time in the final, which France lost on penalties to Argentina despite Mbappé’s hat-trick.
Information from The Associated Press.
