Asian Cup 2019: You get what you pay for.
(Baonghean.vn) - The three teams with the highest valuations in the 2019 Asian Cup according to Transfermarkt – South Korea, Japan, and Iran – all have a perfect record after two matches. Furthermore, they are considered strong contenders for the championship this time around.
According to valuations from the transfer website Transfermarkt, South Korea (€84.43 million) and Japan (€80.8 million) are the two teams with the highest total squad value in the 2019 Asian Cup. Iran ranks third (€58.2 million), far ahead of defending champions Australia, whose total squad value is only around €37 million. Money doesn't always equate to success, but so far, these "rich clubs" are demonstrating their class.
The rich are winning.
After two rounds of matches, nine teams have won all their games, including three teams with the highest total transfer value in Asia: Japan, South Korea, and Iran. Jordan, South Korea, Iran, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia are the only teams that have yet to concede a goal.
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| The total value of the Iranian national team's squad for the 2019 Asian Cup is approximately 58.2 million euros. Photo: Getty |
According to experts, Qatar is currently the most impressive team at this year's Asian Cup. Their squad, largely composed of U23 players with a total transfer value of €7.75 million, was initially intended to provide experience in preparation for the 2022 World Cup on home soil, but they have performed far better. Qatar currently has two wins, scoring eight goals and conceding none, convincingly leading Group E.
Coach Carlos Queiroz has at his disposal what is considered the best squad in the history of Iranian football. Not long ago, this star-studded team defeated Morocco 2-1, drew with Portugal 1-1, and only lost narrowly to Spain 0-1 at the 2018 World Cup. According to valuations from the transfer website Transfermarkt, the total value of the Iranian national team squad for the 2019 Asian Cup is approximately 58.2 million euros.
The most expensive player in the Iranian squad is Alireza Jahanbakhsh, who won the Dutch Eredivision top scorer award and played a major role in helping AZ Alkmaar finish as runners-up. Brighton & Hove Albion FC spent €20 million in the summer of 2018 to sign Alireza Jahanbakhsh from AZ Alkmaar, but Transfermarkt has now revalued him.tThe 25-year-old striker is now worth only 18 million euros. All of them are performing brilliantly, helping the team secure two easy victories against Yemen (5-0) and Vietnam (2-0).
Jordan was the biggest surprise of the 2019 Asian Cup group stage, impressively defeating the defending champions Australia. The proactive counter-attacking philosophy that coach Vital Borkelmans instructed his players to follow once again proved to be a difficult opponent in their second match against Syria, a team with a slightly higher skill level. While not spectacular, they easily beat Syria 2-0 using a 4-2-3-1 formation with Saeed Murjan, Yassine Mahmoud, and Yusef Al Rawashdeh up front.
Another team in Group E is Saudi Arabia, with a total transfer value of 21 million euros, also had 2 wins, with 6 goals and no goals conceded. Names like striker Al-Muwallad (19), midfielder Al-Moqahwi, Ali Al-Bishi… are predicted to increase in value rapidly after the 2019 Asian Cup.
Waiting for the explosion
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| The total transfer value of the Vietnamese national team is only 575,000 euros. Photo: Internet |
The South Korean team also had two wins, but that was mostly just a warm-up. Simply put, star player Son Heung-min, who plays for Tottenham, only joined the national team after the match against Manchester United in the 22nd round of the Premier League on January 13th.
Son Heung-min has played 12 matches for Tottenham Hotspur in just over a month. He arrived in the UAE on the afternoon of January 14th, a few hours after his team suffered a 0-1 home defeat against Manchester United in the Premier League.
However, according toXinhuaIn a press conference before the match against China on January 15th, South Korea's head coach, Paulo Bento, stated that the star who recently returned from Tottenham might be absent. Therefore, it remains to be seen when the most expensive player of the 2019 Asian Cup, valued at 50 million euros, will perform.Among the title contenders, perhaps only Japan has been relatively quiet. They only managed to earn 6 points in their first two matches against Turkmenistan and Oman.However, the playing style of the young players from the land of the rising sun has not yet overwhelmed their opponents. But stars like Yoshinori Muto (10 million euros), Hiroki Sakai (8 million euros)(million euros) only played a supporting role.
