Bloomberg Línea — The Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup is approaching, and Latin American teams will participate amid great expectation among their local fans. Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico and Uruguay will be the region’s representatives in the tournament, which begins November 20.
As has been the case throughout the last decades, South America has been a main exporter of soccer talent, with outstanding young players such as Brazil’s Vinicius Junior and Neymar, Uruguay’s Federico Valverde and Luis Suárez, and Argentine Lionel Messi.
Given some South American players’ global prominence and high values in the transfer market, Bloomberg Línea has imagined Latin America’s ‘dream team’ for the Qatar 2022 World Cup, taking into account the player with the highest value in each position among the six qualified teams. Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay contributed to the roster.
This is how the line-up would look:
Goalkeeper
Alisson Becker, the goalkeeper of the Brazilian national team, would occupy that position in Latin America’s dream team by market value, which according to the portal Transfermarkt is currently US$50.37 million, with the exchange rate as of October 26, 2022.
The Novo Hamburgo-born player currently plays for Liverpool FC, with a contract in force until 2027, which was renewed in 2021.
Defenders and left and right backs
The Latin America squad would have Marcos Aoás Corrêa ‘Marquinhos’ of Brazil and Ronald Araújo of Uruguay as central defenders, with market values of $70.51 million and $60.45 million, respectively.
The Brazilian currently plays for Paris Saint-Germain FC and has a contract until 2024, while the Uruguayan is a defender for FC Barcelona and is signed until 2026.
The left back would be the Brazilian Renan Lodi ($25.17 million) with a contract until 2023 and loaned by Atletico Madrid to Nottingham Forest. Right back would be Argentine Gonzalo Montiel ($14.09 million), currently with Sevilla FC, under contract until 2026.
Midfielder and defensive midfielder
The defensive midfielder aims to provide stability to the team from the center of the field, both to defend and to attack. This role is directly outlined in the team conformation in Transfermarkt, so it is also contemplated for the Latin America dream team.
By market value, the position would be played by Brazilian Fabinho Tavares, who currently plays for Liverpool, and who is valued at $60.45 million.
Accompanying him in the team’s midfield would be Uruguayan Federico Valverde, who has a market value of $80.60 million, and Brazilian Lucas Paquetá, with a value of $45.34 million. These South Americans play for Real Madrid CF and West Ham United, respectively, with contracts valid until 2027.
Forwards and wingers
The forward group of the Latin American dream team would be made up of a trident of nations, starting with Vinicius Junior, from Brazil, who currently plays for Real Madrid CF and has a market value of $120.93 million, according to Transfermarkt, playing as a left winger.
Next to him, in the attacking area, would be the Argentine Lautaro Martínez, center forward of Inter Milan, whose price in the soccer market is $75.61 million. And Darwin Núñez, a Liverpool FC striker, would close out the group, and who is worth an estimated $70.56 million.
Qatar 2022 World Cup
The global soccer final will kick off on November 20 with the opening match between Qatar and Ecuador.