Players who turned World Cup heroics into big transfers
The World Cup has long served as football's biggest shop window, with standout tournament performances repeatedly turning into major club transfers. Vozinha's recent move to Chilean giants Colo-Colo at age 40, following an impressive campaign for Cape Verde, is the latest example of a player using the tournament to transform his career.
Several players have followed this path over the decades:
– Marc-Vivien Foe impressed for Cameroon at the 1994 World Cup and earned a free transfer from Canon Yaoundé to French side Lens
– Gilberto Silva played every minute of Brazil's 2002 World Cup triumph and moved to Arsenal for around £4.5m, later becoming part of the Invincibles
– Javier Mascherano's strong 2006 World Cup with Argentina led to a move from Corinthians to West Ham, before spells at Liverpool and Barcelona
– Mesut Özil also used a standout World Cup to secure a move from Werder Bremen to Real Madrid
- World Cup performances can trigger big career-changing transfers
- Vozinha, 40, joined Colo-Colo after Cape Verde's tournament run
- Foe, Silva, Mascherano and Özil all earned major moves this way