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Germany Exit Shows Market Value Does Not Win in Knockout Soccer
Germany's €947 million squad lost to Paraguay (€153.6 million) on penalties in the round of 32. The World Cup's biggest valuation mismatch yet ended with three German penalty misses.
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Germany's World Cup exit at the hands of Paraguay in the round of 32 is the tournament's biggest upset yet measured by the numbers on the team sheet.
Transfermarkt, the player-valuation database, pegs Germany's squad at €947 million – the fifth most expensive in the competition. Paraguay's entire roster comes in at €153.6 million, barely a sixth of that figure. The math looked like a mismatch before kickoff. On the pitch, it did not play out that way.
Paraguay snatched the lead on a counterattack late in the first half. Germany equalized through Arsenal forward Kai Havertz around the 70th minute. Germany held 76 percent possession to Paraguay's 24 percent and dominated every territorial metric. The defense Paraguay showed after going ahead was compact and disciplined, funneling German shots into low-danger areas or blocking them entirely at set pieces – the only situations where Germany created real chances.