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France will have plenty of depth in attack at the World Cup.
Worth about a billion dollars.
That’s the estimated total 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 pick, but who to leave out of his starting line-up for France’s World Cup opener against Senegal on June 16.
He has a huge amount of talent to complement the prolific scoring of Mbappé, who is enjoying another prolific season with Real Madrid and needs one more goal to tie Olivier Giroud as France’s all-time leading goalscorer with 57 goals.
There is the speed and finishing of Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé; the clinical scoring and exquisite passing of Michael Olise; the maverick ability of the technically gifted Rayan Cherkis; or the fleet-footed runs of fellow newcomer Maghnes Akliouche.
According to estimates by soccer website transfermarkt and the CIES Football Observatory, which takes into account the time remaining on a player’s contract, France’s 10 attacking players are worth 855 million euros, a fraction over $1 billion.
Here’s a look at the top players.
Mbappé tops the list
(Photo by Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Unsurprisingly, the 27-year-old Real Madrid superstar leads with €200 million ($236 million).
Mbappé is followed by Bayern Munich star Olise at 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 PSG contract and is valued at around €115m, compared to €100m for Dembélé, who has two years left to run at PSG and is eight years older.
Their goalscoring PSG team-mate Bradley Barcola – who starred against Chelsea in the Champions League – is next on €70m, followed by Cherki on €65m.
Cherki’s value may increase
(Photo: Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)
Cherki first caught the eye six years ago when he was 16 when he scored twice in a French Cup game for Lyon. He has entered a new dimension since joining Manchester City in the offseason for what now looks like a €36m bid fee. He scored a fine solo goal against Arsenal in their Premier League top-flight on Sunday.
His ability to create goals with his intuitive passing has surprised even City manager Pep Guardiola – who worked with two of the world’s best passers in Lionel Messi and Iniesta at Barcelona – and Cherki’s value could rise if he does well at the World Cup.
Akliouche scored in both legs for Monaco against PSG in a closely contested Champions League play-off and his galloping runs from deep make him difficult to track. He is also capable of brilliant individual goals and scored a superb overhead kick for Monaco last season.
He is valued at €50 million along with Inter Milan striker Marcus Thuram, who has hit form in recent weeks as Inter close in on the Serie A title.
Thuram adds to France’s attacking options thanks to his heading ability, a strong point shared by Jean-Philippe Mateta.
The impressive striker is a consistent goalscorer for Premier League side Crystal Palace and has scored two goals in three games 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 earn 30 million if PSG sold him.
Kolo Muani almost wrote his name into World Cup history in 2022 but missed a chance right at the end of extra time in the final, which France lost on penalties to Argentina despite a hat-trick from Mbappé.
Report from the Associated Press.
