Challenge for 'Away Quarterfinals' Against Brazil with a Star-Studded Team
Captain of the South Korean national football team Son Heung-min (right) and Brazilian national football team forward Richarlison (left). Photo by AFP Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Lee Gyehwa] In the 2022 Qatar World Cup, South Korea challenges Brazil for the first-ever away World Cup quarterfinal advancement. Brazil is ranked number one by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) and is considered the top favorite to win in both records and evaluations.
Among the 26 players composing the Brazil national team, most are star players. A total of 222 players from the national team are active in major European leagues, including the English Premier League and the Spanish La Liga.
The combined market value of the Brazilian squad amounts to an astronomical figure. According to Transfermarkt, a football statistics site based in Germany, the total transfer market value of the 26 Brazilian national team players is estimated at 1.14 billion euros (approximately 1.56 trillion KRW). This ranks second among the 32 countries participating in the finals, following England (1.26 billion euros).
◆Forward Vin?cius J?nior valued at 164.1 billion KRW... highest market value in this World Cup
The player with the highest market value in the Brazil national team is forward Vin?cius J?nior. Playing for Real Madrid in Spain, his estimated transfer fee is 120 million euros (approximately 164.1732 billion KRW). Among all players participating in the World Cup finals, he ranks second only to French forward Kylian Mbapp? (Paris Saint-Germain, 160 million euros).
The market value of Vin?cius J?nior alone matches the combined value of all 26 South Korean national team players. Transfermarkt estimates the total transfer value of the South Korean squad at 16.448 million euros (approximately 226 billion KRW), which is about one-seventh of Brazil's total.
Among them, Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min, who was the top scorer in the English Premier League last season, accounts for nearly half of the total market value of the South Korean team. Transfermarkt lists Son Heung-min's transfer value at 70 million euros (approximately 96 billion KRW). Only four players in the South Korean team, including Son Heung-min, have a market value exceeding 10 million euros (approximately 1.36811 billion KRW).
Sports bookmakers say "South Korea's chance of victory is 2.08%"
Sports bookmakers see South Korea's chances of winning the round of 16 as slim. According to odds released by the UK betting company Redbrooks, Brazil's probability of defeat is 1 in 48, and South Korea's chance of victory is only 2.08%. South Korea's odds of winning the championship are the lowest among the round of 16 qualifiers, tied with Poland at 1 in 150. This is more than twice the odds compared to Japan's 1 in 66 chance of winning.
South Korea advanced to the round of 16 with a dramatic 2-1 comeback victory against Portugal in the last group stage match of Group H on the 3rd, thanks to Hwang Hee-chan's (Wolverhampton) winning goal scored in the 46th minute of the second half. The round of 16 match between South Korea and Brazil will be held on the 6th at 4 a.m. Korea time at the 974 Stadium in Doha, Qatar.
Brazil is the country with the most World Cup titles, having won five times in total. Brazil, which topped Group G with two wins and one loss to advance to the round of 16, was ranked number one in the latest FIFA rankings released ahead of the October Qatar World Cup. In contrast, South Korea's best performance is fourth place, achieved as a co-host in the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, the highest in Asia. South Korea has reached the round of 16 three times, including this year. They also advanced to the round of 16 in the 2010 South Africa World Cup following the Korea-Japan World Cup.
South Korea has faced Brazil seven times in total, recording one win and six losses. On March 28, 1999, they met in a friendly match at Seoul's Jamsil Sports Complex and won 1-0. Since then, South Korea lost all four subsequent matches. Under coach Paulo Bento, South Korea suffered two consecutive defeats.
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