NEW DELHI: Opening of the team sports in 2026 FIFA World Cup he gave an excellent performance. From Morocco schooling Brazil with their silky, eye-pleasing football, to Lionel Messi’s hat-trick against Algeria, and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal not finding a winner against Congo, the opening game had it all. However, one of the most shocking moments came when 40-year-old Cabo Verdean goalkeeper Josimar José Évora Dias, known as Vozinha, left one of the world’s richest men scratching their heads.Seven saves against Spain were enough to spoil a good start for Spain’s armed forces, securing a historic 0-0 draw in a Cabo Verde World Cup match and earning Vozinha the coveted Man of the Match award. Currently playing for GD Chaves in the Portuguese second division, Vozinha has been a sensation throughout the night. While he was recording the headlines of professional footballers, thousands of kilometers away in India, the same goalkeeper started a fierce and unpleasant debate on the Internet.
The market price of Vozinha is Rs 40 lakh
The good news of Vozinha’s performance went viral, Indian football fans were dismayed, many who saw their hair turning gray waiting for India to fulfill their dream of playing in the World Cup, expressed great confusion.According to Transfermarkt, a digital database that tracks international football statistics and player market values, the former goalkeeper’s market value is just Rs 40 lakh.On the other hand, the members of the latest Indian national team selected by head coach Khalid Jamil for the tour of Tajikistan command double, triple, or even four times more, despite not being anywhere close to World Cup qualification.
When multiplied, the Indian cricket team has a market value of Rs 1.46 Crore, while the lowest base stands at Rs 80 Lakh for players like Rahul Bheke and Pramveer.Even the three Indian players Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Albino Gomes, and Hrithik Tiwari command a market share of Rs 1.4 Crore, Rs 1.4 Crore, and Rs 1.8 Crore, respectively. For the speculators, the argument was as clear as a white paper that the Indian players are overpriced compared to the proven protagonist of the World Cup.
How does Transfermarkt calculate the market value?
To understand this connection, one must look at how Transfermarkt calculates these figures. The platform does not use a clean algorithm. Instead, it relies on the “wisdom of the community”, whose members assess the number of potential players in the free market.Individual and situational adjustment strategies are based on calculations rather than predicting actual future income.This is how player prices become a reflection of local market demand, the financial impact of the league, and the purchasing power of domestic clubs, rather than an indicator of global quality.
What do the experts say?
Former India all-rounder Robin Singh believes that the responsibility for these statistics falls on the clubs and not the players alone.“I am very happy with Vozinha, who has done very well. Compared to the Indian market, I feel, it is a question that depends on the teams,” said Singh. TimesofIndia.com during a random connection. “It depends on how much the player is wanted and how much the team wants to pay him.“If a club in the Indian market feels that the goal is so important, I think they are the ones who should be asked the question about the market value.”Former Indian cricketer Mehtab Hossain, however, takes a more critical view of the distinction. Explaining that Vozinha is already 40 years old and past his prime, Hossain says that the market value also reflects the player’s role in his career. Take the example of Sandesh Jhingan, whose market value is up to Rs 2 crore but was much higher at Rs 2.4 crore three years ago. In the case of Vozinha, he had his highest market value of Rs 4.8 crore at the age of 31.However, on a deeper analysis of the matter, he could not help but admit that the valuation of some players in the Indian market is indeed high.“Football money depends on many factors,” Hossain told the website. “And now, for clubs like East Bengal or Mohun Bagan, what is happening now, especially with the pressure (to sign another player), I think the number of players is increasing. There are pressures to build a good team, fight for the championship, and what happens in national football doesn’t matter. The bottom line is that if I want this player, I’ll take him at any price, and that raises his price.“Beyond age and experience, Hossain believes that the inflation of the Indian game is fueled by its rankings and brutal control, with profiteers often taking advantage of intense competition between clubs.“A player’s agent will say, ‘My player has an offer from East Bengal’, even though there may be no real offer. The agent also gets from this. Some of the damage has been done because of the agents. I mean, with due respect, the agents should think about it. You are filling your pockets, but only the teams know how hard they are.”
