Market-value movers — who rose and fell between World Cups
Transfermarkt value change from one World Cup to the next, 2006→2026 (2002 predates TM values).
Everything is per cycle so absolute euros stay era-fair — a €60M jump in 2018 and in 2006 are compared only
within their own window, never across (TM values inflate). Squads lead with value_share, the same
inflation control the rest of the site uses. Companion to fallen giants (collapses).
Players — biggest % jumps, all cycles
Each dumbbell is one player's value at consecutive World Cups — start dot to end dot on a
log scale (the span runs €3M to €150M+), ≥€3M start. Hover a line for the exact figures.
Ranked by % gain; € axis shared, not era-adjusted — the per-cycle panels below are the era-fair view.
full table →
Per-cycle winners
Biggest absolute and biggest % gain in each window — each cycle keeps its own axis, so a
€60M jump in 2018 is never drawn against 2006 money (TM values inflate; the ≥€3M start rule applies to the % row).
A squad is different players each World Cup, so this is the nation's talent-pool trajectory
(turnover + development + inflation), not the same men. Δvalue_share is the era-neutral measure; three of the five
absolute risers below went on to win the tournament — the value surge that precedes a title.
Each cycle's biggest value-share riser and faller, on one linear axis — value_share is the
site's inflation control, so shares are comparable across eras. full table →
Peak World-Cup value ÷ lowest, for players at 3+ World Cups (≥€3M floor). This rewards players
who arrived cheap and peaked high.
The round trip — Lionel Messi
Messi doesn't top the swing table (he was never cheap — €15M as a teenager in 2006), but
his arc is the one nobody else traces: up to €180M in 2018, then all the way back to €15M in 2026 —
ending exactly where he began, six World Cups later.