With each passing year, the transfer window is witnessing some really exorbitant business that seemed unthinkable until a few years ago, with deals in the excess of €100 million fast becoming commonplace in football. So with the inflated transfer values in mind, let’s look at the most valuable XI in world football right now (Formation: 4-1-3-2).
Goalkeeper: Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid) – €76 million
If you were to draw out a list of the most underrated players active in world football, the name Jan Oblak would rank somewhere near the top, with the Slovenian barely in the limelight despite his unparalleled shot-stopping expertise and game-changing saves.
Signed from Benfica in 2014 for what now seems a paltry sum of €16 million, Oblak was initially an understudy to Miguel Angel Moya, but his top-notch performances, even in the bit-part role, saw him usurp the Spaniard as the undisputed number one in goal from the 2015/16 season onwards.
Is Oblak the best goalkeeper in the world right now? 🤔#FIFA21 thinks he is 🥇 pic.twitter.com/nKVKWmn0qr
— GOAL (@goal) September 11, 2020
He hasn’t looked back ever since, garnering numerous plaudits for his quick reflexes, excellent handling of crosses, and an authoritarian command of his area, helping the Rojiblancos transform into one of the meanest outfits in Europe and keeping an extraordinary 139 clean sheets in just 257 appearances!
He’s won La Liga’s Zamora Trophy as well as the best goalkeeper award for four seasons on the trot until last year, besides also lifting three titles with Atletico, including the Europa League – no wonder Oblak’s value has multiplied by almost five times in such a short span.