10 Players Who Secured Big Transfers After an Impressive World Cup

The FIFA World Cup is widely considered as the biggest football stage for players to showcase their talents to the world and also potential buyers in the transfer market. As expected, most clubs in Europe always have their eyes on players at the World Cup in a bid to add the best talents to their team. Since we are still in the FIFA World Cup season, this video will take a look at some football stars who secured mega transfer moves at the back end of an impressive World Cup campaign. Let's go! Very few Liverpool fans were aware of Belgium striker Divock Origi prior to the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Divock Origi was one of the numerous young Belgium players alongside Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne and the likes who impressed for the Red Devils in 2014. His performances at the World Cup earned him a surprise move to Premier League giants Liverpool in the summer of 2014, a transfer he wouldn't have expected to secure at such an early stage of his football career. Another player who secured a mega transfer at the back of a superb 2014 FIFA World Cup performance was Dutch player Daley Blind. He had an astronomical 2013-14 football season which saw him win a fourth consecutive Eredivisie title with Ajax. The then Dutch Footballer of the Year was selected to represent the Netherlands at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil by head coach Louis van Gaal. Blind caught the eyes of Premier League giants and was a subject of a transfer £14m move to Old Trafford on deadline day in the summer of 2014. The veteran Brazilian midfielder is widely regarded as one of Arsenal's greatest ever players of all time. However, his move to the Emirates Stadium wouldn't have been possible if not for his impressive performances at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Gilberto Silva was selected by Philippe Scolari to represent the South American giants at the Korea-Japan World Cup in 2002. He initially went to the tournament as a squad player, but ended up as one of the toast of the World Cup and eventually won the trophy with Brazil. The native boy from Atlético Mineiro ended up securing a dream move to Arsenal after the 2002 World Cup and went on to play six seasons with the Gunners. He is also a member of the Great Invincible squad of the 2003-04 campaign. 7. CARLOS TEVEZ 2006 The Argentine superstar is also another player who was privileged to secure a mega transfer at the back of a sublime FIFA World Cup performance. Carlos Tevez went into the 2006 edition of the FIFA World Cup in Germany as a player at Corinthians back home in Brazil. However, he ended up catching the eyes of top European teams with his impressive performances for Argentina. Premier League side West Ham United immediately came knocking for the signature of 22-year-old Tevez, who was one of Albi Celeste's best players at the tournament. The transfer was a defining moment in the career of Carlos Tevez. He went on to play for the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City and Juventus during his time in Europe. 6. AZAMURA GIAN 2010 The veteran Ghanaian striker was one of the standout players of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Although his last-minute penalty miss against Uruguay in the quarter-finals spoiled what would have been a heroic tournament for Azamura Gian and the entire African continent. However, he got a consolation for his huge miss by securing a dream move to the Premier League after the competition in South Africa. Sunderland went on to secure the services of Azamura Gian shortly after the 2010 FIFA World Cup for a then-club record fee in the region of £13 million. 5. EDISON KAVANI 2010 The Uruguayan striker took his club career to another level after his performance in the FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Despite his teammate Diego Forlan grabbing all the headlines for Uruguay, Kavani was still being watched by a couple of European clubs at the tournament. He eventually secured a transfer to Serie A giants Napoli from Palermo despite interest from a couple of Premier League clubs such as Tottenham Hotspur. It was at Napoli that the Uruguay striker cemented his spot as one of Europe's most feared centre-forwards as he scored well over 100 goals for the Italian side before securing a move to PSG. You will very much agree that Edison Kavani's career will probably not have blossomed if he didn't appear at the 2010 World Cup with Uruguay. Who knows, he would have remained at Palermo or probably would have left for an even lesser club. 4. SAMI KHADIRA 2010 Germany have had a good track record of producing amazing talents at the FIFA World Cup and the 2010 edition in South Africa was the year for Sami Khadira. His performances with the German national team saw him secure a dream move from Stuttgart to Spanish giants Real Madrid in the summer of 2010. Khadira caught the eyes of the then Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho who made sure he secured the services of the young midfielder. It was a defining moment in the career of Khadira as he went on to spend five seasons with Los Blancos making 161 appearances. 3. MESUT OZIL 2010 Real Madrid are known for having an eye for some of the best young talents in world football and in 2010 they were quick to spot the brilliance of young Mesut Ozil with the German national team. The highly rated playmaker was one of the star players for the German national team at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Real Madrid immediately made an offer for the then 21-year-old player and eventually secured his services from Werder Bremen for a transfer fee in the region of 15 million euro. He went on to register 27 goals and 80 assists for Los Blancos. Many fans will also argue that Mesut Ozil probably played his best football during his time at Real Madrid. 2. JAMES RODRIGUEZ 2014 Of course, if you followed the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, you will definitely know that James Rodriguez was set for a big money move following his performance with Colombia. He was the man of the show despite not winning the tournament with his national team. His skills and talent were on display for the whole world to see in Brazil. James Rodriguez had only been at club side Monaco for just a year prior to the 2014 World Cup but after such an impressive performance in Brazil, it became very clear that the French club wouldn't be able to keep their star man beyond the 2013-14 season. Real Madrid immediately came calling for the South American playmaker after the tournament and splashed a whopping 63 million pounds to secure the services of Rodriguez from Monaco. It was the then fourth most expensive transfer in the history of football. 1. CAFU 1994 Many fans will label the Brazilian legend as one of the greatest fullbacks in the history of football. However, the catalyst behind such a glamorous career was his performance at the 1994 FIFA World Cup. The young Sao Paulo right-back was selected in Brazil's squad to play at the Maiden Football Cup competition. They went on to win the tournament for the fourth time in their history and Cafu saw his stock go up drastically. Cafu was one of the standout players for the Brazil national team and his performance saw him secure a surprise move to Europe, with Real Zaragoza eventually securing his services. It was the beginning of a glamorous football career which later saw him play for the likes of AS Roma and AC Milan of Italy. Which other player comes to mind? And who do you think can secure a mega transfer move after the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar? Please do well to drop your opinion in the comments section below this video. 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