From James to Diouf: The 10 worst World Cup transfers of all time

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 23 May 2023 08:55 CDT
• 7 min read

The World Cup afford players a chance to put themselves in the shop window, especially if they play for some of the game's lesser lights at club level. But beware of players starring at Finals tournaments…

For every Mesut Ozil or Sami Khedira - who got moves to Real Madrid from mid-level Bundesliga teams after starring with Germany at the 2010 World Cup before flourishing at their new club - there is an El-Hadji Diouf who, well, didn't.

Saxo Bank recently published a report which outlined that a successful World Cup showing can increase a player's transfer value by up to 300 per cent, and clubs have paid top dollar for supposed international "stars" over the years, many of whom then flopped.

Football Transfers looks at 10 of the worst culprits…

MORE: Five players who could get a big World Cup transfer

El-Hadji Diouf - Lens to Liverpool for €15m in 2002

Liverpool announced El Hadji-Diouf's signing from Lens the day after he helped Senegal shock defending champions France in the opening game of the 2002 edition in Japan and South Korea before reaching the quarter-finals.

Diouf had three assists in five games at the World Cup, and a brace in his second Premier League start augured well, but his Reds career soon fizzled out and he was sold to Bolton for a huge loss two years later.

El-Hadji Diouf starred for Senegal as they beat defending champions France on the way to the quarter-finals of the 2002 edition in Japan and South Korea.

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Salif Diao – Sedan to Liverpool for €€7.5m in 2002

Diao was a powerhouse figure in that Senegal side that shocked France back in 2002, and in part that helped to earn him a move from Sedan in France. He was actually signed by the club just prior to the competition but his reputation was dramatically enhanced by his performances in Japan and South Korea, despite being shown a red card against Denmark.

He was typically a midfielder but was often used in defence at Liverpool, and he looked a player who was not featuring in his correct role. He actually managed to survive more than four years at Anfield before being loaned to Stoke, where he subsequently moved permanently.

James Rodriguez - Monaco to Real Madrid €75m in 2014

James Rodriguez was certainly no unknown when he signed for Real Madrid from Monaco in the summer of 2014. Indeed, 12 months earlier he had stunned the footballing world by moving to the principality from Porto for €45m.

It was the World Cup, though, that really helped to enhance his reputation. During the competition he openly flirted with Real Madrid and completed a move shortly after the competition.

He was greeted by 45,000 fans at his presentation but the hype would never truly be justified, although he certainly played a very fine debut season. From there, though, it was downhill and he subsequently became a nomadic figure, turning out for Bayern Munich, Everton, Al-Rayyan and now Olympiacos.

Denilson - Sao Paulo to Real Betis for €24.7m in 1998

It would be unheard of now for Real Betis to command the biggest transfer spend in the history of football, but in 1998 that was the case as they plundered Denilson from Sao Paulo following the World Cup in France.

Although he went on to play nearly 200 times for Betis, he struggled to justify their outlay, netting only 14 times for the club before moving on in 2005. During this period, Los Beticos were even relegated, although Denilson somehow still boasted sufficient clout to make the 2002 World Cup-winning squad.

Kleberson - Paranaense to Man Utd for €8.6m in 2003

Kleberson was named as the catalyst behind Brazil’s World Cup success in 2002 by Luiz Felipe Scolari, and it was off the back of this performance that Manchester United signed Kleberson in 2003.

He struggled to adapt to life in Europe and would make only 20 appearances for the Red Devils before being transferred to Besiktas. His career was a downward spiral from that point. He swiftly moved back to Brazil while his career ultimately concluded in the lower-reaches of US soccer in 2016 with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers.

Robert Jarni - Betis to Real Madrid, via Coventry for €3.9m in 1998

Robert Jarni was one of the star performers of the Croatia side that sensationally made the semi-finals in 1998 before being knocked out by 10-man France. He was already a well-established star by that point and was 30, yet a move to Coventry seemed to signal that his club-level career was winding down.

Not so, as Real Madrid swept in to sign him before he had even kicked a ball for the English side. Unsurprisingly, Jarni could not recapture his World Cup form and spent much of his time on the Bernabeu bench before moving on for Segunda Division side Las Palmas after one season.

David Odonkor - from Dortmund to Betis for €6.5m in 2006

Winger David Odonkor was one of the great hopes of German football in the mid-2000s and seemed to suggest that he was destined for the top with some bright displays at the 2006 World Cup, which the country hosted.

Betis were suitably impressed by the quicksilver winger and took a punt on him, signing him for €6.5m. It proved money poorly spent. Odonkor’s career was plagued by physical problems and he would make only 51 league appearances in five years before moving to the lower-reaches of the German game.

Javier Margas - Universidad Catolica to West Ham for €2.3m in 1998

It is telling that the thing about Javier Margas that has gone down in West Ham history is a quote from erstwhile manager Harry Redknapp about him going missing.

“His wife hated it, she had a big family back home, she was crying,” recalled Redknapp.

“Suddenly he didn't show up to training one day and someone said his wife had gone home and he was staying at the Swallow Hotel. So we went round to see him and someone said he might be going home, and we said: ‘He can't, he's got a contract here, we bought him!’

“He'd left half his gear there, the window was open, he was on the first floor, he obviously took what he needed, jumped out the window and legged it!”

Margas impressed with a strong Chile side at France 98 and seems to have done well to last as long as he did at West Ham before going AWOL and finishing his career.

Asamoah Gyan - from Rennes to Sunderland for €16m in 2010

Asamoah Gyan was one of the breakout players at World Cup 2010 in South Africa. He caught the eye of Sunderland, who signed him for a significant fee from Ligue 1 side Rennes, where he had played with modest success over the two previous seasons.

He made a decent fist of playing in the Premier League, hitting double figures in his first and only full season, yet he left a year later to Al-Ain with Sunderland underlining the “financial benefits” of the move.

Stephane Guivarc'h - Auxerre to Newcastle for €4m in 1998

Stephane Guivarc'h is undoubtedly the least memorable member of France’s World Cup-winning squad in 1998. He led the line for Les Bleus, performing a workmanlike role but never scoring. Indeed, he would net only once for his country.

Off the back of being a World Cup winner – plus two successive seasons of 20+ goals in France with Rennes and Auxerre – he moved to Premier League Newcastle with a curiously large reputation. Unsurprisingly, he was moved quickly on to Rangers in Scotland. A year after leaving AJA, he was back in France with the same club, having failed in Britain.

Andreas Isaksson - from Rennes to Man City for €3m in 2006

Andreas Isaksson won over 100 caps for Sweden and was their first-choice goalkeeper in 2006, when they went to the World Cup in Germany. At that time, he was playing with Rennes but three strong showings with his national eam were enough to persuade Man City to make a move.

The Cityzens were not the financial powerhouse then that they are today, so to get only 19 league appearances from the keeper was a disappointment. He moved on and achieved success at PSV and Kasimpasa.